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“Peaches are only in season for a short time, and whether you use the white or yellow variety, they are an absolute winner with French toast. It makes the ultimate summer brunch,” says Paul Ainsworth.
“This recipe uses brioche, but whatever bread you’re using, staler is better because it holds more texture when soaking up the egg.
“You name it – I’ve made this recipe with all kinds of toast: supermarket sliced bread, artisan loaves and even croissants.”
French toast with vanilla-glazed peaches and cinnamon sugar
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
200ml whole milk
30g icing sugar
Pinch of vanilla powder or a few drops of vanilla extract
Pinch of ground cinnamon
4 thick-cut slices of brioche (the staler the better)
20 g unsalted butter, for cooking
For the caramel peaches:
50g unsalted butter
4 ripe peaches, stones removed and cut into quarters
1 cinnamon stick
A pinch of sea salt flakes
1 vanilla pod, seeds removed (vanilla powder or vanilla in syrup will also work)
1 star anise
60g demerara sugar
To serve:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
20g icing sugar
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150C fan.
2. First, make the caramel peaches. Place an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is foaming and golden in colour, gently add the peaches with the cinnamon stick, salt, vanilla pod and seeds, and star anise.
3. Lightly baste the peaches, glazing them in the butter and spices until they start to soften, then sprinkle over the demerara sugar and baste again. The sugar will incorporate with the butter, start to caramelise and become butterscotch.
4. Keep turning the peaches in the caramel with a spoon, being careful as they will be very hot, letting them soak up all that flavour, then transfer the frying pan to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes until the peaches are tender.
5. Remove from the oven once soft and let the peaches relax and soak up that lovely caramel in the pan.
6. Now make the French toast mixture. Place the eggs, milk, icing sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Slice the brioche into one centimetre-thick slices, and soak in the egg mixture for two minutes.
7. Place a frying pan over a medium–high heat and cook the butter until brown, then place the spiced, eggy bread into the pan and fry until lightly caramelised on both sides – this will take three to four minutes until the toast is firm to the touch and golden brown.
8. To finish, add the cinnamon and icing sugar to a bowl and mix well. Cut the French toast in half and place on plates. Spoon over the roasted peaches and drizzle with some extra peach caramel. Lightly dust with the cinnamon sugar and serve.
‘For The Love Of Food’ by Paul Ainsworth (Pavilion Books, £26).
