Orange zest French Toast with Homemade Blackberry Syrup

Looking for a quick, straightforward brunch idea for a weekend at home? I have a perfect recipe for you then!
This morning, my fabulous husband made the family this meal and it was out of this world delicious!
Today is the official halfway mark of my pregnancy so this was a great way to celebrate this morning!
Joel used a recipe based off of one of my Ina Garten cookbooks but switched it up a little bit. The orange zest in the French toast makes all the difference. It really helps cut the sweetness of the batter and is the perfect harmonious partner for the blackberry syrup. You leave the table feeling refreshed instead of ready to take a nap!

Ingredients

French Toast:

6 Eggs

10-12 pieces of Dave's Killer bread (makes this recipe a little healthier!!)

1 cup cream, milk or half and half

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

butter

vegetable oil

1. Mix together cream, eggs, zest, vanilla, honey and salt. Soak the bread for 5 minutes and then fry in batches with a mix of butter and oil. It's helpful to use a cast iron skillet so the heat is evenly distributed and is able to fry evenly.

Blackberry Syrup:

zest from 1 lemon

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 cup good quality REAL maple syrup

1 pint fresh or frozen blackberries

1. Mix together all ingredients in a pan and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. If it needs to thicken, add a cornstarch flurry to stiffen it up a little.

The finished Product: