Spiced Pear French Toast

By Hklbrries

"You can substitute 1/4 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar for the granulated sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup. Also try adding sliced fresh strawberries for color in with the pears. It's delicious both ways."

The Heartstone Inn, Eureka Springs, AR

Ingredients

• French Toast:
• Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
• 1 (1-pound) loaf cinnamon raisin bread, crusts removed
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups reduced-fat milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Pears:
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 firm-ripe Anjou pears, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Dash of grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup maple syrup, plus additional for serving

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the French toast, oil a 13-by-9-inch baking dish or coat it with cooking spray. Tear bread into small pieces and scatter in the pan evenly.

Whisk eggs and sugar together in a small bowl. Add milk and vanilla; whisk well. Pour over bread and press down with a spoon to make sure bread is submerged. Cover with foil, pressing gently so that foil is on the surface of the bread. Refrigerate overnight.

The Next Day:

Keeping foil on baking dish, slide pan into a cold oven. Turn oven to 350 F. After 25 minutes, remove foil. Continue baking until toast is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

To prepare the pears, melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pears; stir until pears are well coated. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Continue to cook until pears begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Pour in 1/4 cup maple syrup. Cook until bubbly. Remove from heat.

To serve, slice French toast into individual servings. Top with spiced pears. Serve with additional maple syrup, if desired.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving
240 calories
7 g fat
9 g protein
38 g carbohydrates
2 g fiber
210 mg sodium