Recently, we celebrated Nickie’s Bridal Shower and we decided to go for a brunch them since it’s her favourite meal. I scoured the interwebz for some dishes that were easy to make and ones that could be made in advance so there would be little prep work in the morning. One of the recipes I came across was this one – the Overnight Blueberry French Toast posted at Chef-in-Training.com (you can check out her original post here).

I was a bit anxious making this dish because I normally do not like serving dishes I’ve never tested previously for a big group – but it turned out that everyone loved this dish (whew!) and asked me for the recipe. So, here we are and here is the recipe! I modified the recipe a little bit for our tastes as well.

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS
French Toast
• 12 slices bread, cut into cubes (french or Texas toast – I used Texas toast)
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut in cubes
• 1 cup blueberries (I used fresh blueberries but you can use frozen)
• 12 large eggs
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 2 cups milk or cream (I used cream)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 Tablespoon butter

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Arrange ½ of the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
2. Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and blueberries evenly over the bread cubes.
3. Top and evenly sprinkle with remaining bread cubes.
4. Mix together eggs, syrup, milk and vanilla in a large bowl.
5. Pour over bread cubes. Press the bread cubes slightly down to absorb the milk/egg mixture. Cover pan with foil. Let chill in refrigerator overnight.

photo 1 (2) 6. Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until fluffy and golden. Top with blueberry syrup.

Syrup
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook water, sugar, and cornstarch until thickened. Stir in blueberries and simmer for 10 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Serve over the french toast.

*Note, I ended up not making the Blueberry Syrup which turned out better because the dish itself was sweet enough. You can also serve it with maple syrup (which I offered guests).