I love a French toast casserole, and I love a shared brunch. If hosting a dinner party overwhelms you, consider a brunch. I find there is a lot less pressure – recipes that can be made ahead, no need to do plated courses, casual clothes, no full bar and wine pairings. And when all the guests are gone, you still have some daylight left to relax. And not just for company. It’s a great way to gather family around the table for a catch-up. One of my favorite occasions for this kind of meal is a summer weekend at the lake (or beach or mountain or your destination). And this casserole is perfect for these occasions. It’s a classic, hearty dish with the addition of fresh in-season peaches. But let’s not stop there – a sweet syrup studded with pecans adds a special touch and great textural contrast. All of it can be made ahead. This to me is a stand alone dish, but you could serve it with some bacon on the side, or add more to the table, like scrambled egg casserole or frittata brunch bites.
I use a loaf that is labelled Italian bread – it’s a large submarine shape but with a soft crust. Any hard crust like on baguettes or artisan bread is too chewy in the end result, so whatever you get make sure it is soft crust and something with some heft and substance to stand up to the soaking. Slice the peaches, no need to peel, into slices about ¼-inch thick and tuck them down in between the bread cubes. When you pour over the milky custard, you want to make sure the surface of all the peaches are covered so they do not go brown. Press them down under the liquid if needed. The syrup is easy to make and so delicious. Just boil it until you reach a nice consistency for pouring. It will thicken a bit when cooled but simply place the storage jar in a bowl of hot water to soften. Any leftover syrup is great on ice cream (in fact, you can make a batch just for that).
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Ingredients
- For the Syrup
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
- For the Casserole
16 ounce loaf Italian or French bread, with a soft crust
3 peaches, sliced
8 large eggs
1 ½ cups whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- For the Syrup
- Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and combined. Add the cream, bourbon and vanilla (it will bubble up – just keep stirring) and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened to a lovely pouring pancake syrup consistency, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped pecans. Cool completely. The syrup can be made up to three days ahead and kept in an airtight jar on the fridge. Place the jar in a bowl of hot water to soften it for pouring.
- For the Casserole
- Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices, then cut the slices into quarters (or halves if the diameter is small). Put the cubes in the baking dish, then slice the peaches and tuck the slices into the bread cubes and over the top.
- Beat the eggs in a medium bowl, then add the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla and salt and whisk until thoroughly combined. Slowly pour the custard mixture over the bread and peaches. Make sure any exposed peach slices are covered by the milk mixture to prevent browning. Leave the casserole to sit on the counter for about an hour to soak, then cover tightly and transfer to the refrigerator overnight (or at least 8 hours).
- When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the casserole from the fridge to take the chill off while the oven is heating. Bake for 35- 40 minutes, until fully set in the center and golden brown on the edges. Let rest out of the oven for 5 minutes, then serve scoops drizzled with pecan syrup.
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