Orange Pecan French Toast Recipe

Blend the cream cheese, nuts, sugar and 1 tablespoon of the zest in a medium bowl and set aside. Cut the French bread loaf into 1 inch slices. Then cut each slice again 2/3rd through to form a pocket with a "hinge" of bread at the bottom. Place a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture into each bread pocket and lightly press to close around the filling. Set aside.
Whip the eggs in a medium glass bowl with a fork then add vanilla and milk and stir again. Pour the egg mixture into a shallow dish or pie pan. Briefly dip each filled bread pocket on both sides.
Heat a large pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Place the bread in the pan and fry on both sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Serve hot with heated Orange Pecan Maple Syrup.
Alternative "do-ahead" preparation for a large group:
The night before, prepare bread and filling as stated above and arrange a single layer of the filled pockets in an oven-safe baking dish. Prepare the batter in a bowl with the following ingredients:
6 Eggs, beaten
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Cup Milk
Pour the batter evenly over the bread, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve immediately topped with the Orange Pecan Maple Syrup recipe.

Orange Pecan Maple Syrup
In a hot medium sized sauce pan (or the fry pan used for cooking the toast) add syrup, orange zest and pecans, and heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and pour a small amount over individual servings.