I love making French toast on the weekends. It's a bit fancy, so it makes a regular breakfast feel a little more special. Plus, with the addition of this tropical fruit salsa and coconut yogurt, it's a like a vacation without leaving home… 

You'll need:
— 1 batch tropical fruit salsa {It's easy, trust me! All you need is equal parts diced ataulfo mango, fresh pineapple and nectarine + 1/2 as much diced banana and the contents of 1/2 a vanilla bean.}
— 1 batch french toast {I like making it with baguette} 
— a few dollops of coconut yogurt {I like this one, but don't stir the fruit from the bottom in} 
— toasted sliced almonds {optional}
— toasted coconut {optional}
— 1/4 pint cape gooseberries {optional} 

Here's how:
1. To make the tropical fruit salsa, peel and dice the fruit and mix with the contents of half a vanilla bean cut lengthwise. Cover and refrigerate {this can be done a day ahead}.   
2. Make one batch of french toast.
3. Serve immediately with a dollop of coconut yogurt and a couple spoonfuls of salsa {if you can't find coconut yogurt, mix a touch of toasted shredded coconut into vanilla yogurt} .
4. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds, toasted coconut, and cape gooseberries.

Finally, the tropical fruit salsa is great for brunch on its own, too. You can skip the french toast altogether, and serve it in parfait glasses garnished with cape gooseberries. Enjoy!

—Nikole

{photos by Michael Graydon, styling by Nikole Herriott for Oh Joy}