We’re packing our bags and hitting the road! Our new cookbook comes out in less than a month, and we are beyond excited for our upcoming tour. We have always loved traveling—and eating—together, and many of the recipes in the book are inspired by our adventures, like the creamy Ecuadorean soup, Locro de Papa, that we fell in love with while exploring The Galapagos in 2015, and Churros con Chocolate, a traditional Spanish dessert that we get every time we visit Ryan’s relatives in Bilbao. On this trip, we’ll be kicking off the tour here in Los Angeles on March 9 at Barnes & Noble at The Grove at 2pm. We will be baking treats and signing books, so bring the entire family! After our event in town, we’re heading north and hosting book signings in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and Napa—see below for all the details and check back as we’ll be adding more dates soon. Okay, now let’s talk about this french toast!

This breakfast is your french toast fantasy. Using your favorite loaf of soft brioche or challah, thick slices are soaked overnight in a miraculous mixture of golden sunshine. Made with fresh orange juice and zest, sweet maple syrup, vanilla, ground nutmeg, and a splash of Grand Marnier for good measure, your family will be jumping out bed when they smell the irresistible aroma of orange and vanilla wafting from your oven. Topped with toasted pecans that have been tossed with melted butter and cinnamon, surprise everyone with a batch this weekend and they will be begging you to preorder our cookbook!

If you’ve never made overnight french toast, you’re in for a treat. It’s easy to make and comes together in a snap. You simply combine all of the ingredients in one bowl, pour the mixture over your sliced bread, let it sit overnight, and bake it the next morning. While it’s in the oven, you toast the pecans, toss them with melted butter and cinnamon, and scatter them over the french toast. This recipe could be the star of your next Sunday brunch, or a special midweek treat since all the prep is done the night before. Just pop it in the oven while you get ready in the morning for a breakfast that will keep you whistling while you work for the rest of the day. 

We have two promotions happening right now to celebrate, and we would love for you to join in the fun. Everyone who preorders will receive an e-book with two brand new, never-before-seen Husbands That Cook recipes that can’t be found anywhere else! Simply email a screenshot of your proof of purchase to husbandsthatcook at gmail dot com, and we will send this exclusive gift as a personal thank you! This promotion is open to everyone no matter where you live, and we are excited to show you what we’ve been cooking up behind the scenes! And for our second promotion, if you make any of the recipes that we’ve previewed so far—this French Toast, our Toasted Hazelnut Fudge, the Spring Tarts with Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese, or the Summer Caprese with Grilled Peaches—post a photo on social media, tag @husbandsthatcook and #husbandsthatcookbook, and we will send you a beautiful, personally signed bookplate that you can affix to the inside cover of your book! Happy cooking—we can’t wait to see your creations! xoxo Ryan and Adam

Orange-Pecan Overnight French Toast
From Husbands That Cook: More Than 120 Irresistible Vegetarian Recipes and Tales from Our Tiny Kitchen, St. Martin’s Press 2019
Serves 6 to 8
Gluten-Free Option

For the French Toast:
1 loaf brioche or challah (about 1 lb / 454 g)
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons orange zest (from two large oranges)
2/3 cup (158 ml) orange juice, fresh squeezed if possible
1/3 cup (79 ml) milk of your choice
1/4 cup (59 ml) maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur (see note)

For the Spiced Pecan Topping:
3/4 cup (85 g) coarsely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

To Serve:
maple syrup
fresh fruit
powdered sugar, if desired

To Make the French Toast:
Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan (or similarly sized baking pan), and set aside. Slice the bread into 1-inch-thick slices, and lay the pieces in the prepared baking dish, overlapping to fit them in as evenly as possible. In a medium bowl or quart measuring cup, mix together the eggs, orange zest, juice, milk, syrup, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, and liqueur until combined. Pour over the bread slices, coating them evenly. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 375°F/ 191°C. Place the dish in the center rack of the oven uncovered and bake until fully cooked, about 30 minutes. You can test if it’s done by inserting a knife into the center of the casserole and moving it slightly to make a small hole; if you see liquid inside, it is not finished cooking.

While the French Toast is baking, make the Spiced Pecan Topping:
Place the pecans in a dry skillet, and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they become toasted and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. When finished toasting, transfer to a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Let cool briefly, then pour over the butter, cinnamon, and salt, and toss to coat.

To Serve:
Once the french toast is done, top with the pecans, serve along with syrup, fruit, and powdered sugar, if desired, and enjoy!

note:
— Grand Marnier is an orange-flavored brandy liqueur. If you don’t have it, you could substitute another orange liqueur, such as triple sec, or leave it out entirely if you’d like to omit alcohol.
— To make this gluten-free: substitute gluten-free bread for the brioche.