Best French Toast With Caramelized Pecans Strawberries And Cream Recipes

THE BEST FRENCH TOAST I'VE EVER MADE

Steps:

• Choose your bread. If you like very thick french toast (you should try it at least once!), find a local bakery and get yourself a loaf of challah or brioche bread (buy a day-old loaf if they have it.) I don't like using French bread or the regular loaves you find in the deli at the grocery store; the crusts turn out too chewy. You want a nice soft edge. If you can't get to a bakery, head to the grocery store and buy the thickest and softest white bread you can find. (3/4 inch or thicker.) Texas toast is great. I like to use the Artesano brand of bread; they sell a pre-sliced brioche loaf that is pretty legit. But their white bread is also nice and soft. See photos.
• Slice your bread with a serrated knife if you are working with a whole loaf. See photos. I like my slices to be about 1 and 1/4 inch thick, which feels a little ridiculous, but trust me. You can even go up to 2 inches if you're feeling wild. Don't slice thinner than 3/4 inch.
• Set your bread aside, spread out so that it gets a little dried out. Day old bread is great for French toast. In France, they call this dish "Lost Bread" because it's what you make when you have dried out bread to use up. (I experimented with toasting the bread first, but thought it dried out the finished product too much.)
• Make the egg mixture. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl,* whisk together 3 egg yolks, 1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream* or half & half, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg, if you like. Whisk until it is completely smooth and the cinnamon is well incorporated.
• Pour the mixture into a shallow dish like a pie plate, or an 8x8 inch pan. Place a slice of bread in the mixture and let it sit there for 10 to 20 seconds. How long you soak it depends on how thick your bread is. It should be soft when you touch it, but still hold itself together. Flip the bread and soak the other side. You can start cooking the French toast right away, or you can place the soaked bread on a baking sheet or plate while you finish soaking all of them.
• Cook the French toast: Heat an electric griddle or large 12 inch skillet over medium low heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any oil with a high smoke point.) Swirl it around until the pan is coated. Place the French toast on the pan with 1 to 2 inches in between each slice of bread. Cook on medium low heat for 3-5 minutes. The timing depends on your oven or griddle, so stick around and keep an eye on it.
• Caramelize. When the bottom of the first side is LIGHT brown (we are going to cook this side twice), sprinkle about a half tablespoon granulated sugar on the top (raw) side of the bread. Flip the toast, sugar side down, and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. (Be sure to swirl the pan so oil re-coats it, or add more butter/oil if necessary). Then, sprinkle another half tablespoon of sugar on the cooked side, and flip it over again so that it lightly caramelizes the first side.
• Keep your toast warm. Preheat your oven to the "keep warm" setting, about 170 degrees F. As you finish frying the toast, transfer each one to a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Keep toast warm in the oven until ready to serve.
• I honestly don't even put maple syrup on caramelized French toast. I feel like it doesn't really need it, plus it makes the caramel edge not as crunchy. I like to eat it plain, or with a little jam. But maple syrup is really delicious if you are in the mood! A sprinkle of powdered sugar and a berry garnish never hurt either.
• Keep leftovers stored covered in the fridge. It will keep for 3-5 days. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave or the toaster. Or heat your oven to 350 and heat the toast all together on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, until the toast is warmed, about 5-10 minutes.

OVEN-BAKED CARAMEL FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 2 tablespoons corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Pour sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans. Place 6 slices of bread on top of the sauce, sprinkle with the remaining pecans and cover with the remaining 6 slices of bread.
• Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a blender. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread slices, cover the baking dish, and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
• The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the French toast from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly brown. Drizzle sauce over the toast right before serving.
• To make the Caramel Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and 1 tablespoon corn syrup. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.

BAKED FRENCH TOAST WITH STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Place bread in a single layer in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cream, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; pour over bread. For topping, in a small bowl, mix brown sugar, butter and syrup; stir in pecans. Spread over bread. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove French toast from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with strawberries and additional syrup.

