I am, most definitely, an early morning person and yet for some reason I cannot bestir myself to actually cook in the morning. This is especially true on weekends; after the weekday rush I prefer a leisurely morning of coffee drinking and relaxing to a morning of brunch-making and dish washing. As we all know, however, weekends are made for brunches. What's a girl to do?
Enter this recipe. This dish is quickly and easily prepared the night before, and the morning of requires no more effort than putting a pan in the oven, and then drinking coffee leisurely while it bakes. Now, that's my idea of an easy Sunday morning brunch.
Ingredients:
Place a mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
Be sure the coconut milk is thoroughly chilled so that the thick cream is separated from the watery liquid. Scoop out the cream into the chilled mixing bowl. Beat coconut cream on high until soft peaks form. Add sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and beat again. Place whipped coconut cream into an airtight container and refrigerate until needed.
Pour the melted coconut oil on the bottom of a large casserole dish or baking pan. Ensure the bottom of the pan is well-coated with oil.
Pour the remaining watery liquid from the coconut milk into a medium bowl. Whisk together with eggs, maple syrup, salt, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract.
Arrange the baguette slices in the casserole dish or baking pan. Pour egg mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, allow the casserole dish to sit at room temperature. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until egg mixture is set.
Serve baked French toast topped with dollops of whipped coconut cream and sliced strawberries.
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