Creme Brulee French Toast

This weekend was all about good food and good friends.  It sounds exceptionally cheesy, especially for me, but it couldn’t be more true. Everyone I saw this weekend, I shared a good meal with.  It spanned from a long lunch catching up with a close girlfriend, to an extra special coworker’s birthday dinner, and finished with multiple meals with a great friend who is in town visiting from Singapore.  And as tired as I am, it felt great to get out and do so much.

Before picking up our friend at the airport on Saturday, I put this disaster to good use.  The failed loaf has been sitting in my freezer for weeks and when a craving for french toast struck, it came in perfect use.  I like a french toast you can bake, because it means you’re not standing over the stove flipping slices and trying to keep everything warm until it’s all cooked and ready to serve.  I chose Melissa Clark’s Creme Brulee French Toast recipe not only for its cooking process, but also for the name. How could one resist such a combination?  Suffice it to say, her version is absolutely delicious.  Make no mistake though, this stuff is rich, you certainly don’t need a big batch.  Though, I can’t complain too much about the leftovers.

Creme Brulee French Toast adapted from Melissa Clark’s In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite

Serves 3

1 cup packed light brown sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm

2 large eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6-8 small slices

Preheat the oven to 375F. Whisk together the brown sugar and butter until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the mixture into a large rimmed baking sheet (9 x 13).

In a pie pan or other shallow dish, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt. Coat both sides of the bread slices in the egg mixture, letting the bread soak up the custard for a minute or two on each side, until saturated but not falling apart. Place the soaked slices on the prepared baking sheet over the brown sugar mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops of the bread are golden brown and the sugar is bubbling. Serve immediately while still hot, with the crunchy brown sugar side up.