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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Circuit Breaker French Toast

It was already 90 degrees when we arose this morning - at eight o'clock - so perhaps turning on the coffee pot, the toaster oven (to warm the plates), and the Griddler to make French Toast was not the best idea.  With the high expected to be 100 toasty degrees and heat indices around 115, my heart stopped beating when all of a sudden it got very quiet and rather dark.  A quick picture of our desiccated bodies being discovered by the police due to our mutual death by heat stroke flashed through my mind.  Then I heard the motor of the refrigerator click on.  Aha!  It's the circuit breaker, as only half of the kitchen seemed to be without power.  A trip to the basement to locate the box, a push to the right, a snap to the left and things were back to normal.  I decided that we really didn't need warm plates, I could just set them on the patio table for a minute or two.

The actual name of this recipe is Grand Marnier French Toast. It was first published in Bon Appetit in September 1995, and I found it here.  I did, however, substitute Triple Sec as I don't happen to keep Grand Marnier on hand, and used blood orange zest in place of regular zest.  I also halved the recipe with no problem.  This is one delicious French Toast recipe and I will be making it again.

Though it can easily be found online by clicking the link above, here it is below, for the sake of convenience.  

Circuit Breaker French Toast 

a.k.a Grand Marnier French Toast

4 large eggs
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur or frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 3/4-inch-thick French bread slices*
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
Powdered sugar
Warm maple syrup

Whisk first 6 ingredients to blend in medium bowl. Dip each bread slice into egg mixture and arrange in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour remaining egg mixture evenly over bread. Let stand until egg mixture is absorbed, at least 20 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Place baking sheet in oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add 4 bread slices to skillet and saute until cooked through and brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place on baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat cooking with remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 4 bread slices. Transfer French toast to 4 plates. Sift powdered sugar over. Serve with maple syrup.

*I used Challah.  I find this makes better French toast than any other type of bread I've tried.  What I used today came from Trader Joe's, but if you want the best Challah bread ever, you can make your own.  Instructions are here.

I absolutely LOVE my Griddler!
Click the image above for the skinny.