With a crackling, caramelized brown sugar topping, a rich and creamy custard soaks into thick slices of bread for a few hours (or overnight) to absorb and then distribute all of the delicious flavors of vanilla-orange Crème Brûlée in this amazing recipe for the most decadent brunch imaginable: French Toast Crème Brûlée.

Crème brûlée is also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream and is virtually identical to the original crema catalana, a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar. It is typically served slightly chilled; the heat from the caramelizing process tends to warm the top of the custard while leaving the center cool. The custard base is traditionally flavored with vanilla in French cuisine but can have other flavorings. It is sometimes garnished with fruit.

The original French recipe is based on egg yolks and milk, with a pinch of flour. Once cooked, François Massialot specifies “that it must be sweetened on top, in addition to the sugar that is put in it: we take the shovel from the fire, very red at the same time we burn the cream so that it takes a beautiful color of gold“. 

Crème brûlée was generally uncommon in both French and English cookbooks of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It became extremely popular in the 1980s, “a symbol of that decade’s self-indulgence and the darling of the restaurant boom”, probably popularised by Sirio Maccioni at his New York restaurant Le Cirque. He claimed to have made it “the most famous and by far the most popular dessert in restaurants from Paris to Peoria.”

French Toast Crème Brûlée

French Toast Crème Brûlée

8 Tbs. butter (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
2 Tbs. corn syrup

1 large rustic baguette loaf, cut into 1″ round slices (about 18 slices) – ends discarded
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. Grand Marnier liqueur
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Melt the butter over low heat and constantly whisk together with the brown sugar and corn syrup until smooth.
Pour into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Evenly top with sliced baguette.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, vanilla, liqueur, and salt. Pour evenly over the baguette slices.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours, or overnight (best).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bring the French Toast mixture to room temperature.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the edges are puffy and golden brown.

Serve hot, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and topped with fresh berries!

Breakfast decadence at its best!