The Big Book of Breakfast: Baked Blueberry French Toast
Well, I didn't love it. The ratio of good recipes to not-so-good recipes from The Big Book of Breakfast hasn't been great thus far, which is disappointing. I've got several more tests coming up, but my expectations have become rather low for this book, so we'll see how it goes.
Next week I'll post some other brunch ideas that I know are excellent.
The problem with this baked French toast casserole is mostly that it looks really ugly. The blueberries make the bread look mottled, and the cream cheese cubes on top don't do anything to help. The flavors are okay, but nothing to write home about. I'd skip it, if I were you. I'll have some other ideas for sweet brunch dishes coming up next week.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 to 60 minutes
Yield: 4, 6, or 8 servings
6 to 8 slices (1-inch thick) day-old egg bread, French bread, challah, etc.
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
10 to 12 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
Arrange bread in a lightly sprayed or oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with blueberries and cream cheese cubes.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and syrup, and pour over bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Let sit out at room temperature about 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until lightly browned on top, 20 to 30 more minutes. Serve with maple syrup or Blueberry-Maple Syrup, below.
Blueberry-Maple Syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring syrup to a boil. Add blueberries. Reduce heat to low an simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.