BAKED BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST
French toast
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
14 slices white bread cut into 1-inch cubes; crusts
removed and discarded
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over
2 8-ounce packages cold cream cheese, cut into
1-inch cubes
10 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup maple syrup
¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
Blueberry sauce (see instructions below)
Blueberry sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ cups water
1½ cups sugar
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1½ teaspoons orange zest
½ cup blueberries, rinsed and picked over
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- Butter baking dish with a tablespoon of butter
- Arrange half of the bread cubes on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Top bread cubes with blueberries and cream cheese cubes.
- Layer the remaining bread cubes over the blueberries/cheese cubes.
- Whisk eggs, half-and-half, maple syrup, and orange juice in large bowl.
- Pour egg mixture evenly over bread mixture in baking dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Remove dish from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Position rack in center of oven.
- Bake the covered French toast for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove aluminum foil and continue baking another 30 minutes, or until toast is golden brown and puffed.
- Remove from oven and let slightly cool, approximately 15 minutes.
- After plating, ladle blueberry sauce over the French toast.
Makes 10–12 servings.
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Blueberry sauce
- In small saucepan, stir together over medium-high heat cornstarch, water, sugar, orange juice, and zest.
- Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add blueberries and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally until berries burst, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add butter. Stir mixture until melted.
- Remove blueberry mixture from heat. Spoon or ladle over warm French toast.
Makes 3 cups.
Sharon Farrow is also the co-author of the Agatha nominated Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mysteries written under the joint pseudonym D.E. Ireland. A freelance writer since her twenties, she has been published in mystery, fantasy, and romance; one of her short stories has been optioned for film. Sharon currently lives along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline where the Berry Basket series is set. Visit her online at sharonfarrowauthor.com, on Facebook @SharonFarrowAuthor, or Twitter @SharonFarrowBB.
Website: SharonFarrowAuthor.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/SharonFarrowBB
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