May 8 is Mother's Day in the United States and 78 other countries. While some of you might still be looking for gifts and plans for treating your mother, I have the perfect start to her day — and yours as well — with this fancy but very easy French toast.

What I love about French toast is how the whole family (except for mother — after all, this is her day off) can join in to cook together. Children can whisk eggs and half-and-half with the rest of ingredients, while dad can take care of the work on the stove — flipping the toast until the pieces are crusty and caramelized to perfection and the building of a crunchy, irresistible shell of almonds on top. Let me assure you that no mother would resist waking up to the smell of French toast and nutty almonds.

I use the roasted walnuts oil by La Tourangelle, which I recommend to use with butter to add some je ne sais quoi, or unknown special quality, to the toast. The oil really enhances the nuttiness of the finished toast. The best part about the recipe, besides being easy-peasy, is that you can prepare the batter the night before, hide it from mom (if you can hide anything from mom) and make your French toast in the morning.

You can either dredge both sides in almonds or just one side, like I did. I used homemade orange and fennel seeds challah bread, but plain challah, brioche or even slices of baguette are good substitutions. These will give a note of sophistication and warmth to your Mother's Day breakfast but without the huff and puff of the usual sophisticated breakfast.

I hope you will make them and enjoy them with your mother and the whole family. Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers! Happy Mother's Day, Mama!

Almond-crusted French toast

Recipe serves 4

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 c. half-and-half
• 4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 c. sliced almonds (5 oz.)
• 8 (3/4-inch-thick) slices brioche, challah, baguette or just your favorite toast slices
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 Tbsp. almond or walnut oil (optional)
• Confectioners sugar

Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 275° Fahrenheit.

Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla and salt in a large shallow dish until combined well. Spread almonds on a large plate. Soak four slices of bread in egg mixture, turning over once, until saturated.

Working with one slice at a time, remove bread, letting excess egg mixture drip off, then dredge in almonds to coat both sides, gently pressing to help adhere. Transfer to a plate or wax paper. Repeat procedure with remaining slices.

Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. almond or walnut oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook four bread slices, turning over once, until almonds and bread are golden brown, 5-6 minutes.

Add remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter and cook remaining four slices in same manner. Transfer French toast to a baking sheet as cooked and keep warm in oven. Serve with some confectioners sugar dusted on top and, perhaps, fresh strawberries on the side.

Shopping spots

Busch's has a sale on strawberries, two 16-0z. baskets for $5. If you are interested in buying La Tourangelle walnut or almond oil, you can find them at Plum Market. A 16.9-oz. bottle of almond oil costs $11.49, and a 16.9-oz. bottle of walnut oil costs $9.29.