Orange French Toast

Recipe by: Jan Main | from 200 Best Lactose-Free Recipes

Cookstr

Course: Main Course

Total Time: A Day Or More

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Moderate

Photo by: Shutterstock, stock photo of a similar dish.

The best part of this vibrant way to start the day is that you can prepare it the night before. The hint of liqueur raises an ordinary recipe to the sublime.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs
2 tbsp (25 mL) grated orange zest
1 cup (250 mL) fortified orange juice
2 tbsp (25 mL) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) orange-flavored liqueur (optional)
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
6 slices (1 inch/2.5 cm thick) French bread

Orange marmalade sauce:

½ cup (125 mL) orange marmalade
¼ cup (50 mL) fortified orange juice
2 tbsp (25 mL) liquid honey
1 tbsp (15 mL) orange-flavored liqueur (optional)

Equipment:

13- by 9-inch (3 L) baking dish, greased

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, orange zest and juice, sugar, orange-flavored liqueur (if using) and vanilla.

2. Arrange bread, cutting to fit, in single layer in prepared baking dish. Pour orange mixture over top; cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until no longer soggy and firm to the touch.

4. Prepare the Orange Marmalade Sauce: meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring marmalade, orange juice, honey and orange-flavored liqueur (if using) to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve with French toast.

Notes

This lazy person’s French toast is made even easier if you use a rasp to grate the orange zest. Rasps are available at cookware stores and have very sharp edges ideal for grating zest, Parmesan cheese and fresh nutmeg.

If bread is already sliced thinly, use two slices stacked on top of each other.

One medium orange will yield about 1 ½ tbsp (22 mL) zest, so you’ll likely need two for this recipe. Although I recommend using fortified orange juice in this recipe for added calcium, don’t waste the flesh of the oranges after you zest them. Orange slices would taste terrific as a garnish for this dish.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutritional information is provided by the author.

Nutritional Value Per serving
Calories 377
Protein 12g
Fat 7g
Carbohydrate 65g
Dietary Fiber (a source) 3g
Calcium (a source) 105 mg
Percent of calories from
Protein 13%
Fat 17%
Carbohydrate 68%