Page's Platefuls: Honey French Toast Casserole with Fruit Wine Spiced Berry Syrup

Looking for new and exciting recipes to make with the family? What better way to spend the weekend than exploring some of the great growers and producers here in Durham Region!

Spend the day on Saturday collecting your ingredients and prepare this easy French Toast Casserole for your Sunday brunch. This recipe is prepared ahead of time and left to sit in the fridge overnight. Come Sunday morning, all you have to do is simply place your dish in the oven and bake—leaving you extra time to relax with your family. Top your French Toast with a big spoonful of fruit wine spiced berries and dig in!

Honey French Toast Casserole with Fruit Wine Spiced Berry Syrup

Ingredients (serves four):

• 1 loaf (about 454 g) of French bread, cut into one-inch slices
• 8 farm fresh Villa Vida Loca eggs
• 2 cups Sargent Family Dairy 3.25% MF milk
• 1 ½ cups half-and-half cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups Villa Vida Loca pure honey
• 2 tbsp brown sugar

Berry Syrup:

• 3 cups mixed frozen berries
• 2 cups Archibald’s Great Canadian Maple Dessert Wine (or Archibald’s Spiced Winter Apple Dessert Wine)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 whole star anise
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 tbsp Villa Vida Loca pure honey
• Whipped cream for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and arrange overlapping pieces of the bread to fit into the pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. In the morning, preheat oven to 350º F.
4. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, honey and brown sugar, and place over high heat. Bring to a boil. Once rapidly bubbling, evenly pour over top of the egg-soaked bread slices.
5. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
6. In the mean time, prepare your berry syrup. Combine berries, fruit wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and honey in a sauce pot. Place over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a gentle simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes, or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove the whole spices and discard.
7. Serve baked French Toast topped with warm fruit wine spiced berry syrup and, if desired, whipped cream.
   
   

Note: Fruit Wine Spiced Berry Syrup can also be made the evening beforehand. Simply reheat before serving.

Where to get your ingredients:

Villa Vida Loca Market’s self-serve stand—The Honey Shack—is open year-round and fully stocked with honey, farm-fresh eggs, maple syrup, and more. Enjoy their full market and event season from late-May to late-October.

Sargent Family Dairy specializes in fresh-from-the-farm Jersey milk and other dairy products. Use their store locator or visit their farm store in Enniskillen to explore their selection of milk, cheese, beef, preserves, and baked goods.

Archibald’s Estate Winery specializes in local wines, ciders, and apples. For your convenience, their online store is always open—however, their market and winery are closed from late-December to March, and reopens in the spring. Apple picking is also available in the summer and fall months.

This recipe was created in partnership with Chef Alex Page as part of a series focusing on field-to-fork meals using local ingredients from local businesses in Durham Region.