Baked Blueberry French Toast

 Dining Alfresco for Breakfast with Blueberry Baked French Toast

Cook's Notes: I made some modifications to the recipe. Our up-north store did not carry challah bread, so I substituted sourdough slices, which were quite large pieces. In hindsight, I wish I had cut each slice in half, but the substitution worked fine for the taste. Baked Blueberry French Toast was quite flavorful and perfect for Sunday alfresco dining at the lake. Adding ricotta cheese to the egg mixture for this french toast creates a creamier texture that is fluffy and custard-like. Bacon or ham could fill in for sausage links.  Powdered sugar is an option to sprinkle over the baked dish. I loved making it ahead, letting it sit overnight, and then popping the dish in the oven the next morning.  Note that nutmeg and cardamon are potent spices and are used sparingly in this recipe. 

Baking tip: Early in the day, before assembling the dish, place bread slices on a baking sheet to dry out some for a few hours. Cover lightly with wax paper

The recipe was adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients: 

• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup part-skim or whole-milk ricotta
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 large eggs
• 1 lemon, zested 
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 12 thick-sliced (3/4- to 1-inch) day-old challah bread slices
• 1 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried
• Powdered sugar for a last-minute sprinkle 

Directions: 

• Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. 
• Mix the milk, ricotta, vanilla, salt, eggs, and lemon zest in a blender. Pour melted butter into a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Dip each slice of bread lightly in the egg mixture and shingle the bread in the casserole dish, sprinkling a large pinch of the sugar mixture on each layer. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top of the bread, then pour the remaining sugar mixture over that.
  
  
  Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle blueberries over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the custard is set and the bread is golden brown for 15 minutes.
  
  
  
• When ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with real maple syrup. 

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY