Name: Crème Brûlée French Toast Casserole
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter; 1 cup packed brown sugar; 2 tablespoons corn syrup; an 8- to 9-inch round loaf country-style bread; 5 large eggs; 1½ cups half-and-half; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier; ¼ teaspoon salt

Gourmet's Crème Brûle French Toast with forks plates and berries on the side.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad

Put away the kitchen torch—you won’t need it for this crème brûlée French toast casserole. In fact, you don’t need a skillet or even a griddle for this recipe because it gets baked rather than pan-fried. It’s more like a bread pudding than what we would typically call French toast.

This classic Gourmet recipe was first printed in 1998 after a reader requested the dish, having tasted it at Inn at Sunrise Point in Camden, Maine. At the time this was one of the inn’s signature breakfast dishes, which owners Rich and Jackie Diehl credited to Barbara Furdyna, former owner of La Maison, a now-closed French country inn in Spring Lake, New Jersey.

This is not the kind of French toast you can make in the morning on a whim—it requires at least an eight-hour soak in the fridge, or you can make it up to 24 hours in advance. That means this is the perfect make-ahead Saturday project to prep for Sunday brunch. There’s plenty of room to play with this recipe. The Diehls favored a round loaf with the crusts cut off, while Furdyna used challah at La Maison. It also works well with thick slices of baguette. Whichever bread you choose, the end result will be creamy and custardy, with sweet and floral hints of vanilla and orange that’ll keep you coming back for more.

Recipe information

Yield
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

an 8- to 9-inch round loaf country-style bread

5 large eggs

1½ cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon Grand Marnier

¼ teaspoon salt

Preparation

Step 1
In a small heavy saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth and pour into a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dish. Cut six 1-inch thick slices from center portion of bread, reserving ends for another use, and trim crusts. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit.
Step 2
In a bowl whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 350° F. and bring bread to room temperature.
Step 4
Bake bread mixture, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes.
Step 5
Serve hot French toast immediately.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the July 1998 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared online in December 2014.