Crème brûlée French Toast

 Between you and me, I'm actually hesitant to pass on this recipe.  Generally, I aim to create healthful, nourishing dishes.  This one simply isn't good for your body...but it's certainly good for your soul!!  The caramelized sugar, baked to perfection with the sweet goodness of eggs and cream, is terribly addictive.  A recipe this decadent should truly be reserved for holidays.  

 So invent something to celebrate and serve this as soon as possible.

This French Toast received highest praise when I recently made it for our mother-daughter event at church.  I prepared 80 portions, which was fairly simple because most of the work is done the day before.  Similar recipes can be found online elsewhere but this one is improved with my personal twists, such as employing real maple syrup, fresh ginger root, and orange juice.

If you've never used ginger root before, here is the lowdown:  Purchase a small piece.  Peel away the tough exterior of one section (perhaps the size of two to three garlic cloves) and grate it on a fine grater.  Be sure to capture its potent juices, too.  Fresh ginger is a great addition to french toast, salad dressings, tea and baked goods.  Its medicinal properties abound!  Excellent for digestion, ginger is also known to have antibiotic and anti-cancer properties.  You can learn more about ginger here.

Crème brûlée French Toast

an original rendition by Kelly Jo Vanderstelt

1.  In a 13" x 9" baking pan, melt One stick of Butter in the oven.

2.  Into the melted butter, stir in and spread evenly throughout pan:

• 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbs. Real Maple Syrup

3.  Cut a Loaf of French Bread into slices 1" inch thick and lay them in the pan on top of the sugar.  It should hold eight slices.  (You won't use the entire loaf.)  Set aside.

4.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together:

• 5 Eggs
• 1 Cup Half & Half
• 3 Tbs. Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
• Zest of 1/2 an Orange
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract (not imitation)
• 1 Tsp. Ginger Root, freshly grated
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt

5.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices slowly, allowing it to soak into the bread and fill the pan.

6.  Refrigerate over night.

7.  In the morning, remove promptly and allow your dish to come to room temperature (or as much as time allows).  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.