Baked French Toast with Nutella

Every Sunday I try to make special breakfast for my family because Sunday morning tends to be the most relaxed morning of all mornings.  Usually there's nothing going on that we have to wake up so early, making it the perfect day to have a more elaborate breakfast dish.  Our favorites are pancakes (blueberry, banana, chocolate chip flavors are on the top list), waffles, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, crepes, omelet, well, the list can go on.  I actually enjoy making these type of breakfast items, it seems to set the day in a good mood.  

Even though my son likes most of my breakfast dishes, he is still reluctant to eat French toast.  His reasoning is that it's weird to eat bread with syrup.  Syrup is for pancakes and waffles according to his taste.  But he likes this baked French toast (yay!).  Powdered sugar is a good enough topping for him.  I didn't use store bought white bread because I happen to have made homemade bread earlier in the week.  My bread is usually quite sturdy and didn't fall apart when the filling was spread.   It's not a fancy breakfast and I just have to serve this alongside a cold glass of chocolate milk and everyone is happy with a full tummy.

A variation of this French toast is to use jam instead of Nutella with the cream cheese.  I haven't tried it yet, but will do since Sunday is coming soon! :)

Baked French Toast with Nutella 

Makes 4 to 8 servings

Toast:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tablespoons Nutella, at room temperature

8 slices white bread

Custard:

4 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Powdered sugar

Maple syrup

To make sandwich:  Mix cream cheese and Nutella until combined.  Spoon mixture on 4 bread slices and spread all the way to outside edges, then top with remaining slices to make sandwiches.  Place in resealable plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to bake.

To make custard:  In flat container with an airtight lid large enough to hold a bread slice, beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble:  Preheat oven to 350F.  Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with sides with nonstick cooking spray.  Dip sandwiches into custard, turning once, for 2 minutes on first side and 1 on the second to soak up as much of the custard as possible.  Lay drained slices on pan and bake for 15 minutes, then turn them over and bake for 20 minutes more, or until toast is golden brown on both sides.  Sprinkle lightly with sifted powdered sugar and serve with syrup.  Recipe can easily be doubled.

Source:  FoodDay The Oregonian

Baked Butter-Pecan French Toast with Blueberry Syrup

I can't believe it's Wednesday already, the whole week has gone by quickly.  The month of May has almost ended, before we know it summer is here.  I definitely am happier with more light during the day, it's just so much easier to take photos for my blog.  The flowers are also in bloom in my garden though I haven't had time to tidy up my yard after some rain that came during these two days.  I have several Globe allium that are blooming in front of my living room window, their color is unbelievably beautiful.  I'm glad I planted those bulbs a long time ago, they propagated slowly but surely they're coming up more by numbers each year.

The weekend of Memorial Day is fast approaching and my family and I are looking forward to it.  My husband and I are going to celebrate our 15th anniversary and we are planning to go to Lincoln City beach for the weekend with my son and also our friend and his family.  They are coming for Seattle and we will see them at the beach on Friday.  We are renting a condo by the beach not far from Moe's restaurant which has a trail near it.  We will surely have a good time, I'm hoping the weather will also behave that weekend.  My other friend from church will also be staying at the beach that weekend, maybe I could see her and her family.

My husband is planning what to bring, in terms of food, to the beach and he is actively discussing it with his friend.  I know we are going to bring our rice cooker and some rice, for we love our rice so much that a rice cooker goes on a vacation too :)  Hubby is also suggesting making certain food to bring to the beach, my reaction is to go along with his plan.  I know I will be busy the days before Friday but I don't mind at all.

For breakfast, hubby is suggesting that I make black glutinous rice and mung bean porridge, both are traditional breakfast/snack dishes for Indonesian.  These are very fulfilling and comfort food, not terrible healthy if using lots of palm sugar and/or granulated sugar, but still they are a favorite.  Speaking of breakfast, I'm ready to share a comforting breakfast dish that is a bit familiar to American people.  It is French toast though this is not regular French toast.  The way this is cooked is almost the same as bread pudding, very moist with milk, butter, and eggs.  What is the difference between French toast and bread pudding anyway, come breakfast time, you will not mind eating one or the other.  The end result will remind you of sticky bun flavor, with toasted pecans and fragrantly infused with brown sugar and nutmeg.

Baked Butter-Pecan French Toast with Blueberry Syrup

Serves 6



For French toast:

1 (24-inch-long) baguette

6 large eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla exract

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup pecans, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

For syrup:

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice



Make the French toast: Generously butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.  Cut twenty 1-inch-thick slices from baguette and arrange in one layer in baking dish.

Whisk together eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined and pour evenly over bread.  Let bread soak for 10 minutes.  Turn slices over and cover surface with a large sheet of plastic wrap, leaving a 3-inch overhang on each end of baking dish.  If necessary, place a smaller baking dish on top to keep bread submerged.  Refrigerate mixture until all liquid is absorbed, at least 8 hours.

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine butter, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, salt, and cream in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Stir in pecans.

Spoon pecan mixture evenly over bread.  Bake until bread is puffed, edges are slightly browned, and liquid is absorbed, 40 to 45 minutes.

Make the syrup: Combine blueberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan and cook over moderate heat until berries burst, about 3 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice.

Serve French toast with syrup.



Source:  Gourmet Today