Lidey Heuck’s French toast casserole.Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
I won’t be with my mom on Mother’s Day (this Sunday, May 11; of course you knew that). But I know exactly what I’d make her: this French toast casserole. Is this Lidey Heuck recipe essentially bread pudding by another name, an easier way to prepare French toast for a crowd, a two-handed deep dish of vanilla-scented, custardy generosity? Yes, yes and yes.
Naturally, I’d tailor the dish to her tastes. I’d use brioche, namely the coconut brioche from the Vietnamese bakery down the street (Mom loves coconut). I’d skip the cinnamon in the casserole and topping and instead use a bit of ground ginger, definitely some cardamom (Mom loves cardamom). I should have mentioned, too, that the brioche would have been discounted because it was a day past its sell-by date; this recipe is a great use of any stale-ish bread you have lying around (Mom loves not wasting food).