Here's a ridiculously simple summer dessert -- the happy marriage of blueberry pie and French toast with a little cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. It's perfect not only for blueberry lovers, but also for those home cooks who consider themselves dessert-impaired.
Blueberry Pie With Cinnamon French Toast Crust
4 cups blueberries
1/3 cup dark maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 slices homemade-style white or whole-wheat bread, crusts discarded
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for garnish
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate toss the blueberries with the maple syrup and the lemon juice. Combine the cornstarch and the salt in a small strainer and sift the mixture evenly over the blueberries. Stir the blueberries gently, using a rubber spatula until the cornstarch is dissolved and evenly distributed. Cover the pie plate with foil and bake the blueberries on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven, lift up the foil and stir the blueberries gently with the rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the dish to mix everything well. Cover and bake another 10 minutes.
In a bowl combine the eggs, milk and vanilla. Cut the bread slices in half diagonally.
In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the blueberries are done, remove the foil and, working with one bread half at a time, dip the bread in the egg, until it is well moistened but not soggy, letting the excess drip off and then place the slice on top of the blueberries. Continue with the remaining slices, arranging the slices in an overlapping decorative pattern. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the bread slices and bake the pie 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bread slices are golden brown. Serve warm topped with ice cream or whipped cream.
Makes 6 servings.
Food on 08/16/2017