Ah, Sunday morning. Most days I run out of the house after scarfing down half a bowl of cereal, but weekends are a different story. I can lazily roll out of bed, dawdle and dally, discover forgotten leftovers, and still whip something up and respectably eat breakfast at 2 pm. Hooray for the extended hours of brunch.

This dish was inspired by the brie-stuffed french toast at Carriage House (Ithaca, NY). It is a fast, simple recipe that depends on the quality of its ingredients. I try to pick up fresh strawberries and challah bread, and top it off with real maple syrup. You can substitute another type of bread, but I've had great results with using eggy, absorbent challah. Feel free to use different kinds of fruit (mulberries? peaches?), or to dust the plate with some powdered sugar. The end product is a glorious intersection of sweet and salty, fruity and cheesy. This is one of the recipes I mentally file in the "Looks Impressive with Little Effort Expended" category. Who says you can't produce your own restaurant-quality brunch fare?

Challah French Toast with Brie

2 eggs
1/4 c milk
dash cinnamon
6-8 slices of challah (depending on the size of your loaf)
4 oz brie, sliced
8 oz hulled strawberries, sliced
Maple syrup

1. Beat the eggs, milk and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
2. Lightly grease a non-stick pan and set the burner to medium-low. Dip two pieces of bread in the egg wash and place them in the pan. When the bottoms begin to brown, flip them over. Place a few slices of brie on top of one piece of bread. Stack the other piece of bread above it to form a sandwich. Continue cooking until cheese has melted and both sides are golden brown.
3. Cut sandwiches into diagonal wedges. Top with strawberries and warm maple syrup. Serves 2.