by Donna Cain,
With the Thanksgiving meal a fond memory and a few extra pounds on my waist:( my mind is switching gears to Brewster for the Holidays at the inn and menu ideas to share with our guests.
For those that don’t know me I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE……food, recipes, #testkitchen and eating with family and friends! At the Captain Freeman Inn, our most requested recipe is our Creme Brulle French Toast (along with our wild blueberry pancake’s recipe). It has been on our summer breakfast rotation for several years, and we serve it with a fresh fruit puree and herbed eggs and bacon. The Creme Brulle is also a perfect choice for family breakfasts during the holidays as you can easily prepare it the night before (it only takes 15 minutes to put together) and then in the morning you can pop it in the oven when you first awake in the morning. Your family will be amazed at the complex flavors and will think you have been cooking in the kitchen for hours (it will be our secret:) It’s also really good with fresh berries.
- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (1stick)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
- 12 whole croissants (stale and in the freezer OK)
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of Grand Marnier or orange extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Melt butter over medium heat and mix in the brown sugar and syrup until dissolved. Pour into 9 x 13 baking dish. Cube croissants and layer over the sugar mixture. Whisk together the cream, eggs, vanilla and orange liqueur and salt. Pour over the bread. It should cover ¾ of the croissants. Cover the let sit in the frig for 8 hours or overnights. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes The custard should be set and the croissant top nicely browned.
