Baked Caramel French Toast To Die For

To Die For Baked Caramel French Toast!

I fell in love with this breakfast delight after my wife and I spent a long weekend at the Trinchero Winery in Napa Valley. I thought it was bread pudding until the caramel syrup started flowing from underneath the bread. I'm not a big french toast guy, but this one is special!

Besides my Filipino breakfast dishes, this is probably the most popular dish my kids (and their friends) request on weekends. I just leave the dish on top of the counter and everyone just nibbles "small" portions all day.

Below is the recipe from the Trinchero Winery. I cut the butter and brown sugar portion in half, but I will leave that up to home chef to decide on how much to include. 

4 Tbsp. corn syrup

2 sticks of butter

2 cups brown sugar

1 loaf of bread (cinnamon raisin, sweet French, Italian or croissant)

10 eggs (I use 7)

1 3/4 half and half

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

Cinnamon

Combine the syrup, butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring continuously until mixture is smooth and not too thick. Pour into greased 9" x 13" baking dish and set aside. 

Layer the bread on the syrup in the baking dish; you will need about 12 slices for two layers. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, half and half, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove from the refrigerator while oven is pre-heating to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 12.

Pour caramel syrup into baking dish

Layer the bread on the syrup

Two layers of bread

Whisk egg batter

Pour egg batter on bread, cover and refrigerate before going to bed

When you wake up, throw the dish in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees

The finished product

An Italian town that wine built

Torgiano is a sleepy medieval Umbrian town about 15 km from Perugia. It's off the beaten path, nestled in the sloping hillsides between Perugia and Assisi.

Giorgio Lungarotti, the late proprietor of Umbria's most famous wine bearing his family name, has left a lasting legacy in Torgiano by opening a five-star hotel and restaurant to house guests to his vineyards. He also opened a wine
museum dedicated to the craft of making wine. 

Le Tre Vaselle is a charming country manor which boasts a spectacular restaurant specializing in Umbrian cuisine, and of course, Lungarotti wines. The cozy lobby bar is a the perfect place for an afternoon of light reading or a night cap after a day of exploring the vineyards surrounding the village.

The Wine Museum is dedicated to sharing the history of winemaking. Audio recordings in several languages may be rented to better enhance your museum experience. A nice glass of Lungarotti wine during the tour would have made my experience more enjoyable - unfortunately, there isn't a tasting room inside the museum.

Torgiano may be one of those hidden secrets of Umbria; but well worth the overnight visit.

Selection of Lungarotti Wines

Le Tre Vaselle's Chef's Garden

The dining room at Le Tre Vaselle

Pork Loin entree at Le Tre Vaselle

The cozy Lobby Lounge

My bedroom suite

Torgiano Bell Tower

Ancient Wine Pressing Equipment

Small Fountain in the center of Torgiano.

The little things I like about Italy

Endless flavors of gelato (Assisi)

No frills wine carafe (Ristorante Il Vaticano - Pietrasanta)

Wine sold like gasoline (Goretti Winery - Umbria). I actually saw a very old lady refilling her own jug of wine but I couldn't grab my camera fast enough to catch a photo.

The best street pizza in the world (Pizzeria by Spanish steps - Rome)

God is everywhere (night mass in Assisi).

Spacious and well appointed hotel bathrooms (Le Tre Vaselle - Torgiano).

Self serve prosciutto carving station (Le Tre Vaselle - Torgiano).

Expensive marble slabs left out in the open (Edilmarmi).

Anything goes in the workplace. 

No mess espresso pods by Lavazza.

Classic newspaper stand (Hotel Granducato - Florence).

The best police uniforms (Perugia)

Simple pasta dishes (Ristorante Il Moro - Lago Trasimeno).

Wines on tap (Marina di Pietrasanta).

A quaint, seaside village and B&B in Italy

Having lived in the Caribbean, I never thought I'd see wider beaches than those found in the British Virgins and Anguilla. If there were, I wouldn't have imagined it to be in the Mediterranean coast of Italy. This unexpected surprise just 45 minutes up the coast from Pisa is the quaint seaside village of Marina di Pietrasanta. In fact, rows of small villages line this beautiful Italian coastline. Think driving north from Capistrano Beach to Newport Beach, California, on the Pacific Coast Highway, without the traffic and the clusters of snobby, overdeveloped, beachside, residential communities.

