Spiced French Toast with Roasted Pineapple Recipe
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Michael Laiskonis, former executive pastry chef of Le Bernardin, dresses up this breakfast classic by adding spices, spiked pineapple, and ice cream.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Finely grated zest from 1 medium orange
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 to 12 (3/4-inch-thick) slices country bread, challah, or brioche
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Roasted Pineapple with Rum
- Vanilla ice cream or coconut sorbet (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oven to 200°F. Whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, orange zest, vanilla seeds (or extract), cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large, shallow dish. Dip bread slices in egg mixture, coating each side and letting the excess drip off.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add butter. When butter foams, place a single layer of soaked bread slices in the pan and cook until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes; flip to brown the other side, about 3 minutes more. Place the cooked French toast on an ovenproof plate or baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you finish cooking the rest.
- To serve, place two or three slices of French toast and several slices of roasted pineapple on each plate. (Reserve extra pineapple for another use.) Spoon spiced pineapple juices over top and, depending on your mood, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or coconut sorbet.
I am always looking for new breakfast ideas. I've tried many unusual food combinations - quark, figs, yoghurt, miso and pumpkin seeds on sourdough, anyone? - but something relatively simple like French toast with pineapple never occurred to me. I will be sure to try this soon with minor mods (no ice-cream, good sourdough for country bread, soy milk for real milk). Thanks for the inspiration!
any suggestions on how the french toast can be baked/cooked in the oven vs. stovetop, perhaps in a cast iron pan, for someone who has a studio apt. and wants to avoid the butter aroma, all throughout!
This is a delicious, easy recipe. I substituted a pinch of 5-spice powder for the whole cloves and star anise, which I do not have on hand.
The liquid remaining when you cook the pineapples tastes great, but it isn't enough to cover 4 servings of french toast. (I skipped the ice cream.) Next time I'll either double the rum, or add some maple syrup to what's in the pan.