Brunch casseroles are an easy and festive way to start off any holiday morning. These can be made the night before and wait in the refrigerator until you’re ready to pop them in the oven.
EASY CRÈME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
½ c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 lb. bread French, challah, or croissants
8 large eggs
1 1/4 c. milk
1 1/4 c. cream
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
In a small saucepan cook the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until smooth and tawny. Pour the mixture in an even layer into a 12″x 8″ baking dish.
Tear up bread into ragged chunks or cut into cubes about 1″ in size. Add all the bread on top of the sugar mixture and press lightly so the bread compresses a bit. Don’t squish more than about 1/4 of the air out.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and salt until combined well and pour evenly over the bread. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 F and bring bread to room temperature.
Bake the casserole, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. The simplest method to check for doneness is with a digital thermometer. The casserole is ready when the internal temperature is 160.
Serve hot immediately with fresh strawberries, butter, favorite syrup or whipped cream.
APPLE CRISP FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
For The French Toast
½ cup butter
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 lb. bread French, challah, or croissants
8 large eggs
1 1/4 c. milk
1 1/4 c. cream
1 Tbsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
For The Apples
3 apples
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
For The Crisp Topping
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. old-fashioned oats
2/3 c. butter melted
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice optional
In a small saucepan cook the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat, stirring frequently, until smooth and tawny. Pour the mixture in an even layer into a 12″x 8″ baking dish.
Tear or cut the bread into cubes about 1″ in size. Put the bread into your casserole pan in an even layer.
In a medium-large measuring cup with a spout whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and salt until combined well. Pour evenly over the bread.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Peel the apples, quarter them and remove the cores. Cut each quarter into five slices. Put apples in a large nonstick skillet on medium-heat with the 3 Tbsp. butter and the 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. When the apples start to sizzle, stir and then cover with a lid. Cook for three minutes stirring once. Remove the lid and add the 3 Tbsp. of brown sugar. Stir to coat, then spoon the apples /sauce over the casserole. (You can start making the topping while this cooks.)
In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the crisp topping. Use your hands to scatter the topping over the casserole.
Overnight French Toast: You can assemble everything the night before if you like and refrigerate the casserole. After spooning on the apples, cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until the next morning. In the morning, add the topping and bake as directed.
Remember it will take longer to bake it cold. One option is to allow it to come up closer to room temp on the counter, but either way plan on more baking time to reach the desired level of doneness.
Bake casserole, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and the top has browned 40 – 50 minutes. At 40 minutes, the casserole will be 160 F when checked with an internal thermometer and the French toast will have a softer texture. At 50 minutes the casserole is a bit firmer. Doneness is personal preference.
Serve hot casserole with butter, favorite syrup or whipped cream as desired.
Top it off with a mocktail that everyone can enjoy.
SWEET SUNRISE MOCKTAIL (Virgin Sunrise)
For The Sunrise Mocktail:
Ice
4–6 oz. (1/2–3/4 cup) orange juice
1/4 c. lemon lime soda (like Sprite or 7-Up)
1 oz. (2 Tbsp). grenadine syrup (found in grocery stores)
Optional Garnishes:
Slice of orange or orange wedges, maraschino cherries, fresh mint, pineapple wedges, fresh strawberries or raspberries
Instructions
Fill a glass with ice. (Narrow glasses look more striking than wide ones.) Fill the glass all the way to the top with ice. Pour in orange juice. It’ll fill up about 2/3 of the glass or so. Then, add lemon-lime soda. This helps gradate the color and make it look pretty and taste delicious! Now you’re ready to finish this mocktail by pouring the grenadine over the top of the drink. It’ll slowly sink to the bottom, coloring the other two layers on the way down.
Give it a gentle swirl. This swirls the color even more. Go slow and don’t swirl too long!
Add your favorite garnishes.
