Baked French Toast With Oat Crumble Topping

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread bread cubes out and toast until lightly golden, 7 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Step 2

   Generously butter a 2-quart casserole dish or 9- by 13-inch baking dish and fill with bread cubes.

3. Step 3

   In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, cardamom and salt until smooth. Pour over bread, tossing well. Press down on bread so it forms an even layer that is mostly submerged in custard. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight (or up to 48 hours ahead).

4. Step 4

   Heat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Step 5

   Prepare the topping: In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. You can also pulse the topping ingredients together in a food processor if you’d rather. (The topping can be prepared up to 48 hours in advance; store covered in the refrigerator until needed.)

6. Step 6

   Spread diced pears, if using, evenly over the top of the bread, then cover with crumble mixture. Bake until golden and firm, 40 to 50 minutes. If you’d like a crunchier crust, broil for the final 1 to 2 minutes. Or leave the topping softer; it’s good both ways.

7. Step 7

   Meanwhile, prepare the syrup, if desired: In a small saucepan, combine honey and 1 to 2 tablespoons water, depending upon how thick you want the syrup to be. Using a paring knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add seeds to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let the vanilla infuse for at least 10 minutes. (Syrup can be made up to 1 week ahead.) Serve the French toast warm with the honey-vanilla syrup, or maple syrup.