Perfect for Christmas Morning! This can be assembled the night before and refrigerated so the morning of, you can simply pop it into the oven and let it bake for an hour and a half while you share gifts. Pairs perfectly with bloodys or mimosas.
TIP: Any type of bread will do. Challah or brioche will be the most pillowy and decadent. But sour dough, bagette and even bagels are also delicious, given suitable time to soak in the eggy custard mixture. Don't be afraid to home odds and ends of different types of bread either. A mix would also work well.
INGREDIENTS
· 1 Challah loaf (about 16 oz), sliced into 1” cubes
· 9 large eggs
· 1 ½ cups whole milk
· 1 ½ cups heavy cream
· ¾ cup maple syrup or honey
· Zest and juice from 1 orange
· 1 tsp cinnamon
· ¼ tsp nutmeg
· 1 TBS vanilla extract
· ½ tsp kosher salt
· 1 cup dried cranberries
· ½ cup Applejack Whiskey (bourbon or rum is also nice)
· 2 cups pecans, toasted
· 6-8 Cosmic Crisp Apples, peeled, cored and sliced into ¼” wedges
· Juice from 1 lemon
· ½ cup finishing sugar, Lars Own Swedish Pearl Sugar is nice
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 350* and butter a 9”x 12” casserole dish.
2. Place the peeled, cored and sliced apple wedges in a large bowl with cold water and juice from 1 lemon. Set aside
3. In a small pot bring whisky and juice from 1 orange to a simmer, then remove from the heat and add the dried cranberries. Let them soak for 20-30 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, syrup, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and kosher salt.
5. Gently fold the challah cubes into the egg mixture. Add the cranberries and whiskey liquid to the mixture.
6. Remove the apples from the lemon water and add to the challah mixture.
7. Pour the mixture into the buttered baker and top with pecans and finishing sugar.
8. Loosely cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes, removing the foil half way through.
9. Serve with syrup, caramel or whipped cream.
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