I love a good brunch that involves a lot of make ahead/prep ahead dishes. This way, I can assemble in advance and enjoy the smells of a perfect selection of breakfast favorites happen as they bake, simmer, or otherwise seemingly magically appear on my table in the morning. This casserole blends the concept of oven French toast with flakey croissants and juicy blueberries. The brown sugar sweetens the custard and becomes a crisp topping as it bakes. Mmmmm!
Of course, if strawberries or raspberries or blackberries or cherries are more your speed, go for it. A blend would be stunningly beautiful. Stone fruits would also work nicely. Find something fitting for the foundation of croissants. By the way, this is a good dish for using those day old bakery croissants or the like. No one will notice a little crumble here or there. And if you want to put this together the night before and keep it covered in the refrigerator. All you need to do is preheat the oven and put some aluminum foil over the top of the baking dish in the morning and carry on with the recipe. No fuss!
You can make this casserole the star of your brunch or a supporting actor. It plays well with everything and, once baked, holds its own while you put the finishing touches on other things, fry up the bacon, or put on the coffee. Then, if the weather allows, open the windows or take this event outside and enjoy the season for leisurely brunches.
Brown Sugar Blueberry Croissant Bake
- 5 eggs
- 2 teaspoons zested orange peel
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, divided
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 5 croissants, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
- 6 oz. fresh blueberries
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x9-inch glass baking dish with butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
Crack the eggs into a resealable quart jar. Add the orange peel, half of the brown sugar, and the heavy cream. Seal the jar and shake vigorously until a thick custard forms. If you don't have a jar, you can whisk the ingredients together briskly in a bowl.
In the prepared baking dish, arrange the sliced croissants in a way that covers the bottom of the dish evenly. Sprinkle the top of the croissants with the fresh blueberries. Carefully pour the custard over the top of the croissants and fruit. Sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of brown sugar evenly over the top of the baking dish. Cover the top of the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake the dish, covered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Carefully remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the top of the croissants look crisp and light golden brown. Serve hot with maple syrup.
- Yields: 6 servings
- Preparation Time: 1 hour