Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

• 8 slices thinly sliced Italian loaf (Or use another thinly sliced bread)
• 1/2 cup mascarpone, room temperature (Or substitute ricotta or cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 ounce bourbon (optional) (Or substitute another unflavored whiskey)
• 1 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (Or substitute Chinese 5-spice)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• (Optional) honey or maple syrup, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Toast Bread: ---

2. 2

   If bread is soft and fresh, place a single layer on two baking sheets, and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes. If bread is stale, skip this step.

3. 3

   --- Mascarpone Whip: ---

4. 4

   Chill a glass (Pyrex) bowl in the freezer until it’s cold to the touch.Remove it from the freezer, add the mascarpone, pumpkin, whipping cream, sugar, and bourbon (if using). Use an electric mixer to whip on high until it's smooth and creamy. Chill until you're ready to use.Make mascarpone whipped cream up to 1 day before serving.

5. 5

   --- Make French Toast Sandwiches: ---

6. 6

   Spread mascarpone whip on 4 of the slices of bread. Optionally, leave a small border on each coated piece of bread to help the sandwiches seal together. Spread more mascarpone on the remaining slices of bread, and set them on top of the other slices (mascarpone to mascarpone) to create sandwiches.

7. 7

   --- Soak the Bread: ---

8. 8

   Whisk together all the French Toast Custard ingredients.Set the French toast sandwiches in a casserole dish, and pour the custard over the sandwiches. Let them soak for 10 minutes.

9. 9

   --- Make the French Toast: ---

10. 10

    While the French toast soaks, heat the butter in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. (I use a 12" cast-iron pan or a pancake skillet.)When they've soaked for 10 minutes, use a slotted spatula to remove the sandwiches from the custard. Drain off as much of the liquid as possible.Set each sandwich on the hot pan, cooking 3-4 minutes per side or until both sides are golden.

11. 11

    Serve immediately, along with the remaining mascarpone. Top with honey or maple syrup if desired.