French Toast Casserole

David makes the best French toast using challah.  Seriously, it’s that good – come over one Saturday or Sunday – I welcome an excuse for him to make it.  I think it’s the teaspoon of vanilla.  And then I came across a FT casserole by Paula Deen which my friend Angela endorsed having tried it before.  15 years of marriage and I feel as though I’m cheating.  Ca c'est bon!  C'est magnifique!  Merci Beaucoup PD!

Want to know why this qualifies for the Fat Tuesday post?  French bread soaked in 2 cups of half-and-half and then essentially topped with a praline - 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar.  The recipe calls for maple syrup but the extra flavor, sugar or calories would just be too much.

Cut yourself a small piece and commit to eating better tomorrow.

Ingredients

French Toast

French Toast Casserole

1. 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces) 
2. 8 large eggs
3. 2 C half-and-half
4. 1 C milk
5. 2 T granulated sugar
6. 1 t vanilla extract
7. 1/4 t ground cinnamon
8. Dash salt

Praline Topping

1. ½ lb (2 sticks) butter, softened
2. 1 C packed light brown sugar
3. 1 C chopped pecans
4. 2 T light corn syrup
5. 1/2 t ground cinnamon

For French Toast: slice the French bread into 1-inch thick slices. Arrange bread in 2 rows in a generously buttered 9x13 baking dish.  Overlap the slices or arrange to minimize the non-bread space. In a large bowl, combine ingredients #2-8 and beat with a whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all of the bread are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. I removed the top layer, poured some egg mixture, flipped the bread and then placed the top layer of bread down and poured the remainder of the egg mixture.  Your goal is to ensure all of the bread is covered.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For Praline topping: place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.

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Happy Anniversary D!