Creme Brulee French Toast

My dear friend Carol shared this delightful recipe with me.  My husband loves french toast and this is a big hit with him.  What's also wonderful about this recipe is that I can prepare the dish the night before and put it in the oven the morning of.  It is definitely thumbs up!  What can go wrong with a recipe that calls for challah bread and Grand Marnier?!  Give it a try. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups firmly backed brown sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1 loaf challah bread, sliced 1-inch thick with each piece sliced in half diagonally
6 eggs
2 cups (1 pint) half-and-half
2 cups (1 pint) milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier (optional)
powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:
This recipe requires advance prepartion.
1.  Lightly butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2.  Melt butter and brown sugar with the corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat;
     stir until smooth and bubbly.
3.  Pour mixture over the prepared dish.
4.  Arrange the bread slices on top in two overlapping rows, slightly stacking the bread.
5.  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, milk, vanilla, sugar and liqueur until
     combined; pour evenly over bread.
6.  Cover with foil and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
7.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
8.  Bake until set in the center, approximately 45 minutes, then uncover and bake another additional
     15 minutes or until golden brown.
9.  Dust with powdered sugar  (optional)