Crème Brulée French Toast

[Raquelita]

Crème Brulée French Toast

3 cups heavy cream (whipping)
1 vanilla bean
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 lbs. challah or other soft-textured egg bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
3 Tbsps. unsalted butter, melted
Real maple syrup, warmed
Sliced fresh strawberries or other fruit
Softly whipped cream

Butter a 9-by-4-inch loaf pan. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with strips of foil long enough to fold up and over the top of the pan for baking.

Combine the cream and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium heat just long enough to warm the cream, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let mixture steep until cool, about 15 minutes.

Pour the cream into a mixing bowl, straining out the vanilla bean.

Cut the bean up lengthwise and scrape out all the little black seeds. Stir the vanilla seeds back into the cream. (The remaining vanilla pod can be dried and added to the sugar for the next batch of french toast.)

Add the egg yolks and sugar to the cream, whisking until well combined and light yellow. Place a layer of bread slices in the pan, cutting pieces as needed to fit evenly.

Pour about a fourth of the mixture over the bread. Repeat with three more layers of bread and egg/cream mixture, ending with the latter. (The bread can rise above the rim of the pan.)

Fold the foil over the top, place a plate on top and weight down with a can of food. Refrigerate for at least an hour so the custard absorbs into the bread. Remove the plate and can before baking.

To bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place foil-wrapped pan in a pan of water that comes halfway up the sides of the loaf.

Bake for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until firm in the center. Open the foil top to let steam escape. Let french toast cool in pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Or freeze, well wrapped, six months or longer.

When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove loaf from pan and slice into 1/2- to 3/4-inch slices. Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until warm in the center. Alternately, heat slices on griddle. Serves 8-10.

[Upennmama]

Does this get eggy in the middle when cooked? My DH hates anything eggy- not the taste, just that wet texture. What's the texture like?