Alli's Baked French Toast with lemon curd

Baked French Toast 

serves 8

For the French Toast: 
Butter, for greasing
1 loaf crusty sourdough or French bread ( I added an additional 1/2c of leftover crushed cereal)
8  whole eggs
2 c. whole milk (egg nog instead)

1/2 c.  heavy cream

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp.  vanilla extract

1 t salt ( I added, it was not from original recipe)

For the Topping:
1/2 c.  flour
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp.  cinnamon
1/4 tsp.  salt
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1  stick cold butter, cut into pieces
Warm syrup, for serving
Butter, for serving
1 c. 
fresh blueberries, for serving

You assemble it the night before and let it sit and get even more luscious in the fridge overnight

1. For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed (overnight preferably). Or you can make it and bake it right away---delicious no matter what!
2. For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
3. When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour-plus or more for a firmer, crisper texture.
4. Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter, drizzle with warm pancake syrup, and sprinkle with blueberries.

Some comments from readers-

Caramelized some bananas and brown sugar

doubled the cinnamon

generally double the topping because people always ask for more of it

fried apples

12/22/21 made it in the morning and didn't have it soak overnight. Turned out delicious. I had 3 different types of leftover breads and they all tasted and worked out well together. I mixed half plain yogurt and half whipped topping for one of the toppings and frozen blue berries

Can add Lemon curd (pudding) to the top of the cooked French toast- makes one cup

Lemon Curd

Dbl    Original Recipe
1c        1/2 c. 

granulated sugar

1/2c    5 tbsp. 

unsalted butter, diced

1/2c     1/4 c. 

fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

6          3 

large eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/2t      1/4 tsp. 

kosher salt

Combine the sugar, butter and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook just until the butter melts. Whisk in the eggs. Cook, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 6-8 minutes. Do not let the mixture bubble. Pour then press through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Press plastic wrap over top and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Turkey Brine

Pioneer Woman

1 10-15 lb turkey

2 chopped onions

2 chopped apples (or 1-2  cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider)
4 cups of boiling water, 4 c cold water
2 T powdered Rosemary  (or 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves)
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 cup Kosher Salt
1 cup white sugar  (or Brown Sugar), next time do a 1/2c
1/2-1T powdered pepper (or 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns)
5 whole Bay Leaves
Peel Of 2 Large Oranges

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover.

Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. (I didn't allow mixture to cool completely, I just put the bird in the hot water and put it in the fridge and went to bed.)

Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. 

Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

TO COOK TURKEY

11/13/18 next time use a turkey cooking bag. Otherwise it was good.
Preheat oven to 275.

If you brined your turkey, rinse it well under cold water. Fill the sink with fresh cold water and allow the turkey to soak for 15 to 20 minutes to remove any saltiness (i forgot to do this and it turned out good). Pat the turkey dry and place it on a roasting rack, breast side up. Cross the legs and tie them together with kitchen twine. Cover the whole pan with heavy aluminum foil, tucking it underneath the pan. Roast for the first stage for about 10 minutes per pound (so, for a 20 pound turkey, about 3 1/2 hours.
After the first stage of cooking, remove the turkey from the oven and remove the foil (turkey will still be pale.) Smear the butter mixture all over the skin, in crevices, etc so that it's totally covered. Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh, increase the oven temperature to 350, and return the turkey to the oven, basting every 30 minutes. Continue roasting the turkey until the thermometer reads 165 to 168, then remove the turkey from the oven. Possibly cooking 1 and 1/2 hours more depending on size of turkey. Cover loosely with clean aluminum foil until you're ready to carve!

Best Spinach Artichoke Dip

Pioneer Woman


3 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Garlic, Minced
1 bag Spinach
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 cans Artichoke Hearts, Rinsed And Drained
3 Tablespoons Butter (additional)
3 Tablespoons Flour
1-1/2 cup Whole Milk (more If Needed)
1 package (8 Ounce) Softened Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Crumbled Feta
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
3/4 cups Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
Extra Grated Pepper Jack
Pita Wedges, Tortilla Chips, Crackers, french bread

INSTRUCTIONS
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Crank up the heat a bit and throw in the spinach. Stir around and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach wilts. Remove the spinach from the skillet and put it in a small strainer. Squeeze the excess juice back into the skillet. Set the spinach aside. 

Throw in the artichokes and cook over medium high heat for several minutes, until liquid is cooked off and artichokes start to get a little color. Remove the artichokes.   In the same skillet or a different pot, melt 3 additional tablespoons of butter and whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour until it makes a paste. Cook over medium-low heat for a minute or two, then pour in milk. Stir and cook until slightly thickened; splash in more milk if needed. 

Add cream cheese, feta, Parmesan, pepper jack, and cayenne and stir until cheese are melted and sauce is smooth. Chop artichokes and spinach and add to the sauce. Stir to combine. 
Pour into buttered baking dish. Top with extra grated pepper jack and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 
Serve with pita wedges, chips, or crackers!

Amy said- I have substituted some plain yogurt, sour cream, and mayo in the place of some cream cheese