Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Ingredients

• 1 loaf day old french bread
• 12 oz. Neufchatel cheese, aka 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, divided
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 10 large eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 5 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Trim 1/2-inch from each end of the bread; discard those pieces, or consider them the cook's snack. Slice the loaf into 1-inch pieces, then cut the slices into 1-inch cubes. If it helps you divide things evenly, cut the loaf in half before cubing and keep the two piles separate. Arrange half of the bread cubes in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish that has been buttered, making an even base, and keep the rest for later.
2. Put the Neufchatel cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/2 tsp vanilla in a small bowl, and beat with an electric hand mixer until combined. In another bowl, stir the lemon zest with 1 Tbsp sugar. Use a rubber spatula, with a clean fingertip for the stubborn spots, to spread the Neufchatel mixture over the bread in the dish. Scatter the blueberries over that, then sprinkle the lemon-sugar mixture evenly over the berries. Cover with the remaining bread cubes, again keeping the layer even.
3. Pour the eggs, milk, the remaining sugar, 1/4 cup, and the remaining vanilla, 1 tsp, into a blender. Blend on low speed for about 10 seconds, just long enough for everything to come together. Pour the custard slowly and evenly across the bread cubes in the dish. Cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
4. The following morning, take the dish out of the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. When the last 10 minutes of that wait begin, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Peel off the plastic wrap. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, slide it into the oven, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover it and bake 25 – 35 minutes more, until the top turns golden brown. If the top is browning faster than the center is setting, put the foil back over the dish for the last few minutes in the oven. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then cut into servings. Serve warm, with blueberry syrup and sweetened whipped cream on top if you'd like.
6. Regular cream cheese can stand in for the Neufchatel; if the mixture is too firm to spread, loosen it with 1 to 2 Tbsp milk.
7. After you zest the lemon, put the zested lemon in a resealable bag so it is ready to juice the following morning for the blueberry syrup.