Raspberry & Chambord Croissant French Toast
Croissant pieces, soaked in an egg and milk custard, and baked with a glaze of Chambord (raspberry liqueur), raspberry jam and orange juice, with a little pop of melted cream cheese in the very center. This dish makes a beautiful brunch entree, but also is fantastic for dessert!
Equipment
- 6 4x2 inch ramekins Should hold approximately 8 fluid oz.
Ingredients
- 5 croissants cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/3 cup raspberry jam
- 3 tbsp. orange juice
- 1 tbsp. Chambord
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 6 tbsp. heavy cream
- 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into 6 cubes and chilled
- 6 raspberries for garnish
- 6 orange peel curls for garnish
- 2 tbsp. powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease the inside of the ramekins generously with butter. Place the buttered ramekins on a baking sheet.
- Cut croissants into cubes. Set aside.
- Whisk eggs together with cream and milk in a large bowl.
- Blend Chambord, orange juice, and raspberry jam with a whisk in a bowl. Set aside.
- Drop the croissants pieces into the egg mixture and push down so that all of the croissants are submerged in the mixture. Using a serving spoon, divide half of the croissant mixture in the bottom of each ramekin. Set the remainder aside for the time being.
- Spoon a tablespoon or so of the raspberry mixture over the croissants in each ramekin. Place the chilled cream cheese square on top of the raspberry sauce. Then divide remaining croissant-egg mixture evenly over the cheese in each ramekin. Finally, drizzle the rest of the raspberry mixture over the top of each ramekin.
- Bake the French toast for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and puffy. When you push your finger into the top, it should spring back. Remove from oven, garnish with a raspberry, an orange twist and powdered sugar if you’d like! Serve hot while the cheese is still melty.
Notes
This recipe can be found on page 55 of The Heartstone Inn Bigger, Better Breakfast Cookbook. In the recipe, the cream cheese is omitted, but when we had this dish at the inn, there was a little pop of cream cheese in the center and we loved that addition.
Also, the recipe is much larger in the cookbook and calls for baking it in a 9x13 baking dish. But, we love the single servings in individual ramekins. If you make the whole recipe from the book, it will yield 10-12 servings when made in ramekins.
The baking time is reduced by about 15 minutes when making them in individual ramekins. You need just 25 to 30 minutes instead of the 45 called for in the larger recipe.
If you love the Chambord sauce, make a little extra to drizzle over the top when you serve it!