Bananas Foster French Toast

Mmmmm! I wish I could wake up tomorrow morning and smell this cooking! Maybe some of you lucky people with a kitchen can...while I sit in my dorm eating yogurt for breakfast :/

Ingredients
-4 large eggs
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-8 tablespoons butter, divided
-8 large croissants, halved
-1/2 cup dark corn syrup
-1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
-1 cup maple syrup
-1 cup chopped pecans
-6 ripe bananas, halved crosswise and lengthwise
-1 teaspoon rum extract

Directions
1) In a shallow dish, whisk together eggs, cream, and cinnamon. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Dip 4 croissant halves in egg mixture to coat both sides. Using a fork, remove croissants from egg mixture, letting excess mixture drip off. Place croissant halves in hot skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and croissant halves. Set aside and keep warm.

2) In a large skillet, combine corn syrup, brown sugar, maple syrup and pecans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add banana halves and rum extract. Coat with the syrup mixture, and simmer 1 minute. Spoon over French toast. Serve immediately.

Baked French Toast Casserole

This is the breakfast that I make for my parents when I want something. It requires some preparation but it is really worth it. The praline topping is to die for. MMMM!



Ingredients
-1 loaf French bread (use day-old bread)
-8 large eggs
-2 cups half-and-half
-1 cup milk
-2 tablespoons sugar
-1 tablespoon vanilla
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-1 pinch salt

PRAILINE TOPPING
-1 cup very soft butter
-1 cup light brown sugar, packed
-2 tablespoons light corn syrup
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-1 cup chopped pecans

Directions
1) Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
2) Slice the French into 20 (1-inch thick) slices
3) Arrange the slices into the bottom of the baking dish in 2-rows overlapping slightly.
4) In a large bowl whisk/combine eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until well blended; pour over the bread slices making certain that all are covered evenly with the egg/milk mixture, then press down with clean hands to make certain the bread it coated well
5) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
6) In a bowl mix together all praline ingredients until well blended
7) Put mixture onto plastic wrap and roll into a log (wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap)
8) Refridgerate the butter log overnight
9) The next day, slice the log and place butter pieces all over the top of the casserole
10) Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees