French Toast (Pain perdu) with banana and pecans
Pain Perdu with Banana & Pecans
French Toast, Pain Perdu, or “lost bread”, refers to the practice of using up
stale bread in times of austerity. You could do the same, but I
would recommend pushing the boat out and using brioche or
panetone instead for a more tasty dessert. Perhaps surprisingly “French Toast”, it’s other common name, was not invented in France. Similar recipes exist as far back as Roman
times - way before France even existed as a nation.
Ingredients
- FOR THE PAIN PERDU:
- 2 large eggs
- 100ml full fat milk
- 1 tbsp brandy (optional)
- 1 vanilla pod, seeds only
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 x 3/4 inch slices of brioche or panetone
- 50g unsalted butter
- TO SERVE
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 2 large bananas, sliced
- Maple syrup
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 160C. 2. Make a custard by beating together the eggs, sugar,
milk, brandy (if using), vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. 3. Soak the bread slices in
the egg mixture for a few minutes until they've absorbed plenty of liquid. 4. Carefully fry each piece of bread in a little of the butter
until golden (about 2 minutes per side) and put on a
baking tray whilst you fry the remaining slices. 6. Finish in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to firm up
whilst you prepare the topping. 7. Lightly toast the pecan nuts and then roughly chop. Gently warm the banana slices in a pan with the maple syrup. 8. Serve the pain perdu, with the banana, maple syrup and chopped nuts.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 2 servings