Pumpkin pie French toast

We started Long Island cheese pumpkins (in the photos) from seed this year and planted them over at my father-in-law's big garden. We were over there last weekend and checked on them and saw that we have a lot of pumpkins. A few were ripe so we grabbed a couple. The first thing I noticed is how adorable they are and what a lovely shade of orange they are on the outside. I roasted one up right away and froze a bunch of puree (and have a feeling I'll be doing more of that). I'm excited to give these pumpkins a try in pumpkin pie because they have a sweet, dense, bright orange flesh and according to some of my research they were historically a preferred pie pumpkin. Since we have a lot of pumpkins on our plants, you can probably expect even more pumpkin recipes this fall/winter!

One of my favorite fall weekend breakfasts is this French toast. The custard is full of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices. It's delicious, especially with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, a good drizzle of real maple syrup, and some sage breakfast sausage. This recipe will make about 8 slices of French toast. 

Pumpkin pie French toast
2 large eggs
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
dash of salt
1-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
about 8 slices of white/country loaf bread, sliced about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick
butter, for cooking
real maple syrup, for serving

In a pie plate or other shallow dish, add the eggs through brown sugar. Beat the mixture with a fork until well combined and smooth.

Heat a griddle pan or skillet over medium heat. Begin to dip the bread in the custard mixture one piece at a time. I let it sit for about 5 seconds on each side and then let any excess liquid run off.

Butter the hot griddle and cook the French toast until golden on both sides. Repeat until all the bread and/or custard mixture is gone.