Inspired by https://eatsbythebeach.com/chef-rachels-french-toast/
Ingredients:
This makes a lot, I normally cut this in half for 2-3 people.
- 6 – 8 extra-large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon high-quality bourbon vanilla essence
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Eggy bread – either brioche or challah (You can really go a bunch of different directions here, I have had a lot of success with cinnamon bread loafs too. But you want something that you can cut thick ~1in, no one wants thin french toast)
- Butter, for cooking
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Recipe:
- In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg yolks. Vanilla, almond extract, and sugar. Beat on medium speed until very light in color – about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy cream and whip for another minute.
- Meanwhile, cut four 1-inch slices of brioche or challah bread. I then toast each piece, I feel it helps the finished product not get as soggy, because you do intend to try to get a bit of a crust on the outside, it will be good regardless, but better if its not soggy. Also plan a few extra peices, the cooking can be tricky. See points 7-9 below.
- Pour the custard into a shallow bowl.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon butter.
- Dip the bread slices into the custard. Don’t over-saturate the slices or soak them. Just dip lightly and place into the hot butter in the skillet. Let the excess drip off before putting them in the pan.
- Cook until golden – about 5 minutes. This is the hard part, enough sugar in the custard that it can burn quickly, so flip before you think. You can always flip again if you want more caramelization. Heat control is also critical here. Try a few different settings til you get it right.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Flip the slices and cook the other side until golden – another 3-4 minutes. You want as much sugar caramelization as possible and crust formation right up until the point that it burns. Remember it being dark is okay, the powdered sugar will hide a lot, but wont hide burnt sugar!
