Banana Nut French Toast

1 large loaf French bread, sliced on a diagonal into 1 ½ inch thick pieces.

Batter
6 Eggs
2 cups Half and half
½ cup Sugar
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Orange zest, fresh
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 stick Butter

Topping
1 stick Butter
4 cups Bananas, sliced
¾ cup Pecan pieces
2 Tbl. Dark rum
1 ½ cups Butter pecan or maple syrup

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients for the batter and stir well. Soak the French bread slices for about 5 minutes. Heat the butter over a medium heat in a large skillet. Brown the soaked bread on each side and place them on a baking dish. When you have browned all of the pieces, place the French toast in the oven. To make the topping; use the same pan and add in the butter and bananas, Cook for 4-5 minutes and add in the rum. Allow the alcohol to burn off then stir in the pecans, and syrup. Remove the French toast from the oven and top. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6-8 servings