Kabocha & maple caramel baked French toast

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 1/2 tsp Ginger, ground
  • 3/4 cup Kabocha puree

• Refrigerated

  • 6 Eggs, large

• Condiments

  • 2 tbsp Maple syrup

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/3 cup Brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Cloves
  • 1 Greek yogurt or whipped cream
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 6 cups Challah or brioche

• Dairy

  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tbsp Heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 cup Milk

Found on tworedbowls.com

Ingredients

• for the kabocha baked french toast:
• 1 ¼ cup milk
• ¾ cup kabocha purée (or any other kind of squash purée)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 6-8 cups challah or brioche, cut into 2-inch cubes or sliced, preferably a bit stale (I used a loaf of challah about a foot long, half a batch of this recipe)
• 6 large eggs
• for the maple caramel sauce:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup sugar (both brown and granulated work fine)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (whole milk also works)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• to serve:
• Greek yogurt or whipped cream

Directions

• The night before: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, spices, and salt. Cook, stirring, just until hot, then remove from heat and set aside. Butter a 2-quart baking dish (an 8x8 dish or 10-inch skillet will work, or even a loaf pan) and fill it with the bread cubes or slices. Once the milk mixture is cool, add the eggs and whisk until well-combined. Reserve ½ cup of the egg-milk mixture and refrigerate, covered. Pour the rest evenly over the bread and let soak overnight, covered and refrigerated. (Note: Reserving the ½ cup is optional -- I like it because it helps keep the top moist after soaking overnight, but it’s not strictly necessary.)
• The day of: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the remaining ½ cup of the egg-milk mixture over the top of the French toast. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a bit wobbly, and the bread is slightly browned and does not ooze liquid when poked.
• While the French toast is baking, make the maple caramel sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sugar and stir to combine. It will still stay a bit separated; this is fine. Add the cream or milk, taking care not to get splattered, and stir until fully combined. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add the maple syrup and salt. Stir until incorporated, then set aside until ready to use. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
• When the French toast is done, serve warm with slightly sweetened Greek yogurt or whipped cream (Greek yogurt is my favorite) and plenty of caramel sauce.