Baked Blueberry Pecan French Toast Bake

• Ingredients:
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12 ounce) baguette , preferably day-old
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar , packed and divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into pieces
• 2 cups blueberries

BLUEBERRY SYRUP

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. 2
   Spread the pecan halves evenly on a baking sheet.
3. 3
   Toast them until fragrant, about 8 minutes.
4. 4
   Sprinkle the salt over the pecans and toss evenly to coat; set aside.
5. 5
   Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.
6. 6
   Cut the baguette into 1 1/2 inch thick slices and arrange them in an even layer in the baking dish. If some of the bread slices won't fit, save them for another use - note that if you stack slices, the cooking time will increase.
7. 7
   Whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg in a large bowl, and pour the mixture evenly over the bread. Turn the bread slices to coat them evenly.
8. 8
   Chill the mixture, covered with plastic wrap, until all the liquid is absorbed by the bread, at least 8 hours or overnight.
9. 9
   Preheat the oven to 400°F Take the baking dish from the refrigerator and let sit for about 30 minutes to take some of the chill off.
10. 10
    Just before baking, sprinkle the pecans and blueberries evenly over the soaked bread.
11. 11
    Combine the butter with the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Drizzle the butter mixture over the bread.
12. 12
    Bake until blueberry juices are bubbling around the edge of the pan and the bread is heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
13. 13
    To make blueberry syrup:.
14. 14
    Cook the blueberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until most of the blueberries burst, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
15. 15
    Pour the syrup through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing on the solids to extract as much blueberry flavor as possible.
16. 16
    Stir in the lemon juice.
17. 17
    Set the pitcher in a pan of warm water to keep warm until ready to serve.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-blueberry-pecan-french-toast-with-blueberry-syrup-267586#ixzz1iWQhrzFW

Blueberry Syrup

I had some blueberries that were starting to go bad. You know, too mushy to eat but not yet moldy. How better to use them up than to make a delicious blueberry syrup for dinner? We have waffles/pancakes for dinner at least twice a month. It's a good, quick dinner to make when the fridge is empty (and so is the pocketbook!).  This syrup/sauce was A-MAZ-ING! I stored it in the fridge and heated up for a second meal a couple days later. It was a little more jelly-like, but still very tasty.  This recipe was found on allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup water
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. 
• Stir gently, and bring to a boil.
• In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. 
• Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. 
• Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. 
• Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I make these with a 16 oz. bag of frozen blueberries instead of the fresh and it turns out just fine. I usually thaw the unopened bag by putting it in a bowl of hot water and then drain out the juice. This could be dessert with ice cream or as a breakfast treat! (Taken from allrecipes.)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon, if desired. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the shortening and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.