Ring in the season with pumpkin recipes

Face it, you need some pumpkin to really do just that

There are some major misconceptions about brunch, like that it’s just an excuse for people to drink mimosas and bloody marys before noon. And, well, yes — but the drinks are only the third-best thing about brunch.

Obviously if we’re discussing the merits of this late-morning, early-afternoon, weekend-only occasion, we have to address the very best things about it. No. 1: bacon as a side, no matter what you have ordered, since it is the official liaison between sweet and savory foods.

The No. 2 reason that brunch is the best: dessert for breakfast. Monday through Friday, breakfast should be wholesome, nutrient-filled foods to power you through your day. But on the weekends, brunch menus all over the world are offering us many shapes of cake to break the fast, and it’s just not a fair test of any person’s willpower.

So if we’re all going to agree that once in a while a cake covered in maple syrup is breakfast, then we ought to be prepared with the very best recipe for our at-home brunching occasions. And for that, The Culinary Institute of America has you covered. But you have to pinky swear to eat something full of whole grains and fruit for breakfast on Monday.

Pumpkin spice is a divisive subject, but whether or not you want it in your coffee (or lip balm), you need a little bit of pumpkin to officially ring in the season. So what better way to pumpkin-ify your life than with a delightfully decadent dessert-turned-breakfast? Pumpkin spice is a divisive subject, but whether or not you want it in your coffee (or lip balm), you need a little bit of pumpkin to officially ring in the season. So what better way to pump kinify your life than with a delightfully decadent dessert-turned-breakfast?

For this Pumpkin Bread French Toast, we’ve reverseengineered a pumpkin bread pudding, which is really just reverse-engineered French toast. First we start with the best pumpkin bread you’ll ever make (and that is still super quick and easy). It’s then sliced, lightly dried, and dunked in a maple-egg mixture.

After a quick cook, it is creamy, dense, and just sweet enough to make you feel like you’re breaking the rules.

You can pair it with maple syrup, if you like, but if you’re going to go for it, you should really go for it. We’re including a recipe for our favorite Bourbon Creme Anglaise.

This French dessert sauce is also known as vanilla sauce, and as students in the CIA’s baking and pastry arts degree program

will tell you, it’s closely related to a lot of familiar desserts. Baked, and you’ve got a creme brulee. Frozen, and it’s vanilla ice cream. Add a little cornstarch and some elbow grease, and you made pastry cream (or vanilla pudding!). It’s easy to

make, but you’ll just want to be careful as you add the hot liquid to your egg mixture. If you don’t whisk enough, the eggs will cook, leaving you scrambled eggs. If you have an issue, just strain them out.

We’ve added bourbon

to this vanilla sauce, because its rich caramel flavor is perfectly paired with the pumpkin and maple. If that’s not up your alley, CIA Chef Genevieve Meli has some tips. “You can flavor your custard by infusing the hot milk with spices or teas before incorporating the eggs. You can even add melted chocolate (off the heat, so it doesn’t burn) to the finished sauce for a chocolate variation.”

Chocolate sauce sounds like the perfect brunch accessory.

PHIL MANSFIELD — THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA VIA AP Pumpkin bread French toast