Pumpkin French Toast Stuffed With Blackberry Caramel Mascarpone Food

PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST STUFFED WITH BLACKBERRY-CARAMEL MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Blackberry-Caramel:
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat.
• Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat and cook, without stirring, until amber brown, about 8 minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm cream, blackberry puree and liqueur and cook until smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Let come to room temperature.
• French Toast:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a baking sheet in the oven.
• Whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt in a large baking dish until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, ground spices, milk, 1/4 cup of the heavy cream, vanilla and rum and whisk until smooth.
• Put 4 slices of the bread in the custard mixture and let sit for 2 minutes. Carefully turn over the slices and let sit until the bread is completely soaked through, about 2 more minutes.
• While the bread is soaking, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to sizzle. Cook the 4 slices of the bread until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and continue cooking until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Remove to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Wipe out the pan with paper towels and repeat the process with the butter, oil and remaining 4 pieces of bread.
• Combine the mascarpone and remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream in a bowl and using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, beat until fluffy and smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and fold in a few tablespoons of the blackberry-caramel sauce. Put the sauce into a small saucepan over low heat and heat or put it in the microwave for a minute or so to just warm through.
• Remove the French toast from the oven and arrange them on a serving platter. Top 4 slices of the toast with a large dollop of the blackberry-caramel mascarpone and some of the blackberries. Cover with the remaining 4 pieces of toast and drizzle each with some of the warm blackberry caramel sauce. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, garnish with fresh mint sprig and serve.

PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 12-by-8-inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, condensed milk, regular milk, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs and 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and whisk until combined. Grab a slice of bread and submerge it in the pumpkin custard. Soak with enough custard to cover both sides of the bread, then transfer it to the prepared baking pan. Repeat the process until the bottom of the pan is covered.
• In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined and the cream cheese is clump free; the mixture should be soft and spreadable.
• Spread enough of the cream cheese mixture on top of the bread in the pan to cover all the slices. Soak the remaining bread slices in the remaining custard. Layer them on top of the cream cheese mixture. Combine the pecans, brown sugar and remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Top the casserole with the pecan mixture.
• Bake until the top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup.

BLACKBERRY FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Spread the bread slices on a baking sheet and turn off the oven. Place the sheet in the oven and leave it overnight until the bread is dried.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and 1/4 cup sugar until all yolks are broken, and then add the milk and cream. Put the dried bread pieces on top of the egg mixture. Wait a few minutes, and then push the rest of the bread into the mixture and mix lightly. Place a small or medium casserole dish on a baking sheet that is lined with foil. Brush the dish with some of the melted butter.
• Put half of the bread mixture in the dish to make a layer that covers the bottom. With a slotted spoon, arrange the berries evenly over the bread layer. Sprinkle the berries with sugar. Using your hands, pull out the remaining bread and create a second layer, arranging it evenly and patting down any crusts. With a spatula, stir the remaining egg mixture and pour over the top bread layer. Using a flat pastry brush, lightly brush the rest of the melted butter over the top. Bake the French toast until it rises up about 1-inch on the sides, about 1 hour. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then cut into servings and serve immediately with sausage patties and fresh fruit.

PUMPKIN PIE FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square or 2-quart shallow baking dish; set aside. Toast bread on a baking sheet in oven, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Add toasted bread; cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface. Place a plate small enough to fit inside bowl on top of plastic; weight with a large canned good. Let soak until bread is saturated, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to prepared dish, spreading evenly. Bake on a baking sheet until firm and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar and topped with whipped cream, if desired.

MASCARPONE-STUFFED FRENCH TOAST WITH BERRY TOPPING

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in water. Stir in frozen berries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in fresh berries., On each of six bread slices, spread 1 tablespoon mascarpone to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with remaining bread. In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs, cream, milk, cinnamon and vanilla., In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Dip both sides of sandwiches in egg mixture, allowing each side to soak 2 minutes. Place three sandwiches in skillet; toast 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining butter and sandwiches. Serve with warm berry sauce.