In terms of restaurants, Calgary is full of some real charms. Last weekend we spent an evening on 17th Avenue – the trendy street lined with top notch restaurants and yuppie bars. We faked it pretty good – dressing up in style and pretending to be the young professional business couple we are not. Despite being a little out of place we enjoyed an incredible meal – one of those few meals where each bite is followed by silence. And moans of pleasure. Ox & Angela, I recommend to fellow Calgarians seeking a gourmet evening of outstanding, unique tapas and an extensive (and worldly) wine and beer list.

We couldn’t resist reading the menus of other 17th Ave restaurants on our way home – and were tempted to return the next morning for brunch. Instead, we jotted down some ideas for inspiration and hit the supermarket for a late night shop. A loaf of rye, a punnet of ricotta, some organic blueberries, a fresh orange and the inspiration for an indulgent Sunday breakfast of blueberry & orange ricotta French toast with a sticky maple orange sauce.

French toast is simple to make, yet easy to make badly. A little research will ensure french-toast-perfection. Check out this article on Bon Appetit for the 7 most common mistakes.

Blueberry & Orange Ricotta French Toast
Serves 2

Only one orange is needed. Zest it first (to be used in ricotta) before squeezing. A wee bit of the juice is used in the custard and the rest in the orange maple syrup.

1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange
dash salt

Whisk together thoroughly.

4 slices (about 1 inch) of day old rye bread
blueberry jam (we like the organic Crofters sweetened with cane juice)
3/4 cup ricotta
1 orange, zested

Beat ricotta and orange zest until smooth. Spread two slices of bread with orange ricotta and the other two with blueberry jam.

Press together and place in a roasting pan or shallow dish (a leak-proof cake tin works for those with as limited kitchenware as us). Pour over the egg mix and leave to soak for a couple of minutes until saturated.

Heat a cast iron (or non stick) frying pan over medium high heat. Spray lightly with baking spray and add a dab of butter. Once butter has bubbled, turn heat down and place both saturated sandwiches on the pan. Fry for 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Turn and cook until golden brown.

Orange Maple Sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup
remaining freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1/4 cup)

Heat together in saucepan until hot and turned slightly syrupy. Pour over french toast and serve with fresh blueberries.