Christmas Morning Casserole

My kids are making sure this yummy dish will be on the table Christmas morning in our house.

I developed the recipe several years ago, owing to the fact that I had no blueberries Christmas Eve, and that I remember the Blueberry French Toast Casserole being rather sweet which my family doesn’t enjoy, I revamped the recipe for our Christmas breakfast.  It was delicious!!!  2/3 of this recipe will fit a 9x13 pan which would have fed us fine.  But no one complained about leftovers!

Casserole:

1 lb bread cut into 1” squares

2 – 8 oz blocks cream cheese chopped in 1” cubes

2 C cranberries, finely chopped

Zest of 1 orange

1/3 – ½ C sliced almonds

18 eggs, lightly beaten

3 C milk

½ C honey

Grease large casserole pan, I used the large pan which usually holds 1 ½ the amount of a 9x13.  Place half of bread cubes in pan.  Top with cream cheese, cranberries, and orange zest.  Top with rest of bread and then sliced almonds.  Mix beaten eggs, milk, and honey.  Pour over bread mixture, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Bring casserole out of fridge 30 minutes before baking.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, remove cover, and return to oven to bake an additional 30-40 minutes.  Casserole is done when top is golden and middle is set.  Serve with sauce.

Sauce:

3 T cornstarch

1 ½ C sugar

1 ½ C orange juice

1 ½ C whole cranberries

1 ½ T butter

2 – 4 T honey (Optional)

Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium pan.  Add in orange juice and boil 3 minutes.  Add in cranberries and cook another 8 – 10 minutes until berries burst.  Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.  Add honey to sweeten to taste.