Croissant Baked French Toast — A Sweet Start When the Bar Is on the Floor

New Year's Eve. 2020 to 2021. The year nobody will miss. I'm fourteen weeks pregnant and finally past the first trimester. The nausea is fading. The fatigue remains but it's manageable — the fatigue of growing a human, which is different from the fatigue of a pandemic, though both coexist in my body like roommates who don't get along. Raj and I stayed up to midnight. Barely. Anaya was asleep by 7:30 (she's consistent, I'll give her that). We sat on the couch in the glow of the Christmas tree — Ganesh, Lakshmi, the rolling pin, the handprint ornaments — and did what we did last year: reviewed. 2020. The year of: COVID. Lockdown. Couples therapy. Weight gain. Weight loss (partial). Amma's score dropping to 22. Arvind meeting Dina. A pregnancy nobody planned and everybody wanted. A vaccine that arrived like rain after drought. "This was the worst year of our lives," I said. "This was the year we almost lost each other and didn't," Raj said. Both true. Both/and. Always both/and. I made Amma's kesari bath for New Year's morning. The celebration halwa — golden, sweet, the taste of new beginnings. But this year I added something: a pinch of black pepper. Not traditional. Not Amma's way. Mine. The pepper adds a tiny spark — sweet and sharp, hope and bite. 2021. The year Rohan will be born (we don't know the name yet — but we know it'll be a boy; the anatomy scan is next month and I have a feeling). The year the vaccine will reach Amma and Appa. The year the book might be finished. "Happy New Year," Raj said. "Happy New Year," I said. "This one has to be better." "The bar is on the floor." "Then we step over it." The kesari bath was sweet with a bite. The tree lights reflected in the granite counter. The baby moved — not a kick, more of a flutter, the first movement I've felt. A flutter on New Year's Eve. A tiny, insistent pulse that said: I'm here. I'm coming. Make room. Making room. That's what 2021 is for.

Kesari bath is Amma’s tradition and, now, mine — but the truth is, traditions shift when you’re exhausted and fourteen weeks pregnant at midnight and the store is out of semolina and you have a bag of day-old croissants on the counter. This Croissant Baked French Toast became the backup plan that felt, somehow, exactly right: golden, custardy, unapologetically rich, the kind of thing you slide into the oven before anyone is awake so that by the time the tree lights are still on and the baby has fluttered and Raj is still half-asleep on the couch, the whole apartment smells like something good is coming. That’s all 2021 needed to be. Something good, just coming.

Croissant Baked French Toast

Prep Time: 15 minutes + overnight soak | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour (plus overnight) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 6 large day-old croissants, torn into 2-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Powdered sugar and warm maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

1. Prepare the baking dish. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange the torn croissant pieces evenly in the dish, pressing them in slightly so they nestle together.
2. Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth and fully combined.
3. Soak overnight. Pour the custard evenly over the croissant pieces. Press the pieces gently with a spatula or your hands so they absorb the liquid. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
4. Bring to room temperature. Remove the dish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Dot the top of the casserole with the butter pieces.
5. Bake. Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes, until the custard is set, the top is deep golden brown, and the edges are slightly puffed and pulling away from the sides of the dish. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
6. Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with warm maple syrup alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 320mg