Creme brulee french toast from Betsie Bay Inn

Perkins sent me this from her camera phone

My mouth is watering just looking at this picture and checking out the ingredients for this recipe–homemade caramel sauce hugging pieces of whipping cream-soaked sourdough bread. Scottish born Lesley Perkins, owner of Betsie Bay Inn & Restaurant in Frankfort, Michigan, graciously passed along this recipe to me when I was interviewing her for MetroParent’s Crumbs column. So if you want to indulge yourself a bit for breakfast–although I think this would be an amazing dessert–here you go. (Perkins told me this is one of her guests’ favorites.)

Recipe

Caramel Sauce

1. Melt 1 pd. butter in a saucepan (take care to do this slowly so butter does not brown).
2. Add 3 cups brown sugar.
3. Whisk together over low heart until sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Add 1 pint of heavy whipping cream.
5. Mix well, set to the side.

Egg Mixture

1. Whisk together 1 dozen eggs, 2 pints whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well mixed.
2. Fill large mixing bowl with bite-sized chunks of good quality bread (we use our homemade sourdough which had a orange zest added to it ).
3. Pour egg mixture over the bread until the it’s absorbed.

Assembly

1. Grease glass baking dish with butter, approximately 8” x 14”; we do single servings in a skillet.
2. Ladle caramel sauce into dish, then fill dish with soaked bread chunks and the rest of the egg mixture.
3. Bake in oven until golden (about 10 – 12 minutes).