Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Blueberry French Toast is a dish that feels elegant and luxurious but is really fairly straighforward, and since it sits overnight it could easily be made the day before a chemo treatment. It works equally well as a breakfast or dessert, and the inclusion of cream cheese makes it a great way to squeeze in some extra calories. I've made a few modifications to the recipe, increasing the ratio of the sauce to the dish itself, and added some lemon peel and juice to the sauce to give it a bit of a tank. Thanks to KARAN1946 for sharing the inspiration recipe through allrecipes.com.

A dish of Overnight Blueberry French Toast before it goes in the oven.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Ingredients:

• 6-7 slices day-old bread, cut into 1" cubes

• 8 oz package cream cheese, cut into 1" cubes

• 1 c fresh blueberries

• 6 eggs, beaten

• 1 c milk

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• approx 1/6 c maple syrup

• 1 c white sugar

• 2 tbsp cornstarch

• 1 c water

• 1 c blueberries

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1/2 tsp dried lemon peel

• 1 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)

1. Grease an 8x8" baking pan. Spread about half of the bread in pan, or enough to completely cover the bottom. Add the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1 c of the blueberries over the cream cheese, then top with the remainder of the bread cubes. These last three layers will not create a complete cover of the pan, but should be evenly distributed throughout.

2. Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Pour evenly over the bread layers, trying to get all of the cubes soaked.

3. Cover dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.

4. Remove dish from refrigerator and allow to warm slightly. Heat oven to 350F.

5. Leaving foil on dish, bake for 30 min. Remove foil and continue baking for 25-30 minutes, or until the center is firm and the bread is beginning to brown.

6. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Cook for 3-4 min, stirring constantly.

7. Mix in the remaining blueberries, at least 1 c. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thick and purple and the blueberries are soft or have burst. Stir in butter and add lemon peel and lemon juice, seasoning to taste.

8. Serve french toast and spoon sauce over top.

Tips & Variations

• Other spices may be added to the blueberry sauce instead of or in addition to the lemon peel and lemon juice - experiment and see what you like!

• Sauce can be made at the same time as you assemble the french toast dish or closer to when you'll be eating it. Fortunately, the sauce is equally delicious hot or cold.

• Keep the sauce separate from the french toast for storage purposes - spoon it over the toast one serving at a time as it seems to loose some of its distinct flavor when it is left to sit on the toast in the refrigerator.