Christmas Toast

After Owen’s safely tucked in on Christmas Eve, these two dads face the season’s stiffest challenge: helping Santa assemble Owen’s toys before dawn. It’s invariably a late and bleary-eyed night, and one or both of us might use some colorful language here and there. Morning comes far too quickly, and neither of us wants to waste time in the kitchen pulling together breakfast. This French toast dish is the perfect solution — we can assemble it the night before, pop it in the oven when the kid springs from bed, and enjoy it by the tree while Owen plays with the boxes that everything came in.

Method:

1/2 c. unsalted butter (1 stick) (plus a tablespoon or two to butter the pan)

1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tbl. corn syrup

1 loaf day-old French bread, cut into 1 inch thick slices

5 eggs

1.5 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2-3 grates of nutmeg

cinnamon

confectioner’s sugar

Thoroughly butter a casserole dish or baking pan. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and remove from the heat after 1 minute. Pour the brown sugar mixture into the baking dish. Layer the bread slices in the dish, nestling them as close together as possible.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and nutmeg. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Lay a sheet of parchment paper and a weight or two (a small baking sheet topped with some canned goods will do) on top of the bread slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the weights and parchment paper and dust the bread with a bit of cinnamon. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until the top is just crisped and the center is firm but spongy. Dust each serving with a bit of confectioner’s sugar and generously drizzle with maple syrup.