"Pecan Praline French Toast "
Recipe from Arnold D. Kruck, Executive Chef

Some of my favorite all-time foods are breakfast items. My children are always asking for daddy’s “flap jacks”. I love getting up in the morning and making brunch items on my day off because it really makes me appreciate those times with my family. And with a little, and I do mean a little, snow outside, a recipe like this makes a morning extra nice. A side note to this recipe. You could actually make this the day before, heat it up the next in a low oven about 325 degrees for about 15 minutes. And to be really bad, serve it with a scoop of Rum Raisin Ice Cream…Chef Arnold

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 8 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk (to make custard a little thicker use heavy cream, it is your preference)
• 1 loaf of bread (French, Challah or white Pullman, un-sliced), cut into 1” thick slices
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Ground cinnamon to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 12” X 15” baking pan, melt butter in the oven as it heats being careful not to burn the butter. Stir in brown sugar. Sprinkle with pecans. Brown slightly.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon. Dip the slices of bread into the egg mixture. Arrange the slices over the brown-sugar-pecan mixture in the pan. Be careful of any splattering from the hot sugar mixture. Pour any remaining egg mixture over the bread.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until toast is golden brown. Invert pan and cut into slices and serve.