Weekend Edition

Hey welcome to the weekend and for some of us it is a long weekend (we know our H50 heroes could use some relation).  So maybe we could plan for a little brunch at some point on Sunday or even Monday, just a little lazy slow motion I am not doing a damn thing how do you like that!  We all need that occasionally.  


So I have decided to maybe toot my own horn a little here, several years back this recipe actually was a finalist in a Good Morning America contest http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Breakfast/recipe?id=7122291 (way cool), easiest to put together and enjoy in the morning.  So I hope you enjoy your lazy weekend see you next week.







French Toast

• 1 tablespoon butter, softened 
• 1 loaf cinnamon bread (challah, brioche, or any soft, egg-enriched bread - about 1 pound) 
• 6 large eggs  
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 2 1/2 cups milk (or half and half) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Spiced Pears

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 firm-ripe Anjou or Comice pears, cored and cut into chunks (may substitute fresh or canned unsweetened pineapple for the tropical flair)
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• Freshly grated nutmeg 
• Maple syrup 

1. The night before, make the french toast: smear the butter over the bottom and sides of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish or other shallow 2-quart baking dish. Tear the bread into small pieces and scatter in the dish.  
2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until light. Add the remainder and whisk well. Pour over the bread evenly. Tamp down the bread with a spoon or spatula to submerge each piece in egg mixture. Cover with foil, gently pressing down so the foil is right on the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.  
3. The next morning, remove the dish and slide it into a cold oven with the foil on. Turn oven on to 350 degrees F. After 25 minutes, gently pull off and discard the foil. Continue to bake until pudding is puffed and golden brown, about 20 more minutes.  
4. In the meantime, prepare the spiced pears: melt butter in a wide frying pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat then add the pears. Stir until pears are coated well with butter, and then sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, and a good pinch of fresh nutmeg; continue to cook about 3 minutes until pears begin to soften. Pour in 1/4 cup of maple syrup; cook until bubbly then remove from heat.  
5. To serve spoon bread pudding onto plates and top with spiced pears. Pass additional maple syrup at the table.