While in Newport, it may be worth your time to drive over into Middletown and spend some time relaxing at Sweet Berry Farm. There is plenty to do here, ranging from picking your own berries, peaches, or apples, depending on the season, enjoying a nice lunch in their cafe, eating some homemade ice cream, or wandering through their shop and market, picking out anything from fresh produce, to aprons, to cookies, to homemade frozen meals and much more. They’re open 7 days a week from 8am to 7pm so there is plenty of time to enjoy it all.
Strawberries are in full swing and once July hits, it’ll be time for rasberry picking, followed by blueberries, peaches and blackberries. When I went on a Monday morning to do some strawberry picking of my own, it seemed like the strawberries were endless, and while there isn’t field after field of strawberries, there is more than enough to satisfy any picker. You can choose from a variety of size containers ranging from a small pint to a 10 pound container. You do all the picking yourself and then head back to the main farm building where you can pay for your pickings. You can also taste a few berries just to make sure they’re right, but don’t overdo it!
The following recipe can be made using the fresh picked strawberries you get at Sweet Berry Farm! This Strawberry Stuffed French Toast recipe came from penniesonaplatter.com, enjoy!
Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons strawberry puree or sliced strawberries
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 8 slices very thick sliced bread, such as Italian bread, Challah, Texas Toast, etc
- Butter
- Sliced fresh strawberries
- Powdered sugar (optional)
- maple syrup or strawberry syrup
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 300˚F
- In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, strawberry puree and orange zest until smooth then set it aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the whipping cream, pour into a shallow dish and set it aside.
- Using a paring knife, slice a pocket into the side of each slice of bread, without cutting through the bread). Fill the pockets with a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture.
- Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip the filled bread slices into the egg mixture, then let it brown in the skillet for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Keep warm on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until ready to serve. Serve hot with maple syrup, powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.
