French Toast Custard

Colette is twelve and has started a project that I didn't see coming: she's writing a book. Not a journal — a BOOK. A story. She won't tell us what it's about except that it involves "a family, food, and a house on a bayou," which could be about us or could be fiction inspired by us or could be the greatest compliment a daughter has ever paid a father without saying so directly. She writes at the kitchen table after dinner, in the leather-bound journal I gave her two Christmases ago, and when she looks up from writing, her face has the same expression that Danielle has when she's organizing and that I have when I'm stirring and that Joey had when he was fishing: total absorption. Total presence. The face of a person doing the thing they were made to do.

Made a crawfish bread for no reason except that I had leftover crawfish tails and a loaf of French bread and the combination is too good to wait for an occasion. Some food needs an occasion. Crawfish bread needs a Tuesday. The bread crunched. The filling melted. Colette ate a slice while writing and got cream cheese on her journal page and didn't notice, which tells me the writing is going well, because a girl who doesn't notice cream cheese on her notebook is a girl deep in the work.

The crawfish bread came together the same way this custard does — good bread, a rich creamy filling, and the kind of logic that says don’t wait. If you’ve got the French bread and something worth soaking it in, you’re already most of the way there. This French Toast Custard follows that same Tuesday energy: no occasion required, just the willingness to treat an ordinary night like it deserves something real. Make it while someone at your table is doing the thing they were made to do.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread (about 1 lb), cut into 1-inch slices
6 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Powdered sugar and maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

Prep the pan. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish and arrange the French bread slices in a single overlapping layer across the bottom.
Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth and fully combined.
Add the cream cheese. Scatter the cream cheese cubes evenly over the bread slices, tucking some pieces down between the slices so the richness distributes throughout.
Soak the bread. Pour the custard mixture slowly and evenly over the bread. Press down gently with a spatula so every slice absorbs the liquid. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes so the bread soaks through.
Top and bake. Dot the top with butter pieces. Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes, until the custard is set in the center and the top is golden and slightly puffed. A knife inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean.
Rest and serve. Let the bake rest for 5 minutes before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with warm maple syrup alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

French Toast Custard — When the Bread’s Too Good to Wait for an Occasion