Restaurants with al fresco dining and rental umbrellas and gazebos dot the roadside boundary of its beaches; leaving enough space for the Italian population to lounge with flutes of prosecco along its wide, white, sandy beaches. 

I highly recommend staying at Villa Signori. It's a small bed and breakfast located half a block from the beach. Rooms are spacious with an "Italian country" feel. The hosts are very accommodating and speak English very well (which really helps if no one in your party speaks Italian). Breakfast consists of baked goods, fresh cut Italian meats, fresh fruits, juices and good Italian coffee. Just the right meal before hitting beach.

Perugia: Alla Posta Dei Donini

In light of the recent negative publicity surrounding the murder of a British student in Perugia, Italy, it seems only right to share the Perugia most travelers to this historic Umbrian city revere the most: her rich history dating back to the Etruscans, her fortified walls which surrounds its city center, the architecture, and given the nature of my blog, the food and wonderful places to stay in and around Perugia.

While there are several world class hotels in Perugia proper, my favorite place to stay in Perugia is the 17th century

villa called Alla Posta Dei Donini.  It's tucked away in the small town of San Martino in Campo, about twenty minutes away from the walled city. 

The architecture might be different, but arriving at All Posta reminded me so much of walking through some of the beautiful family compounds (haciendas) owned by wealthy families in the Philippines. The smell of roses, the Italian country air and the soothing sounds from the trickling fountains will definitely transport you to a personal oasis we all long for when traveling. A four story villa dots the center of the compound. A botanical garden wraps around one side of the villa. A garden pool surrounded by oversized potted plants and fountains comfortably rest on the remaining portion of the compound. 

My room overlooking the garden was beautifully appointed with all the modern amenities expected of a luxury hotel. However, the feel and ambiance is truly Italian. Alla Posta is a must stop on your next trip to Italy.

The Big Republican Wine is BOCK!

I'm a huge fan of the Mt. Vernon Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, the Mt. Vernon Cab sold so well at six.one.six restaurant in the JW, the hotel sold out of its allotment in one month. Ken Kelly, our rep from Wines of Distinction, recommended another Mt. Vernon fill in to take the cab's place on our wine by the glass offering until the new vintage and shipment of the cab arrives in Michigan. 

To my surprise, Ken asked me to try a non-cab replacement with a goofy picture of a caveman who resembles the Guv of California. I am not an advocate of the over marketed wines with animals or cartoon drawings on the front label, though, there are some decent one. But let me tell you, this one is a gem.

The "Girly Man X-Terminator" 2005 from Auburn, California, is blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah. The "GIRLYMAN IS BOCK" is plastered in caps on the back label - a tribute to the Guv's comment to indecisive lawmakers several years back. The Girly Man just blew me away! Aromas of blackberries and cherries with a memorable finish hand stamped by ARNOLD himself. This is a big wine fitting the deep pockets of Republican donors yet smooth enough to convert Dems with explosive cab palettes into Syrah-Petite Sirah lovers. A must next time you're in the jdub.

Filipino BBQ

The Filipino BBQ is a staple street food in the Philippines. The sweet aroma of the BBQ lures anyone passing by from dropping a few pesos for the fantasy of devouring its juicy goodness. From petite ladies dressed in sundresses and sandals fanning away at their makeshift street grills topped with marinated chicken and pork skewers to more sophisticated outdoor stands complete with electric fans (instead of the manual fanning) and an army of uniformed people skewering , grilling and selling a wide variety of BBQ at a local farmer's market - the stature of the Filipino BBQ is permanently placed at the top annals of street food in the Philippines. What differentiates the Filipino BBQ from the rest of it's Asian neighbors is its sweetness. Primarily from either Banana Ketchup, 7-UP, or sugar. 

Recipes differ as much as the number of islands in the country. It's all about personal preferences. The key ingredients at my household for the marinade are rice wine, lots of crushed garlic, something sweet (banana ketchup, 7-Up, sugar), soy sauce, black pepper and green onions or lemongrass. Marinate the meat overnight and grill the next day. Very simple.