Flawless French Toast with Raspberry Sauce

I may not have mastered homemade pizza yet, but French toast is one thing I can do.  French Toast is a lot like grilled cheese sandwiches in that making a great version isn't much harder than screwing up a mediocre version.

We made this for breakfast on the Fourth of July.  Maybe not as festive as those homemaking magazine cover cakes with Cool Whip, blueberries and raspberries in a flag design, but delicious and simple.

Flawless French Toast
This recipe is simple enough for almost any morning.  Leftovers freeze well and can be eaten as a snack (without syrup because there's sugar in the custard).  Dress it up with Raspberry Sauce (see below) or sliced strawberries and whipped cream for a special occasion. 
Serves 4

unsalted butter
some good french bread (not too fresh), sliced about 1/2" thick (or whatever bread you prefer: 8-10 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread, 1/2 a sourdough baguette in 1/2" slices, cheap sliced french bread)  Have a few extra slices handy.  Depending on the texture of the bread, you may have extra custard left over, in which case, you should make a few more slices to use up all the custard.
2 farm fresh eggs
about 3/4 cup of milk or half-n-half
1/4 sugar or brown sugar
a dash of ground cinnamon and a splash of vanilla extract
Maple syrup and butter or Raspberry Sauce to serve.

1.  Heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in your largest skillet.

2.  In a shallow dish such as a pie plate, whisk together eggs and milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.  Whisk in melted butter, leaving just a film of butter in the pan.

3.  Dip a couple slices of bread into the custard.  Let excess liquid drip off.   Then place bread in pan.  Cook over medium heat 2-6 minutes per side.  (Yep, I know that's a big range. Actual cook time depends on how thick the bread is and how much liquid it absorbed, which depends on the texture of the bread, so I can't be more exact.)  You want to cook it until it is just golden brown.  If the toast browns too quickly, turn the heat down just a little.

4.  When the first batch is done, add just a little more butter to the skillet, dip a couple more slices and cook.  Don't dip the bread ahead of time.  It may be too soggy.  If you prefer to serve the French Toast all at once, cooked slices can be kept warm on a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel in a 200º oven.

Serve warm with maple syrup and butter or Raspberry Sauce.  Let leftover French toast cool, wrap in plastic and freeze for put to 2 weeks.  Warm in microwave.

Raspberry Sauce

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine 1 heaping cup fresh or frozen raspberries, about a 1/4 cup honey and a big splash of vanilla extract. Let simmer over medium-low heat while French Toast is cooking.  Turn off heat.  Add half a tablespoon of butter and swirl the pan to melt and butter and thicken the sauce.  (Stain through a sieve if you have an aversion to seeds.)  Serve over French toast.