French Toast-wiches with Quick-Cook Warm Chutney

Ingredients

Chutney:

• 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
• 3 small ripe peaches, pitted and diced
• 1 cup apple juice concentrate, available on juice aisle of market
• 1-inch fresh ginger root, peeled
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh nutmeg, grated or, a few pinches of ground
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 slices white toasting bread
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or freshly grated nutmeg
• Butter, for greasing skillet
• 1 Gala or Golden Delicious apple, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 (6 to 8-ounce) brick Vermont sharp cheddar, thinly sliced
• 3/4 pound deli sliced smoked turkey breast

Directions

Put all of the ingredients for your chutney in a medium pot and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat a bit and let the chutney cook down for 10 minutes. Remove gingerroot before serving.

Begin to assemble an assembly line leading to your pan. Place a pile of bread next to a shallow dish or disposable pie tin containing the eggs, beaten with milk, sugar, and nutmeg. Nestle a piece of cold butter in a folded paper towel and keep on hand to wipe and grease your skillet. Pile apples, cheese, and turkey on the cutting board to finish your assembly line.

Preheat nonstick griddle or large skillet over moderate heat.

To make sandwiches, coat pan with butter, dip 4 pieces of bread on both sides in the egg, and place in the pan. Cook 2 minutes and turn 2 slices over. Top the 2 slices you turned with thin layers of cheese, apple, turkey and another slice of cheese. Top sandwich filling with the other 2 slices of bread, keeping the uncooked side up; you are just sliding these pieces over from pan to top of sandwich. Now flip the entire sandwich over to cook the opposite side of the sandwich. Gently press down on the sandwich as it grills the last minute or two. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.

Cut sandwiches on a diagonal and serve with small buttercups or ramekins of warm fruit chutney for topping.