Bobby Flay French Toast Casserole Recipes

THE BEST FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• For the casserole: Trim the ends from 1 loaf day-old brioche (about 1 pound) and cut into ten 1-inch thick slices. Cut each slice in half diagonally to make two triangles from each piece. (If the bread is fresh, dry it out a bit. Place the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.)
• Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl until well blended. Dip each triangle of bread in the custard, lightly coating each side. Shingle the pieces in the prepared pan, overlapping slightly.
• Pour any remaining custard over the bread slices. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let rest 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature before baking. Remove the plastic wrap and bake until the casserole is golden and puffed and the custard is set, 45 to 50 minutes.
• For the topping: bring the butter, sugar and syrup to a boil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is melted and the mixture is begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, a pinch of salt, and the walnuts, stirring to coat. Turn off the heat and add the sliced bananas, stirring to coat evenly. Spoon the desired amount of the banana-syrup mixture over the casserole and serve any additional on the side.

CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST WITH DRUNKEN STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• For the French toast: At least 2 hours and up to 1 day ahead, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bread slices on a rack on a baking sheet. Put the bread in the preheated oven, then immediately turn the oven off and let the bread sit until it begins to dry out, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Whisk together the eggs, yolks and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, orange liqueur, vanilla, orange zest and salt. Lay the bread on a rimmed baking sheet or in a large baking dish, pour the custard mixture over the top and let sit for 15 minutes. Flip and let sit for at least 30 minutes more. (You can also cover and refrigerate overnight, turning a few more times.)
• For the strawberries: Meanwhile, combine the strawberries, granulated sugar and orange liqueur in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature until the strawberries release their juices and soften slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. While the bread is soaking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over high heat, then add the muscovado sugar and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and spread the mixture evenly over it. Place the soaked bread directly on the sugar. Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 20 minutes.
• Serve the French toast, sugar-side up, topped with the berries and their juices.

BISCUIT FRENCH TOAST WITH CINNAMON-ORANGE CANE SYRUP

Steps:

• For the syrup: Combine the golden syrup, cinnamon sticks, orange zest and juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes.
• Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks. Return the syrup to low heat, bring just to a simmer and whisk in the butter. Keep warm.
• For the French toast: Set a rack over a baking sheet and place inside the oven. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half and half, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl until smooth. Arrange the biscuits, cut-side up, in a single layer in a large baking dish and pour the custard over. Let the biscuits soak, turning several times, for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 4 hours refrigerated. (These biscuits must be soaked through.)
• Heat half of the butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted and shimmering. Add 4 biscuit halves, cut-side down, and cook until deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn over and continue cooking until golden brown on the second side, another 3 to 4 minutes. (Don't rush the browning by turning up the heat the biscuits are dense and you want to cook them long enough to cook through.) Transfer the finished toasts to the baking rack. Repeat the process with the remaining butter, oil and biscuit halves.
• Serve the French toast with the syrup and a dusting of confectioners' sugar.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and gently mix until a dough just begins to come together.
• Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter and pat into a 10-by-12-by-1-inch rectangle. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut out biscuits. Reroll the scraps and cut again.
• Put the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches between them, and brush the tops with cream. Bake until lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

ALMOND CROISSANT FRENCH TOAST WITH ALMOND BUTTER SYRUP

Steps:

• For the butter: Heat the butter in a heavy-duty saucepan over very low heat until it melts. Simmer gently until the foam rises to the top of the melted butter. Remove from heat and skim off the foam with a spoon.
• Line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth or gauze and place over a bowl. Carefully pour the warm butter through the cheesecloth-lined strainer into a bowl, leaving behind any solids from the bottom of the pan.
• For the syrup: In a small saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter until it begins to shimmer. Add the almonds and saute until lightly golden brown. Add the syrup and almond extract and cook until heated through. Keep warm.
• For the French toast: In a small baking dish, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar until smooth. Add the half-and-half, almond extract, vanilla extract and salt and whisk until combined.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Dip one of the croissants in the egg mixture for 10 seconds, flip and soak another 10 seconds. Carefully put the soaked croissant into the hot butter cut-side down and cook until golden brown and a crust has formed, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip and cook until the bottom is crisp and golden brown as well, about 1 minute. Repeat for the remaining croissants.
• Serve hot with the almond butter syrup. Garnish with mint leaves and sprinkle confectioners' sugar over the top.

BANANAS FOSTER FRENCH TOAST WITH WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• For the whipped cream cheese: Put the cream cheese, vanilla and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip until light and fluffy. Add the cold heavy cream and whip until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the french toast: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the milk, cream, cinnamon and vanilla until combined.
• Make the French toast in 2 batches. Heat 2 tablespoons each of the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until the butter is melted and the oil begins to shimmer.
• Place 4 slices of the bread in the custard mixture and let sit on both sides until soaked through. Remove with a slotted spatula to allow the excess custard to run off. Cook until the toast is golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
• Transfer the French toast to a baking rack set over a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the second batch with the remaining butter, oil and bread. Keep French toast warm until ready to serve.
• For the banana foster topping: Heat the butter in a large saute pan over high heat until it begins to sizzle. Whisk in the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until the sugar has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly.
• Add the bananas and cook until slightly softened. Remove from the heat and add the rum and banana liqueur. Return to the heat and cook until the alcohol has burned off.
• Serve 2 slices of toast per person, topped with some of the bananas and their syrup, a dollop of the whipped cream cheese, some fresh berries, and sprinkling of confectioners' sugar, if using. Garnish with mint.

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE (COURTESY OF BOBBY FLAY)

Steps:

• 6.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cook sausage. Drain grease and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large, deep baking dish, add sausage, eggs, sour cream, onion, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and cheese and stir to mix. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden color.