I’d like to make a toast to French toast.

I wanted to treat my extra-special out-of-town weekend guests to a gourmet breakfast. My lactose-intolerant sister was bringing her family from Chicago, and my vegetarian mom was also in town from Arizona. It’s always a pleasure cooking for them, but never easy to find a recipe that meets all the requirements: no meat, no dairy, and kid-friendly. The week they were coming I riffled through my recipe ideas (mentally, electronically, and the old-fashioned way–my recipe cards) and realized I haven’t gotten out of my egg casserole rut… ever. It was time to branch out.

I was stuck for a moment, but then I remembered a recipe I had recently seen on Epicurious for Baked Blueberry Pecan French Toast. I skimmed through it and realized I could do this–and it fit the bill, if I substituted soy milk for regular. It was so much less complicated than it seemed upon first glance–to assemble the night before and bake for just half an hour in the morning… what’s easier than that? Okay, I sound like Ina Garten. But really, eliminating the frying pan saves a lot of the mess and cleanup involved in a traditional breakfast.

This recipe was a crowd-pleaser and a cook-pleaser all in one. It was impressive yet homey. I bought a big challah loaf at Trader Joes (so cheap and delicious, and the leftovers are perfect with Nutella) and sliced it about an inch thick, then sliced the pieces in half. I used two 9×13 baking dishes because there was so much bread, and did one with pecans and one without (for the kids). The soy milk turned out to make no difference at all. Most of the reviews said to definitely not skip the blueberry syrup, but I actually found it wasn’t necessary. I did make the blueberry syrup, and served it alongside the plain syrup (Vermont maple, of course), and that was just as good, since there are already so many blueberries in the dish. With a pitcher of orange juice and a side of sausage links, breakfast is served.

Also note, the Creme Brulee French Toast below is incredible. My next guests will be getting that one… if I don’t eat the whole pan before they arrive.