Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 qt whipping cream
1 vanilla bean
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 to 2 pounds challah bread, about 1 extra large loaf, or other soft-textured egg bread, cut into thick slices
3 to 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Real maple syrup, warmed
Sliced fresh strawberries, or other seasonal fruit
Softly whipped cream
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Directions: |
Directions:Butter a 10-inch spring form pan. Wrap the bottom and sides with foil, making the pieces long enough to fold up and over the top of the pan while baking. A criss-cross pattern of two or more long pieces of foil works best.
Combine the cream and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium heat, just long enough to warm the cream, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture steep until cool, about 15 minutes. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl, straining out the vanilla bean. Cut the bean open and scrape out the seeds. Stir the seeds back into the cream. Add the egg yolks and sugar to the cream, whisking until well combined and uniformly light yellow. Make a layer of bread slices, cutting or tearing slices as needed to fit evenly. Pour about 1/4 of the custard mixture evenly over the bread. Repeat with three more layers of bread and custard. Pour remaining custard over slowly, so that you get minimal run-off. Fold the foil up over the top. Arrange a plate over the foil and weight it down with a can from the pantry. Refrigerate for at least an hour,, so that the custard soaks through the bread. Remove the can and plate.
Shortly before the mixture is done soaking, preheat the oven to 325º. Place the spring form pan in a water bat that comes about halfway up the side of the pan. Bake about 1 1/2 hours, until form at the center. Open the foil top and cool the toast. Fold the foil back over and chill until ready to use. When you are ready to serve the French toast, preheat the oven to 350º. Cut the toast in 8 wedges. Arrange the wedged on a baking sheet, then brush each wedge lightly with melted butter. Bake for 10 minutes, until warm in the center and lightly toasted and crisp on the surface. (You don't actually have the caramel topping of creme brulee, but you get its familiar creamy custard and contrasting crunchy surface.) Arrange each wedge on a plate, surround with a pool of maple syrup, and garnish with fruit and whipped cream. |
This recipe for Baked Creme Brulee French Toast is from