Ingredients
1 ½ pounds ground pork
¼ cup dry white or red wine
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon ground sage
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 cups whole almonds
4 large free-range organic eggs
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
8 slices (3/4 inch thick) good-quality Italian or white bread
3 to 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Warm honey, for drizzling
Fresh berries of any type, for garnish
A splash of Amaretto
Directions
Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, mix the pork, wine, fennel seeds, garlic, onion, sage, 1 teaspoon of the pepper, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the EVOO. Form the pork mixture into 8 small, thin patties. Place the patties on the griddle pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet to keep warm in the oven.
To a food processor, add the almonds and pulse to coarsely grind. Transfer to a shallow dish.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, half & half, extracts, a little nutmeg, the Parm, and the remaining 1 teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. Coat the bread slices in egg batter, then coat in the ground almonds.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat with some melted butter. Add the soaked bread and cook until golden and cooked through. Add more butter to the pan as needed.
Toss the berries together in a medium bowl with a splash of amaretto.
Serve the Parmesan French toast with the sausage patties. Drizzle with warm honey and garnish with a few of the amaretto berries.
Adapted from "Everyone is Italian on Sunday" by Rachael Ray. Copyright © 2015 by Rachael Ray. Used with permission by Atria Books. All rights reserved.