Prepare casserole: Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 1/2 of the bread cubes in the dish and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle blueberries over the cream cheese, then top with remaining bread cubes.
Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup together in a large bowl until well-combined; pour over the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove casserole from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake casserole in the preheated oven, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking until center is firm and surface is lightly browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare blueberry sauce: Mix sugar, water, and cornstarch together in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in blueberries, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all the blueberries burst, about 10 minutes. Stir in butter.
Serve portions of casserole on plates and pour warm syrup over top.,
Hot Mama Grade: A-/B+
Hot Mama Notes: I made a half portion in a 9x9 inch pan and covered it with foil. I used 8 slices of bread, a wonder-type honey wheat variety. I used frozen blueberries. I almost used frozen strawberries, but then I found the blueberries in the freezer! :) decided to add 1/8 c powdered sugar on top after reading the reviews, but I don't love cinnamon, so I didn't add that.
This turned out well. I do think a thick Italian bread would have been better, but this was fine. I think whipping the cream cheese with powdered sugar would be a good plan, so that you can carry an even layer vs chunks of cream cheese. My oldest loved it and had seconds. My youngest thought it was too sweet (I am surprised!!). I am glad I made a half batch to try it out. I will say I don't think it is any less work than making French toast in the morning, but it is nice to have it done all at once!
Comments to incorporate:
Use Italian bread from the bakery (French bread seemed like too much crust), or brioche, or challah. I also whipped 1 1/2 bricks cream cheese w/ 1/4 cup confectioners sugar and spread it over the cubed bread. I used frozen blueberries (thawed) and only 10 eggs. I also made sure to press the bread down so that everything got french toast consistancy. The syrup is delicious!! I made 1.5 times and poured 2/3 of it over the dish and the other 1/3 was put on the table for those who wanted a little bit more.
After placing the first layer of bread, sprinkle with cinnamon for more flavor. After reading many reviews, I decided to mix 1.5 blocks of cream cheese with 1/4 c. of powdered sugar and then spread it on the bread. I thought it was still hard to spread, so next time I will add a little milk to thin it out. Maybe also a dash of vanilla. I used frozen blueberries (thawed) & they worked well. You could also definitely use more than a cup in the middle of the french toast. After placing the 2nd layer of bread, sprinkle with cinnamon again. I thought the blueberry sauce was lacking a certain wow factor, so I added a little fresh lemon juice
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