DESSERT FRENCH TOAST WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 275 degrees F.
• Put the strawberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 minutes.
• Microwave the ice cream in its paper container until softened, 2 minutes. Transfer the ice cream to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Whisk in the eggs and cinnamon.
• Preheat a large griddle pan or large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Place 4 slices of the bread in the ice cream mixture and let sit for 30 seconds, then flip and let sit 30 seconds.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter on the griddle pan. Add the soaked bread and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. You may have to alternate between medium and medium-low heat if the bread browns too quickly or not fast enough. Cut each French toast on a diagonal with a metal spatula. Place each triangle cut-side down on the griddle and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the next batch. Wipe off the griddle pan or skillet with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining 4 slices of bread, ice cream mixture and 2 tablespoons of butter.
• To serve, transfer the French toast to a platter and top with confectioners' sugar, the fresh and easy strawberry sauce and your favorite whipped cream.

OVERNIGHT CARAMEL PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Grease a 9" x 13" pan.
• Over low heat, combine the brown sugar, light corn syrup, butter, and whipping cream in a medium saucepan.
• Keeping the heat on low (letting it get too hot is bad - and don't let it boil!), stir constantly until the butter is melted and the ingredients are smooth.
• Remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla.
• Pour the warm caramel mixture into a 9" x 13" pan.
• Sprinkle the pecans over the top.
• In a large bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, salt, the other 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and cinnamon.
• Dip the bread into the egg mixture, making sure each piece is well-coated. You want to soak up all of the mixture with your six or seven slices of bread.
• Lay the bread in the pan, over the caramel and pecan mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• It's morning! Ready for some breakfast? Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 20 minutes, until the bottom is bubbling and the toast is golden brown.
• Let stand for a couple of minutes, then invert onto a platter.
• Eat right away!

CARAMEL-PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
• Pour brown sugar mixture into an ungreased 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 bread slices in brown sugar mixture, cutting slices as necessary to fit in dish. Sprinkle raisins and 3/4 cup pecans evenly over bread. Top with remaining bread slices.
• Whisk together eggs, next 4 ingredients, and 1 cup cream. Pour egg mixture over bread slices in baking dish.
• Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Beat remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form.
• Divide French toast evenly among individual serving plates. Top each serving with whipped cream; drizzle with maple syrup, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Serve with bacon, if desired.

FRENCH TOAST WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F, and warm an ovenproof serving platter in the oven.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the berries with the water and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat until the berries are softened and set aside until ready to serve. Keep warm.
• In a shallow bowl, large enough to soak a few slices of bread, whisk together eggs and 1 cup cream.
• In a large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat, melt a large pat of butter. Be sure to cover the cooking surface with the melted butter. Working in batches, dip however many slices of brioche that can be cooked on the griddle at a time, in the egg/cream mixture. Turn bread over and be sure to not let the bread get too soggy.
• Transfer the bread to the preheated and buttered griddle and cook until golden brown and slightly crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Place the cooked French toast on the warm serving platter in the oven and cover loosely with foil. These will keep warm in the oven while the remaining slices are prepared.
• Whip the remaining 1 cup of cream, in a medium bowl, with a hand-held mixer, until soft peaks form. Serve the French toast topped with the warm strawberries, remaining sliced fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and salt; pour over bread. Let stand for 10 minutes, turning once. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup; cook over medium heat until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish; sprinkle with pecans. Top with bread. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, 30-35 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve immediately.

BAKED CARAMEL-PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 2-quart saucepan, mix all topping ingredients except pecans. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. DO NOT BOIL. Spread topping in baking dish; sprinkle with pecans.
• In shallow bowl, beat eggs with fork. Add half-and-half, cinnamon and vanilla; beat until well blended. Dip bread slices into egg mixture, making sure all egg mixture is absorbed; arrange bread slices over topping in dish. Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Uncover baking dish; bake 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and toast is golden brown. Cool 3 minutes. Place large heatproof serving platter upside down over baking dish; turn platter and baking dish over. Remove baking dish, scraping any extra caramel topping onto French toast. Serve immediately.