Ridiculously Decadent Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Challah, Sliced, Pocketed And Dried Overnight
• _____
• FOR THE CUSTARD:
• 1-½ cup Half-and-Half, Cream Or A Mix Of Milk And Cream
• 5 whole Large Eggs
• 1 pinch Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Honey, Divided
• _____
• FOR THE FILLING:
• ½ cups Mascarpone
• _____
• FOR THE BANANAS:
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• ⅓ cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
• ¼ cups Heavy Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Dark Rum
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cardamom, Fresh If Possible
• 3 whole Large Ripe Bananas

Preparation Instructions

For the French Toast:
The night before you plan to make this, slice the bread into 1 1/2 inch slices and cut pockets for stuffing – stick a paring knife into the bottom of each slice and work it back and forth until you have as large a pocket as you can make without destroying the bread. Leave the bread out overnight to dry out. You can make the custard the night before as well.

CUSTARD:

Whisk half-and-half, eggs, salt and 2 tablespoons of the honey together. Set aside.

FILLING:

Whisk the other 2 tablespoons of honey into the mascarpone. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag or Ziploc with the tip snipped off. Fill the cavities in the bread with the cheese mixture.

Put the bread into the fridge while you pre-heat the oven and get the custard ready to give the cheese a little time to chill.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300 and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Pour the custard mix into a pie plate. Put a cooling rack over some paper towels. Put each slice of bread into the custard and hold down for 30 seconds; flip and hold down for another 30. Put the custard-soaked slices onto the cooling rack; this allowed the custard to really seep into the bread, and the paper towels catch any drippings.

Cook each piece of French toast for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer all the toast to a baking sheet and bake for another 5-7 minutes, until cooked through.

It takes a little time, but trust me – it’s worth it.

For the BANANAS:

Put all the ingredients except the bananas into a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is bubbling; it will just be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Slice the bananas and toss them with the sauce. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the bananas are heated through. The sauce will thicken a bit when off the heat. Pour over french toast, pancakes, waffles or ice cream and enjoy.