French Toast With Pears, Brie, and Cinnamon

akgrown's Note:

A delicious twist on french toast that can be made-ahead and chilled for up to 24 hours. Great for brunch, holidays, and special occasions.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 3 medium pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 14 -16 slices French bread (half-inch slices, about 1 loaf)
• 8 ounces brie cheese, rind removed and cheese thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Grease a 9x13 baking dish; set aside. In a large skillet cook pears, brown sugar, and rosemary in 2 T butter over medium heat for 4-5 mins or until pears are tender.
2. Arrange 7 or 8 bread slices in a single layer in prepared dish. Spoon pear mixture and arrange Brie on bread slices. Top each stack with a bread slice. Brush bread with melted butter.
3. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over bread. In a medium bowl whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour over bread slices. Cover and chill for 1-24 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 mins or until edges are puffed and golden. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup, berries, and honey, or cranberry conserve.

Reviews

[Tish the Dish]

This is delicious! We first sampled it at a B&B in New Orleans in January and I made it for a women's brunch to rave reviews. The rosemary is such a delicious and unexpected twist. Thank you for sharing!

[dbihlman]

I made this for guests over the holidays and it was a hit! I made it exactly as submitted. The pears and rosemary are a great combination. The leftovers heated up nicely the next day in the microwave. Some guests suggested syrup with the leftovers and that tasted great too. Thanks for an awesome recipe!

[Ducissa]

Delicious! Make it exactly as written and was wonderful. I like the fruit and cheese so much that next time I will make it without the Rosemary. The Rosemary is very good, but I like the fruit better. It cooked to perfection with a drip pan underneath to catch the drips of egg and milk toward the end of the cooktime. Will make again.