Another Sunday = another opportunity to host a brunch for friends that were visiting form Ottawa. My friend graciously offered to bring bagels and cream cheese but I was eager to try to try out some new recipes that I found on Pinterest. As for the recipes I tested….I scored. They all came out perfect and of course I’m going to share the details with you.
The table looked like this. Don’t you just love the grass runner and those adorable shot glasses (which were perfect to serve mimosas?)
As for the food…. the main attraction was this Easy Overnight Blueberry French Toast Bake from www.thesaltymarshmallow.com. Once again I need to thank Pinterest for helping me find this incredibly easy and tasty recipe!
- 2 French Baguettes cut into 1/2 slices. (I used one long baguette and it was fine)
- 1 12 ounce Package Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
- 2 Cups Blueberries
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream or Milk
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Topping:
- 1/2 Stick Butter
- 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
- 1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Lightly butter a 3 quart casserole dish.
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In a medium bowl using a hand mixer or large spoon, (I used my Cuisinart and I’m glad I did) to combine the cream cheese with the maple syrup, and cinnamon, then fold in the blueberries. Pretty easy eh?
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Spread about a tablespoon (or so) of the blueberry cream cheese mixture onto one side of each slice of bread. Place bread slices evenly in a row in the prepared baking dish.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream (I used cream) or milk, and vanilla extract. Pour mixture evenly over bread slices.Cover pan with foil and refrigerate at least 3 hours – overnight. (Overnight is best and I agree!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Place the bread mixture in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown.
Prepare the topping: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup and cinnamon. Drizzle over french toast as desired. (note: I forgot to do this step and it was still delicious).
I also served baked eggs in rep pepper shells! For added flavour I put in some vegetarian sausage and chives (for color).
Healthy. Oh so healthy.
This fruit salad served in kiwi cups were also an idea I found on Pinterest.
Hope this blog post encourages you to host a brunch one day soon and hope everyone is enjoying their summer too!!
