Banana Creme Brulee French Toast

First Sunday brunch as Mrs.

(Well, technically, it is the second as we had a lovely goodbye brunch with all of our guests last week after the wedding.    I'm not really counting it though as the first as it didn't require any work on my part and truth be told, I was physically exhausted.)

First Sundays call for something special.   I also have this philosophy that if you are good the vast majority of the time, every once in awhile you can take a little time out to indulge in something decadent.

John and I spent our first married Saturday Date Night on the couch eating a very healthy dinner of roasted sweet potatoes and broiled chicken thighs while watching the NCIS spook-a-thon (It is the one show we can fully agree upon, and luckily, it is always on).    It has been a long week.  

Time for a treat.  (Not of the Halloween Trick or Treat variety... that was last night too.  I should know better than to buy candy too far in advance.)

French toast is always a good Sunday option.    I wanted to make it a little more special than usual this time.

 John loves Creme Brulee.

 I love Bananas Foster.   (Check out this recipe for Bananas Foster Gelato that I must also make someday!)  

How about a little dessert for breakfast in the form of a modified  Creme Brulee French Toast recipe I adapted from Epicurious?

I am hereby calling this new creation Banana Creme Brulee French Toast.    It is definitely not your everyday french toast, but I'd serve it again in a heartbeat for a special occasion or when you just need a little something indulgent to end (or start) your weekend.    Super easy to prepare and to my credit, I did try and lighten it up a bit by substituting the skim milk and adding some fruit and nuts.

I made it in the morning and therefore did not let it soak the originally required eight plus hours, but it turned out perfect anyway.    Light, sweet, custardy and filled with banana almondy custardy brown sugary goodness.    No need for syrup with this recipe!    Rated "most excellent" by the taster.

Banana Creme Brulee French Toast

Ingredients
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 banana, sliced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup of skim milk
6 thick slices of sourdough bread
1 teaspoon Cointreau
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs
sprinkle of cinnamon

Preparation
1.   Toast almonds lightly in pan on stove.   They are done when you smell the nutty aroma, but before they start burning.
2.  Sprinkle almonds into 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
3.  Melt butter in pan on stove.   Add brown sugar.   Mix until combined and smooth.   When smooth, add in sliced bananas and stir another minute until coated.    Remove from heat and pour over almonds in the pan.   You will likely need to smooth it out a bit until the sugar mixture reaches all corners.
4.   Squeeze together slices of bread into pan.   You can remove the crusts, but I left on for extra texture. Set pan aside.
5.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6.  In a medium size bowl, add eggs and milk and whisk together until combined.   Whisk in vanilla and cointreau until combined.
7.   Pour egg mixture over the bread slices in your pan, covering equally.   Shake pan until mixture reaches all sides. 8.   Set aside pan for 30 minutes to allow egg mixture to soak in.   Dust with cinnamon.
9.   Place uncovered pan in preheated oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes until puffy and golden brown.

Bon Appetit!    Wishing you a fabulous Sunday!  

Oh, and how could I forget, Happy Halloween!

(PS - If someone can educate me on how to add in the many accent marks I am missing on my recipe title, I'd be forever appreciative.)