Too bad that Santa's left; he'd like this French toast

By: Michael Hastings | Mooresville Tribune
Published: December 24, 2008

My children love French toast when we are all home without any pressing chores or errands.

This holiday, I'm thinking about making a baked version that makes French toast easy even on Christmas morning when we are busy opening presents.

Baked French toast is more like a casserole than French toast that's made on the stove. Still, it offers all the same flavors. The best part is that it can be made the night before and slipped into the oven in the morning.

I especially like the variation to the recipe below that puts the syrup right in the baking dish.

In a similar vein, I also like savory egg casseroles. One of my favorites combines green chiles with Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese.

Like the baked French toast, the egg casserole can be assembled the night before. I usually make it without bread, but it's also good with some torn pieces of flour tortillas.This casserole can be beefed up with some sausage, too.

Baked French Toast

1 pound French, Italian or other firm white bread, cut into 1-inch-thick slices

5 eggs

1¼ cups milk or half-and-half

¼ cup sugar or maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

1. Butter a 9-by13-inch baking dish. Place the slices of bread in a single layer in the dish. It's OK to squeeze the slices a bit to make them fit, but if necessary leave out excess slices.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour mixture over the bread. Turn over the bread slices as needed to make sure that all of them are well coated. Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight, or at least 1 hour.

3. Uncover dish and place on the counter while heating the oven to 350 degrees.

4. Bake uncovered until puffed and golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

Makes 6 or more servings.

A nice variation of this creates a syrupy caramel topping with just one extra step. To do this, melt 1 stick butter with 1 cup light brown sugar and 3 tablespoons maple syrup in a saucepan on the stove. Pour this mixture into an unbuttered 9-by13-inch baking dish. Then make the recipe above, but omit the ¼ cup sugar or maple syrup.

When you serve this version, flip the slices of bread so that the syrupy mixture is on top.

Green Chile Casserole

4 eggs

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 7-ounce cans green chiles, chopped, drained

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, flour and salt until smooth. Stir in chiles and cheeses. If desired, cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole uncovered until set and brown on top, 35 to 40 minutes.

■ Michael Hastings, the Journal's Food editor, can be contacted by phone at 727-7394, e-mail at mhastings@wsjournal.com, or mail at c/o Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102.