Pecan-Crusted French Toast

 Lunds & Byerlys Real Food Spring 2018, p. 25

1 ½ cups pecans, whole or pieces

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, divided

1 cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divied

1 teaspoon plus pinch kosher salt, divided

6 large eggs

1 ½ cups half-and-half

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 to 12 slices bread, about ¾-inch thick

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Confectioner’s sugar or other favorite topping

Preheat the oven to 375F and generously butter a baking sheet (a rimless one if possible).

Combine the pecans and ¼ cup brown sugar in a food processor, and pulse until chopped medium-fine. Add the panko, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Pulse just to combine, transfer to a plate or shallow baking pan, and set aside.

Whisk the eggs and the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl until well combined. Whisk in the half-and-half, vanilla, lemon zest, remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Pour half the mixture into a pie plate or shallow baking pan. Put as many slices of bread as will fit at once into the pan, and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the slices, and soak until bread is well saturated, another 2 to 3 minutes.

I used gluten-free bread and it worked great, for the record.

One by one, lift the bread slices from the egg mixture, letting the excess run off and back into the dish, and press the bread into the pecan mixture. 

Watching the nuts pulverize in the food processor is pretty neat.

Turn the bread to coat all sides, pressing down so the pecan mixture adheres. Arrange the coated bread slices on the prepared baking sheet. Continue with the remaining slices, adding more egg mixture to the pie pan as needed until all the bread is soaked and coated.

Drizzle the tops of the bread with the melted butter and bake, flipping halfway, until the bread is toasty and brown, 30 to 40 minutes. 

Crispy!

Serve warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar or any other favorite topping.

Delicious with confectioners' sugar! (And also with maple syrup, for the record.)

My Rating: 4/5 "These taste like they're fat-fried, but they're baked! That's a pretty stellar achievement for those of us who want to be healthy but still crave greasy goodness every now and then. They're a little dry (which is why my partner preferred maple syrup on them to the confectioners' sugar), but the texture is delighfully crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. High-quality stuff!"