Pecan Rum French Toast Cooks Illustrated Recipes

PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and salt; pour over bread. Let stand for 10 minutes, turning once. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup; cook over medium heat until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish; sprinkle with pecans. Top with bread. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, 30-35 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve immediately.

RUM FRENCH TOAST A LA MODE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Cut the baguette on the diagonal into eight 1/2-inch-thick slices. Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, sugar and 3 tablespoons rum in a large baking dish. Add the bread and soak, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. (Remove before the bread is soggy.)
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half of the bread and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining bread.
• Meanwhile, mix the maple syrup and the remaining 1 tablespoon rum in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Serve the French toast with the maple-rum syrup and ice cream.

BAKED PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Place the eggs, milk, sugar, nutmeg or cinnamon and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
• Mist the bottom of a 12 by 8-inch glass casserole with vegetable oil spray or brush with melted butter.
• Place the bread slices in a single layer in the pan.
• Pour the egg mixture over the bread, distributing it evenly.
• Turn the bread slices once.
• Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next morning, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Remove the pan from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap.
• Sprinkle the bread slices with pecans and drizzle with melted butter.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bread slices puff up and pecans are deep brown but not burned.
• Serve warm with maple syrup.
• Instead of a cup of milk, use 2/3 cup orange juice and 1/3 cup of the milk.
• You can vary this further by adding a little grated orange zest with the pecans before baking.

PECAN RUM FRENCH TOAST (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Process 1/2 cup pecans, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in food processor until coarsely ground, 12 to 15 one-second pulses (you should have about 1/2 cup crumbs).
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes. Return baking sheet with wire rack to oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees.
• Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt, vanilla, and rum in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking pan.
• Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 20 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drip off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter. Sprinkle each slice of soaked bread with 1 tablespoon nut mixture.
• Heat ½ tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. When foaming subsides, use slotted spatula to transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet-nut mixture side down-and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking too quickly, reduce temperature slightly.) Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat cooking with remaining bread, 2 pieces at a time, adding ½ tablespoon of butter for each batch. Serve warm, passing maple syrup separately.