Chocolate Cherry Almond Make-Ahead French Toast

I love how a collection of humble ingredients are magically transformed into crisp, chocolatey, sweet, slightly tart, crumbly, caramely perfection after some time in the oven.  It makes me happy!

The inspiration for this recipe comes from my America's Test Kitchen Best Make-Ahead Recipe Book.  I took the liberty of adding the chocolate and cherries and switching out the pecans for almonds to jazz it up for a holiday brunch.  I also eliminated the corn syrup it called for and in my quest for streamlining the preparation (also known as laziness), I am using french baguettes from Panera.  The original recipe called for softer, supermarket bread that then had to be toasted first... too fussy in my opinion.  So, if you are on the ball, this recipe will take you less than 20 minutes from counter to fridge the night before your breakfast/brunch!

Chocolate Cherry Almond Make-Ahead French Toast
1 1/2 french baguette loaves, cubed (preferably from Panera)
1 T. unsalted butter
1 cup whole frozen sweet cherries
1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg

Coat a 9x13 glass baking dish with the butter.  Arrange the bread cubes in the dish.  Top evenly with the cherries, then the chocolate chips.  Whisk together the eggs through nutmeg.  Pour evenly over the bread.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Topping
1 stick of butter, well softened
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
2 cups sliced almonds
pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients togethter with a fork or pastry blender.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, get both the casserole and topping out of the fridge about an hour before going into the oven.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Crumble the topping evenly on top of the bread.  Place glass dish onto a rimmed baking sheet, and bake on the center rack of your oven for 60-70 minutes.  Serve immediately.