Stuffed French Toast Casserole

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 8 -12 slices french bread, day old sliced diagonally 1/2 inch thick (enough bread to make two tight fitting layers in the baking dish)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 2 -3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, minced
• 4 -6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup or 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2 place the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until dry and lighthly browned, about 20 minutes.
• 3 cool,.
• 4 spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with non-stick spray.
• 5 mix crystallized ginger into the apricot preserves.
• 6 spread the cream cheese on one side of half of the slices of french bread.
• 7 place the cream cheese topped slices in the baking dish, cream cheese side up.
• 8 spoon apricot preserves over bread and top each slice with a plain slice of french bread (forming sandwiches).
• 9 mix together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.
• 10 pour mixture over the bread slices.
• 11 place plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate overnight.
• 12 (note: to keep the bread submerged, place a weighted plate or saucer on top of the plastic wrap).
• 13 next morning:.
• 14 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 15 mix together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup until smooth.
• 16 stir in the walnuts.
• 17 evenly drop the topping mixture over the casserole.
• 18 bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and set.
• 19 cool for 10 minutes before serving.