Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Orange Croissant Breakfast Casserole

 
My guess is that when people think of food for Christmas Day, they think of dinner. Turkey or ham, various kinds of potatoes, a variety of vegetables, salads -- both sweet and savory, perhaps a pasta dish or two. Me? For three quarters of my life Christmas Day meant brunch at my parents’ house, prepared by the skillful hands of my mother. That is all I ever knew when it came to Christmas. If you ask anyone who knew her, they will tell you that my mother’s Christmas brunches were legendary. 
 
After she passed away, I had considered taking up that tradition, but my efforts would surely pale by comparison; truth be told, I just couldn’t find it in my heart to do so. Why tamper with perfection?  I do continue to try brunch recipes, and I think of my mother every time I do. I tried this one over the weekend, tweaked it, and really enjoyed it. There’s a lot to like about this, one of the big pluses is that it is so easy to make.  You can cut or tear your croissants the day prior to store in Ziploc bags. You can make the cream cheese filling ahead of time, cover it, refrigerate it, bring it to room temperature prior to using, and give it a good stir. This dish is perfectly fine dusted with powdered sugar. Or you can take it over the top and drizzle it with maple syrup. This will be memorable whenever you decide to serve it. Orange Croissant Breakfast Casserole

 4 large croissants, roughly chopped

1 c. Tiptree orange marmalade

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

½ c. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

¾ c. whole milk

¼ c. Grand Marnier

Zest from one orange

½ t. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10” deep dish pie pan with nonstick spray.

 In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

 Add sugar and beat until fully incorporated, then add eggs, milk, orange zest, and almond extract and again mix to combine.

 Place chopped croissants in prepared baking dish and place dollops of marmalade among them, stirring a bit to distribute if needed.

 Pour cream cheese mixture over croissants, then cover dish tightly with foil.

 Bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 more minutes.

 Let cool slightly before serving. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve. Enjoy!

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5 comments:

  1. It's so nice that you have such wonderful memories of your mother and her legendary Christmas brunch. This recipe seems like something I could handle since it seems more like cooking than baking (which I don't do anymore) . Looks delicious and perfect for brunch. I'll hold on to this recipe. thanks

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  2. This looks and sounds sinfully good.

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  3. Is there any way you can post it so the background is white? I tried to copy it but it barely shows up. Thanks!

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  4. I know. I’m sorry about that. I’m considering a revamp of the blog for next year, wherein I will not have a black background. What you can do is cut and paste it into a word document and select any color for the text that you like.

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  5. Oh Pattie this looks fantastic! What is not to like about croissants in a casserole? Did your mother try different recipes, or did she pretty much stick to the same thing? What do you particularly like about the Tiptree marmalade? Last time we were in Sam's they had a croissant toast bread, which we thought would make marvelous French toast.
    I would suggest to the blogger who copies your recipes to paste it into a word document, then select all of it and change the text color to black. It should show up just fine then.

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Thank you so much for commenting, I love every one of them! I am, however, unable to respond to anonymous comments.