Sunday, January 6, 2008

Baked French Toast, Christmas-style


After the hustle and bustle and some sick days, I am finally catching up on here! My sister and I decided months ago that we wanted to have a fabulous Christmas morning breakfast - not that it isnt usually good, we just wanted a step up from the entemann's coffee cake ;)

The menu included: Mimosa's during presents, Coffee with Kahlua, Cheddar-Apple Scramble, really good maple breakfast Sausage from Kane's, our local market, and this - baked french toast. THe great thing about this is you can prep it the night before, cutting out the work in the morning.


I got this recipe from my fav magazine, Everyday Food, with a few minor tweaks :) My changes are in italics


This crowd-pleasing weekend brunch (prep tonight, bake tomorrow) also makes a festive Christmas breakfast. Let the thick slices of bread absorb the egg batter for at least 45 minutes, and your French toast will be deliciously custardy throughout.

Prep: 20 minutes

Total: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used Egg Nog)
1/2 cup sugar - divided (since nog is so sweet, I cut this in half)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 thick slices challah, brioche, or other egg bread (1 inch thick) (I used italian bread - it was what was available and worked just great)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 bag (10 to 12 ounces) frozen raspberries (or strawberries), thawed (I used blueberries - I set my frozen raspberries out in a bag to bring to my parents on christmas eve to prep there but left them on the counter and they thawed and leaked all over! I had frozen blueberries on hand too though and they were a yummy substitution)

Directions
In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, whisk together eggs, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Arrange bread in dish in a single layer; let soak 15 minutes. Turn bread over; cover, and refrigerate until most of the liquid is absorbed, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with butter. With a spatula, carefully transfer soaked bread to sheet. Bake until French toast is set in center and lightly browned on the bottom, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine raspberries and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, mashing lightly with a fork.
Remove French toast from baking sheet with a thin metal spatula; serve with raspberry sauce.


This was SO.FREAKIN.GOOD. Definitely not "resolution-friendly" but for a decadent special-occasion breakfast? So easy and delish. No pics wiht the sauce, but it was great with or without!

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