CROISSANT PUDDING BAKE WITH ALMONDS & RASPBERRIES

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS HANDS-ON TIME 40 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 1¾ HOURS

4 eggs

2 cups almond milk

1 cup ricotta cheese

½ cup icing sugar (approx)

¼ cup maple syrup (approx)

2 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped

2 tsp grated lemon zest

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp cinnamon

4 to 6 day-old croissants, split

2 cups fresh raspberries, divided

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

In large bowl, beat eggs. Add almond milk, ricotta, icing sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon zest, cardamom and cinnamon. Mix until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish, place croissant bottoms cut side up in single layer. Pour in half of the reserved egg mixture; garnish with ¾ cup of raspberries. Cover with tops of croissants, cut side down. Pour in remaining egg mixture; garnish with ¾ cup of the raspberries. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake until eggs are set and croissants are golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on rack. To serve, garnish with remaining raspberries and the almonds. Sprinkle with icing sugar and drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.

PER EACH OF 6 SERVINGS about 455 cal, 15 g pro, 22 g total fat (10 g sat. fat), 52 g carb (5 g dietary fibre, 25 g sugar), 175 mg chol, 415 mg sodium, 2.5 mg iron.