Pecan Rum French Toast Cooks Illustrated Recipes

PECAN RUM FRENCH TOAST (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Process 1/2 cup pecans, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in food processor until coarsely ground, 12 to 15 one-second pulses (you should have about 1/2 cup crumbs).
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes. Return baking sheet with wire rack to oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees.
• Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt, vanilla, and rum in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking pan.
• Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 20 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drip off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter. Sprinkle each slice of soaked bread with 1 tablespoon nut mixture.
• Heat ½ tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. When foaming subsides, use slotted spatula to transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet-nut mixture side down-and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking too quickly, reduce temperature slightly.) Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat cooking with remaining bread, 2 pieces at a time, adding ½ tablespoon of butter for each batch. Serve warm, passing maple syrup separately.

FRENCH TOAST PECAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.
• Combine flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda together in a bowl, breaking up any large lumps of brown sugar. Stir butter, egg, vanilla extract, and rum-flavored extract into flour mixture until dough forms; add chopped pecans and mix until well blended. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press a pecan half on top of each ball.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges of cookies are golden brown, 9 to 11 minutes. Sprinkle salt onto each cookie and gently press each with the back of a spatula to set the salt.

PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and salt; pour over bread. Let stand for 10 minutes, turning once. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup; cook over medium heat until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish; sprinkle with pecans. Top with bread. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, 30-35 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve immediately.

PRALINE PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Whisk eggs, half-and-half, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl until mixture is smooth and brown sugar has dissolved. Pour 1 cup egg mixture into prepared baking dish. Arrange slices of French bread into baking dish and pour remaining egg mixture evenly over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; mix 3/4 cup brown sugar and maple syrup into butter, stirring until smooth. Bring syrup to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir pecans into syrup. Spoon pecan praline syrup evenly over French toast casserole.
• Bake casserole in the preheated oven until set and golden brown, about 30 minutes.