Friday, March 30, 2012

Creme Brulee French Toast with Drunken Strawberries


I had seen this recipe floating around a forum I belong to for a long time. It always was accompanied by rave reviews. The thing that appealed to me about it (besides its obvious-sounding deliciousness) was that it was a make-ahead breakfast. So when my Sister-In-Law and her husband came to stay with us for a ski weekend, I thought it would be a great Sunday morning treat. And boy, I was not disappointed! The recipe is super easy to make, and it was delicious! 

A couple notes: I had to use regular plain old French bread for this, as my grocery store is rather boring and doesn't carry challah or brioche. It worked just fine. I just sliced it up before hand and let the slices sit out a bit so they would get a little hard. I also think next time I would try and let the sugar mixture cool a bit before putting the bread slices in the pan. For some reason I think this would result in more of a brulee sort of result instead of the bread absorbing the sugary deliciousness. I could be wrong there, but I think it's worth a try. And also, I dumped all of the egg mix on, but I will not be so liberal with it next time. I would recommend pouring it on until the bread stops absorbing and discarding the rest. The extra cooked egg detracts from the overall look. Oh, and the strawberries are not really drunken; they are more like Tipsy Strawberries. Don't be scared by when you first mix them. They will make the whole room smell like a bar. I was worried that they were going to be super strong, but they were just right. The sugar really mellows out the alcohol, and the strawberries don't absorb too much. 

Here it is! Enjoy! Let me know how you like it. 

Oh...and I apologize for the photo quality...I took it with my phone, as I was too eager to eat this to go and grab my camera. Sorry! 



Creme Brulee French Toast with Drunken (Tipsy?!) Strawberries
(from GourmetFood.About.com)

1 loaf of challah or brioche (or French bread) cut into 1 1/2 inch slices

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup of packed brown sugar
2 Tbsps of corn syrup

5 lg eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsps Grand Marnier or Cointreau

For the strawberries:
1 quart of hulled strawberries sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. 
In a small pot, melt the butter with the brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir together until sugar is completely melted. Pour into the prepared baking dish. 
Place the bread slices on top of the sugar. Squeeze as many pieces as you can in there. Make sure it's nice and cozy! You want to fill up as much space as you can. 
Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla, salt and Grand Marnier. Pour over the bread. 
Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or over night. 

Combine the strawberries, sugar and Grand Marnier in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours up to 24 hours. 

In the morning, remove the french toast from the fridge and let stand 20 mins before cooking. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 30-40 mins until toast is golden and puffed. 

Top with strawberries and whipped cream. Die and go to heaven from the deliciousness. 


~Amy

11 comments:

  1. Looks super yummy Amy! That would be my kind of breakfast! Angie xo ps-how is that adorable baby of yours?

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    1. He is doing very well! On the move...he has discovered how to barrel roll and is causing me to get my exercise! Phew! Loved your Easter table! So pretty! I better get my act together for the weekend...

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  2. this sounds RIGHT up my alley, thanks for posting it!

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  3. This looks so decadent! Seriously wish I could gobble this up right of the page. ;)

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    Replies
    1. Decadent is probably the right word...although I had them 2 weekends in a row, so I suppose I need a level above decedent to describe that. Hmmm... ;)

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  4. Replies
    1. Oh, also happy to follow you and look forward to getting to know you better!
      citycorporatetosuburbmama.com

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    2. Thanks so much for stopping by! I look forward to getting to know you too! :)

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