DO NOT preheat the oven - this dish must "rest" before baking.
cup butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, pound)
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
cup maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 loaf (at least 12 slices) of sliced bread (white, egg, raisin,
whatever)
cup butter, softened (1 stick, 4 ounces, pound)
2 cups canned or fresh fruit (any kind except melon or grapes)
8 eggs
cup white (granulated) sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
cup butter (1 stick, pound) Powdered (confectioner's) sugar to sprinkle on top before serving Leave one stick of butter out on the counter to soften it, or unwrap it and heat it for a few seconds in the microwave.
If you're using canned fruit, open the can and dump the fruit in a strainer now.
Heat a second stick of butter, the brown sugar, and the maple syrup in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 2 and minutes (I used a quart measuring cup,) or in a pan on the stovetop, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another non-stick spray, and pour the syrup mixture in the bottom. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans, if you decided to use them.
Lay out twelve slices of bread. You're going to make fruit sandwiches.
Spread some softened butter on one slice of bread. Top it with well-drained fruit cut in very thin slices (berries or pineapple can be crushed).
Spread more softened butter on a second slice of bread and use it to cover the fruit. Cut this fruit sandwich in half and place it in the pan on top of the syrup mixture. Make 5 more sandwiches, cut them in half, and then place them in the pan. You can crowd them a bit, but do not overlap the bread.
Press the sandwiches down with the back of a flat metal spatula. Squish that bread!
Beat the eggs with the sugar and the cinnamon. Add the cream and the vanilla, mixing thoroughly. Pour this mixture over the bread in the pan.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil, and let it stand out on the counter for a minimum of twenty minutes. (If you're having a fancy breakfast, you can also make this the night before and keep it in the refrigerator until it's time to bake it.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Take off the plastic wrap that covers your pan. Melt the third stick of butter and drizzle it over the top of the fruit sandwiches.
When your oven has come up to temperature, bake the Fruit Pocket French Toast at 350 degrees F., uncovered, for approximately 45 minutes, or until the top has browned. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for at least five minutes.
To serve: Sprinkle the top of the pan with powdered sugar before you carry it to the table. This will make it much prettier. Dish out the Fruit Pocket French Toast with a metal spatula, and offer more syrup and butter for those who want it. A half sandwich is one serving.
Yield: 12 half-sandwich servings.
Hannah's Note: If you want to make this and you're really in a pickle because you don't have any fruit, try spreading the bread with a thick layer of fruit jam or marmalade. I haven't tried this, but I'll bet you a batch of my best cookies that it'll work!
HAWAIIAN FLAN.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the center position.
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
cup water
6 eggs
1 can (14-ounces) sweetened, condensed milk (don't use
evaporated - it won't work)
cup white sugar
teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1 small can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, well drained Sweetened whipped cream for a topping (optional) Find an 8-inch by 8-inch square pan (either metal or glass,) or any other oven pan that will hold 6 cups of liquid. Do not grease, butter or spray it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Simply have it ready, next to the stovetop.
Combine one cup of white sugar with the half cup of water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stirring at first and then swishing it around until the mixture turns golden brown. (This gets as hot as candy syrup, so wear oven mitts.) Carefully pour the syrup into the pan you've chosen and tip it to coat the bottom and the sides. This is your caramel sauce. (Be very careful. This is extremely hot.) Run water in the saucepan you used and set it in the sink. Then set the baking pan aside while you make the custard.
WARNING: Be very careful! This is extremely hot. When the caramel begins to cool, you may hear cracking noises. Don't panic. It's the caramel cracking, not your pan. I know this because I threw away a perfectly good glass pan because I thought it had cracked. I looked at it later, and only the caramel had cracked, not the glass!
Beat the eggs until they're light yellow and thick. (This will take a while if you don't have an electric mixer.) Add the sweetened condensed milk, the sugar, the salt, and the pineapple juice, and beat thoroughly.
Get out a strainer and strain this mixture into your baking pan.
Find a larger baking pan that will contain your custard pan with at least an inch to spare on all four sides. Place the custard pan inside the larger pan. Slip both pans into the oven and then pour hot tap water into the large pan, enough to immerse your custard pan halfway up the sides.
Bake one hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the custard pan from the water and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. (This custard can be served either warm, or cold.) To serve, turn the custard out in a flat bowl or a plate with a deep lip. (This is so the caramel sauce won't overflow.) Place slices of custard in a dessert dish and sprinkle some of the crushed pineapple over the top. Then spoon on some of the caramel sauce and top with sweetened, whipped cream if you wish.
Delores prefers this custard chilled. Andrea says it's best at room temperature, and I like it warm.
LEMON CREAM TORTE.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F., rack in the middle position (NOT A MISPRINT two hundred and fifty degrees F.) Hannah's 1st Note: Try to choose a day when the humidity is low to bake this. Meringues don't crisp up as well if the air is too humid.
MERINGUE:.
4 egg whites (reserve the yolks in a bowl for the filling)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract