Sweet Beginnings

Ok, so I can't take any credit for making this scrumptious delight -all I did was take photos. Well, I ate it too. A dear friend made this for brunch one day and I can still smell the warm, buttery sweetness of that morning like it was yesterday...

French toast baked in honey-pecan sauce


4 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup half-and-half
½ tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6** (2-inch thick) slices day-old French bread or crusty bread
1/4 cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans


Ooey-gooey goodness!

Combine eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Pour half mixture into a baking dish. Place bread into pan; top with other half of egg mixture, making sure all parts of bread are saturated with the liquid. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To melt butter, place in 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish and set in oven. When melted, stir in brown sugar, honey, maple syrup and pecans. Set soaked bread slices on top of pecan mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Remove with spatula, and invert slices on two serving plates. Spoon any extra syrup and nuts on top.

*The original recipe called for only 4 slices, but we found that there was enough of the honey, maple mixture for 6-8. Original recipe can be found in The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook.