My girlfriends say this is their favorite recipe in my Feed These People cookbook, but that is because I never give them sweet food so they are just over-responding. (One time my son, Caleb, spent the night at a friend’s house, and he came home and said, “Mom! They had dessert! For no reason!” We have dessert on birthdays and the Fourth of July, and that is only because my mom or sister-in-law brings it.)
This is as not-sweet as I could get a sweet breakfast recipe, and it is diviiiiine. My friends, while melodramatic, are not wrong. Also, this has to sit overnight before baking, so it is the perfect breakfast on Christmas morning or for brunch when you don’t want to be in the weeds, because all you do is make a quick crumble and pop this in the oven the next day.
This is no fail, and you almost always have everything you need. There is not a living being who wouldn’t love this.
Serves 8-10
Night Before
1 loaf of French bread (one or two days old), cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint fresh blueberries
6 ounces of mascarpone cheese
8 eggs
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 T sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (or a splash more…live your life)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Almond Crumble (Day Of)
6 T melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sliced almonds
For Serving
Dusting of powdered sugar
Maple syrup
Directions
The night before serving:
Butter a 9″ x13″ baking dish and toss in half the bread cubes. Scatter the blueberries evenly on top. (No blueberries? This fruit is flexible. Use whatever is ripe. This is great with peaches, any berries, even chopped apples in the fall.)
Dollop the mascarpone all over, which is an Italian sweet cream cheese we all need in our lives. Top with the rest of the bread cubes. You’ve created a fruity, creamy middle section that’s a REAL NICE SURPRISE.
From the ingredient list, whisk “eggs through pinch of salt” together in a bowl until totally mixed, and pour it evenly over the casserole. (Fun fact: There is only 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract in here, but it is the first thing you taste when this is done, and it is irreplaceable. Don’t skip it!) Cover the dish with foil and pop it in the fridge overnight. The custard soaks into the bread, and you’ll just not believe it.
The next morning, turn your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take the French toast out of the fridge to take the chill off while you put the crumble together, which is just combining the melted butter, brown sugar, and almonds. Spread it evenly over the whole top. The sliced almonds are my favorite part of this recipe, but my mom likes slivered almonds instead, because they are “less assertive” which is a preference I would expect out of an Enneagram 9. But this Enneagram 3 asserts the hell out of those almonds. Big crunch! Big flavor! Big pieces! Big energy! Spread the crumble evenly over the top of the French toast.
Bake this for around 45 minutes or until the casserole is toasty and brown on top. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing into it. Dust the whole French toast bake with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup. Don’t let your friends cut their own servings or they will eat the whole pan.
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