Some mornings during Christmas week feel like a snow globe someone shook a little too hard. Kids bouncing. Guests snoozing. Coffee brewing. And you, standing in the kitchen wondering how to feed everyone without flipping French toast for a crowd.
This is the moment for a makeahead beauty: my Pear & Almond French Toast Bake. It’s a cozy, custardy breakfast casserole that comes together the night before (or even two days before), then bakes into golden, fragrant bliss in just 20 minutes. The secret twist is canned pears. Yes, canned — soft, sweet, inexpensive and absolute magic when tucked into almond-kissed bread pudding with a vanillaalmond custard.
It tastes like you fussed for hours.
It behaves like you barely lifted a finger. And during the week of Christmas, that’s a small holiday miracle.
Day-old bread is your best friend here. Slightly dry cubes soak up the custard like a dream, giving you that soft-inside, golden-outside texture we love in a breakfast bake. Challah, croissants or brioche will make this casserole extra rich and luxurious, but an everyday artisan loaf works beautifully too. I used a sturdy sourdough, which holds its shape and adds a gentle tang that plays nicely with the sweet pears.
PEAR & ALMOND FRENCH TOAST BAKE
Yield: 4 servings Total time: 20 minutes active
3/4 cup slivered almonds 1 (15-ounce) can pear halves in juice, juice reserved 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 4 large eggs 1/4 cup reserved pear juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 cups bread cubes (1-inch cubes) 1/4 cup dried cherries, cranberries or raisins (optional)
MAPLE PEAR SYRUP
2/3 cup reserved pear juice 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Toast the almonds. Place the slivered almonds in a small, dry saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Set aside.
Prep the pears. Drain the canned pears, reserving all the juice. Refrigerate the pear halves until ready to bake.
Make the custard. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, 1/4 cup pear juice, vanilla, almond extract and brown sugar. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, whisking until completely smooth with no floury lumps.
Soak the bread. Stir the bread cubes into the custard, making sure every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake (anything from 1 hour to overnight).
To Make the Maple Pear Syrup In a small saucepan, combine 2/3 cup pear juice and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until reduced by about half. Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup. Let cool, then refrigerate.
When you want to bake the casserole. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan, or four individual 8-12-ounce oven-safe dishes (like ramekins, au gratin dishes, etc.).
Remove the soaked bread from the refrigerator. Stir in half the toasted almonds and the dried fruit, if using. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish(es). Nestle a pear half into each individual dish or evenly space all pear halves in the larger pan. Scatter the remaining almonds on top.
Bake until the top is golden and the custard is set in the center, 25-30 minutes. Drizzle with the Maple Pear Syrup and serve warm. Merry Christmas from Divas On A Dime!
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Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the penny-pinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime — Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at [email protected]
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