Dave'sWife
Cook
Cinnamon French Toast Casserole with Raspberries
*
Ingredients:
1 loaf, any brand, of Cinnamon Swirl bread (I prefer the kind w/out raisins)
1 8 ounce package of Cream Cheese, softened
1 15 ounce package of ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1 egg
2/3 Cup sugar (or 1/2 cup Honey or rice Syrup)
6 to 8 large eggs or 2 cups of liquid Egg product
1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup
1/2 cup milk
1 bag frozen raspberries (or blueberries)
I use my large rectangular Corningware French White Casserole dish to make this. I just measured it and it comes out to 11 inched by 8. You can certainly make this in a 9 x 13 pan as well, because I always have some leftover bread and filling. A 9 by 13 pan would prolly work out just right.
Directions
You start this dish the night before you wish to serve it.
In a mixing bowl, add your softened cream cheese, ricotta and sugar. Cream together well and then add the egg. Set aside. In another bowl, mix the 2 cups of Eggs with the milk and syrup. Whisk until foamy. Set aside.
Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray. Then lay pieces of bread in the bottom of the pan, and with a sharp knife or even food shears, trim the pieces so that you cover the bottom completely. Make it a very tight fit with none of the pan showing through. You may have to moosh the bread a bit to make that seamless fit, but do it. Once the egg mixture is added to the pan, it will bake up like it was all one piece of bread.
Now ladle some of the egg mixture atop the bread layer so it gets good and soaked. Don’t use more than one cup – you need the rest for later.
Now, add a layer of frozen raspberries, making sure you reserve at least half the bag for garnish. Put the remaining half bag of raspberries back in the freezer. Next, ladle the cream cheese mixture over the top of the bread and raspberries. Keep in mind you need one layer of bread to go on top of that.
Next, add another layer of bread, trimming pieces to fit in the holes and making sure that the top looks like one giant piece of bread. If your pan is rounded like mine, I find using the trimmed tops of the bread covers those round corners very well.
Next, gently ladle the rest of the egg mixture over the top of the new bread layer. You may have to wait a bit for the bread to soak it up before adding all of it. When all of the egg mixture has been added, cover the pan with tin foil and put in the refrigerator over night or for at least 6 hours.
In the morning, pop the whole thing into a 350 Degree preheated oven with the tin foil on for one half hour. After that 30 minutes are up, remove the tine foil and bake another 30 minutes. It may need more time than that depending upon you oven and the type of pan you use. Sometimes mine needs an extra 15 to 20 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the middle pops upward and when you touch the middle, it springs back a little when you push on it.
When done, remove from oven and let stand for at least an hour before serving. If you don’t, the slices won’t come out evenly. While it’s cooling, remove remaining frozen raspberries from the freezer and thaw. Cut slices carefully. Place slices on plate and serve with the thawed raspberries on top for garnish.
If you are going to a Potluck brunch, you can make this a day ahead of time and then just reheat it. This also makes a very nice dish to bring to someone who is ill, grieving or who has a new baby They can reheat one slice at a time.
Ingredients:
1 loaf, any brand, of Cinnamon Swirl bread (I prefer the kind w/out raisins)
1 8 ounce package of Cream Cheese, softened
1 15 ounce package of ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1 egg
2/3 Cup sugar (or 1/2 cup Honey or rice Syrup)
6 to 8 large eggs or 2 cups of liquid Egg product
1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup
1/2 cup milk
1 bag frozen raspberries (or blueberries)
I use my large rectangular Corningware French White Casserole dish to make this. I just measured it and it comes out to 11 inched by 8. You can certainly make this in a 9 x 13 pan as well, because I always have some leftover bread and filling. A 9 by 13 pan would prolly work out just right.
Directions
You start this dish the night before you wish to serve it.
In a mixing bowl, add your softened cream cheese, ricotta and sugar. Cream together well and then add the egg. Set aside. In another bowl, mix the 2 cups of Eggs with the milk and syrup. Whisk until foamy. Set aside.
Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray. Then lay pieces of bread in the bottom of the pan, and with a sharp knife or even food shears, trim the pieces so that you cover the bottom completely. Make it a very tight fit with none of the pan showing through. You may have to moosh the bread a bit to make that seamless fit, but do it. Once the egg mixture is added to the pan, it will bake up like it was all one piece of bread.
Now ladle some of the egg mixture atop the bread layer so it gets good and soaked. Don’t use more than one cup – you need the rest for later.
Now, add a layer of frozen raspberries, making sure you reserve at least half the bag for garnish. Put the remaining half bag of raspberries back in the freezer. Next, ladle the cream cheese mixture over the top of the bread and raspberries. Keep in mind you need one layer of bread to go on top of that.
Next, add another layer of bread, trimming pieces to fit in the holes and making sure that the top looks like one giant piece of bread. If your pan is rounded like mine, I find using the trimmed tops of the bread covers those round corners very well.
Next, gently ladle the rest of the egg mixture over the top of the new bread layer. You may have to wait a bit for the bread to soak it up before adding all of it. When all of the egg mixture has been added, cover the pan with tin foil and put in the refrigerator over night or for at least 6 hours.
In the morning, pop the whole thing into a 350 Degree preheated oven with the tin foil on for one half hour. After that 30 minutes are up, remove the tine foil and bake another 30 minutes. It may need more time than that depending upon you oven and the type of pan you use. Sometimes mine needs an extra 15 to 20 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the middle pops upward and when you touch the middle, it springs back a little when you push on it.
When done, remove from oven and let stand for at least an hour before serving. If you don’t, the slices won’t come out evenly. While it’s cooling, remove remaining frozen raspberries from the freezer and thaw. Cut slices carefully. Place slices on plate and serve with the thawed raspberries on top for garnish.
If you are going to a Potluck brunch, you can make this a day ahead of time and then just reheat it. This also makes a very nice dish to bring to someone who is ill, grieving or who has a new baby They can reheat one slice at a time.
