breakfast French vegetarian
Michelin French toast
Thick stale brioche drinks in vanilla crème anglaise, cooks gently in butter, and gets a final brûléed sugar crust.
Prep20 min
Cook25 min
Rest20 min
Servings6
Adapted for the home kitchen from Fallow's Michelin French toast video
Ingredients
Written for a 28 cm pan
Units
Servings
- 6 thick stale brioche slices, about 3 cm thick rounded
- 500 ml whole milk rounded
- 250 ml double cream rounded
- 1 vanilla pod, split and scraped rounded
- 2 egg yolks rounded
- 55 g caster sugar rounded
- 60 g unsalted butter rounded
- 50 g golden caster sugar, for caramelising rounded
- 2 g fine salt rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Bring milk, cream, vanilla pod, and seeds just to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and infuse 15 minutes.
- Whisk yolks with 55 g sugar. Slowly whisk in the warm dairy, return everything to the pan, and stir over low heat until the custard reaches 82°C and lightly coats a spoon. Strain, add salt, and cool.
- Pour custard into a shallow dish. Soak brioche 2 to 4 minutes per side, until saturated but still strong enough to lift.
- Melt half the butter in a wide pan over low heat. Cook three slices gently for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until golden and the custard is set. Repeat.
- Sprinkle one face of each slice evenly with golden sugar. Return sugar-side down to the pan for 30 to 60 seconds, until the sugar melts to a thin caramel. Lift before it burns.
- Rest caramel-side up for 1 minute so the crust hardens, then serve.
Notes
- Stale bread takes up custard without disintegrating. Dry fresh brioche in a 120°C oven for 15 minutes.
- Keep the first cook gentle: fast browning leaves raw custard in the centre.
- Optional Fallow-style serving: fresh figs and lightly whipped mascarpone.
Sources used
Sources consulted
From Christoph Mayer