Mother's Day - Brunch

This one is going to fall under the category Shannon set up last week: a great recipe but I have horrible pictures for it. Like I said on Friday, since this was our 5th time hosting Mother's Day Brunch, we have a good handle on the menu. We served baked ham, mac and cheese, baked beans, baked french toast, mini quiches, and hash browns. I also had some fruit salad out and my mom brought over bagels and danishes. I have made this baked french toast

Source: All Recipes

every year and its always a hit. I have made it for a couple other occasions as well. I have seen other (overnight prepped) baked french toasts that take less prep time the day of, but the delicious topping with this one is totally worth the effort (and calories!). 

These pics actually span a year. I started taking pics last year during the prep so I could post about it then, but didn't get any finished product shots. This year I only remembered to take some when I was reheating a piece for dinner so please forgive me if it doesn't look that appetizing.

Its actually really simple - just slice up some french bread (I used challah last year) and line up the slices in a buttered baking dish. Mix up the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon and cover the bread with the mixture and refrigerate overnight.

To make things easier on myself for Sunday morning, I measured out the ingredients for the topping (minus the corn syrup) and threw it all in a ziplock bag so I wouldn't have to do that while I was managing all the other food. 

The next morning, just bring the topping ingredients to a bubbling boil, pour over the bread that has soaked up most of the egg mixture, and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. 

I really wish I remembered to take a picture of it right out of the oven. The bread puffs up and gets really high. These photos are from later on in the day after the leftovers had been in the fridge and then reheated. Still tasted great, it was just a bit deflated.

The Verdict: Clearly I love this recipe if I have been repeating it every year. Its always a big hit and I actually double the recipe to make sure we have enough. It was a light year this year so I probably could have gotten away with one batch, but I didn't mind the leftovers :) It's light and fluffy and sweet - the topping almost caramelizes in the oven. 

Things to Consider: There is lots of sugar and butter in this recipe. It is in no way healthy or diabetes friendly. That being said - I make it once or twice a year and if a mother can't eat bad on Mother's Day - what's the point? I do have to juggle a bunch of things in the oven so I usually have it in longer than 40 minutes with the oven set at 325. I just leave it in until its all puffed up and I can see the juices bubbling. 

Maybe next year I will remember to take a decent out-of-the-oven shot! I have one more Mother's Day roundup post on the gift JJ gave to all the moms. Hopefully I get a chance to type it up this week. Have a great Monday! 


Baked French Toast
from ANTLALA on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 lb of French Bread, cut into 1" slices
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Directions:
1. Butter a 9"x13" baking dish. Arrange slices of bread in bottom. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next morning, preheat oven to 350. In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over egg and bread mixture. 
3. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered for 40 minutes.