Some friends were helping us do some landscaping so I decided to make them breakfast as repayment for their kindness and hard work. Doing yard work in Texas… in July… deserves a very special treat. One of our friends really loves blueberries so I decided to try this recipe with a few changes. It’s a nice delicately rich and sweet side dish to a savory breakfast. Enjoy!
Feeds 3-4
Ingredients:
- 6 slices Italian bread cut into 1 inch cubes
- 6 oz cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
- 3 c fresh blueberries (reserve 1.5 c for sauce)
- 4 eggs (beaten)
- 1 c milk (2%)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/6 c maple syrup
- 3/4 c white sugar
- 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 c water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp butter
Directions:
- Butter a 5 x 7 in baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish and spread cream cheese on the tops of the bread cubes until evenly distributed. Sprinkle 1.5 cups blueberries over the cream cheese layer and top with remaining bread cubes. Push down gently to ‘sandwich’ the cubes slightly.
- In a large bowl, mix 4 eggs, milk, vanilla, and maple syrup. Pour over the bread cubes making sure the top layer of bread cubes is coated. Use a little bit of butter to coat one side of aluminum foil and place buttered side down to cover the mixture and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the mixture from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes prior to baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Keep the aluminum foil covering the dish and bake for 30 min. Uncover and continue to bake 25-30 minutes until the surface is lightly browned.
- In a saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and water. Bring to a gentle boil while stirring constant and cook 3-4 minutes.
- Mix in remaining 1.5 c blueberries and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 8-10 minutes until the blueberries burst. Remove from heat and add 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp butter. Stir and serve with french toast.
Toothsome Bites 