Chrissy Teigen's Baked French Toast
Just like many, many people on the Internet, I'm kinda obsessed with Chrissy Teigen. She's the ultimate cool girl. She's down-to-earth, dirty yet respectable and had the kind of personality that most social media influencers and Hollywood celebs pay their publicists to cultivate. It's almost impossible to manufacture the kind of 'wear your heart on your sleeve' voice that is Chrissy Teigen, and I love her even more for two simple reasons: she loves to eat, and she loves to cook.
Chrissy Teigen's first cookbook Cravings came out many years ago, and I've been craving it for myself (ha. ha.) ever since. I'm very grateful that a friend of mine gave the book to me for my birthday. I've eagerly been waiting for an occasion to crack it open and try one of her drool-worthy recipes. That occasion finally came last weekend, when a friend of mine threw a brunch-themed party. Luckily for me, I had ear-marked Chrissy's Baked French Toast recipe for just such an occasion, and it was just a good as it looked. I used this baking dish, which is perfect for baking and bringing to parties because it comes with a lid!
The real star of this recipe is the crusty, tasty salted Frosted Flakes' coating that covers the top. I could eat this stuff by the spoonful, and perhaps I did have just a little bit before popping the whole thing in the oven...
Facts: this overnight baked French toast is great for brunch parties, birthday parties, or just a lazy Sunday morning spent by yourself.
Of course, this ode to Chrissy wouldn't be complete without a sampling of a few of my favorite sassy Tweets from Chrissy Teigen. See below, and then jump down to get the recipe!
INGREDIENTS
Base
1 tablespoon butter
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1.5 cups whole milk
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Topping
3 cups Frosted Flakes cereal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or a tall-sided 12-inch ovenproof skillet) and arrange the cubed bread in the dish.
In a big bowl, whisk the eggs to combine, then whisk in the heavy cream, milk, rum, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
Pour the mixture over the bread, really pressing down on the bread to help the custard soak in. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 12.
The next day, heat the oven to 350°F.
Take the casserole out of the fridge and let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
Prepare the topping: combine the Frosted Flakes, melted butter, and salt and toss to coat. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the casserole.
Bake until the topping is golden and the bread cubes peeking out of the top are crusty and toasty, 50 to 55 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup.
Adapted From: Chrissy Teigen's "Cravings" and Food52