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Holiday Brunch: Orange French Toast

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Whew! Now that we've survived Christmas, we've still got a household full of out of town guests that are demanding to be fed Recently, we've been having a string of power outages due to funky weather (thank you El Niño) so rather than making my usual Christmas Morning Pie, I opted to make something just as simple and just as tasty: orange french toast!

French Toast is one of those brunch dishes that I always fall back on. I can stick it in the oven and finish chopping fruit or do other things, like pick up the wrapping paper the cat dug out of the trash can and shredded to bits in the living room.

What I enjoy most about this particular brunch recipe is that it seems like it’s a lot of work—it’s very flavorful and when displayed out on a serving platter, looks like something you might see in a food magazine (if we knew how to stylize food like a pro, that is.) It’s got everything I love about French Toast: it’s crunchy on the top, soft and chewy in the middle, and best of all, tastes wonderful alongside a generously poured mimosa.

Holiday Brunch: Orange French Toast

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 12 slices French bread (I use a baguette for the smaller slices)
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter + 1 teaspoon orange liqueur if desired
  • maple syrup, warmed 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400º
  2. Line Rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
  3. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. One slice at a time, turn the bread in the egg mixture to coat on both sides, soaking each slice of bread for about 30 seconds. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
  4. Bake until tops are golden, 5-8 minutes. Flip each slice and continue to bake until puffed and golden, 5-8 minutes longer.
  5. Turn the oven to the broiler setting, brush the slices with the melted butter. Place under broiler until lightly browned, about 1 minute. 
  6. Serve warm with maple syrup, a mimosa or a glass or orange juice.

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Suggested Wine

Try the Blanc De Noirs (made from Pinot Noir grapes) or the Brut Rosé, which both really highlighted the orange flavors!

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Now that the festive season is coming to a close, what is your favorite memory from 2015?