Raspberry French Toast à la Maison Ladurée

I can confidently say this recipe will change your life – no, really…it will.  My hubby doesn’t even care for french toast, but he licks his plate clean with this dish every. single. time.  Let me clarify – this isn’t your average French Toast…and if you’ve ever head the pleasure of dining at one of the Ladurée cafe’s you may have had it (or if you haven’t, next time you definitely should – sometimes I even get it in lieu of dessert!). This is a special treat that actually tastes and looks way more complicated than it actually is to make – it will impress when you’re hosting weekend brunches with friends, your relatives at Christmas or Easter brunch, or a special birthday breakfast.  This recipe is directly from Chef Fabrice Rialland, head chef at the famous Maison Ladurée in Paris.  During the COVID-19 quarantine, he started posting daily recipes on their instagram feed from his apartment that were relatively easy and achievable for the regular (non-pro chef).  I tried this one and fell in love right away (as did my husband and kids) so when I shared on social media, I shared his original video (which is in French.). People asked for me to translate and post so they could recreate at home too, so hence this blog post…I did play with the recipe a bit and slightly tweaked after a few versions so it is very close to his, with a few minor changes.  You can literally do any fresh seasonal fruit combo with it – I’ve also done blueberries but blackberries would be great too. I’ve been dreaming up combos to try next: flambéed bananas with caramel drizzle, strawberries and nutella, or grilled peaches with honey drizzle, toasted almonds and chantilly cream.  This one has I’m showing you has raspberries (aka, framboise) since that’s the classic way it comes with when you order in a Ladurée restaurant.

FYI: don’t ask for French toast when in France.  That’s like asking for an American hamburger when ordering in a US restaurant – I mean, is there any other way?  In France, french toast is actually called “Pain Perdu.”  (And if french pronunciation isn’t in your wheelhouse, be sure to watch this pronunciation video before you instagram your creation and butcher the name after all that hard work…you’re welcome.

Without further adieu, let me introduce you to this world-class PAIN PERDU:

Serves: 1-2 people (I usually double this recipe for 2-4 people, and the mixture will store well in the fridge up to a week for future use *if you happen to have leftovers*…which you probably won’t.)

*Tip: watch Chef’s 3 minute video in française as you cook, it will get you in the mood and you may even learn a few French words to impress your friends.  Classic French jazz music on Spotify in the background will also help set the mood…

YOU’LL NEED:

• large mixing bowl with whisk
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 egg yolks (save the whites for future cooking!)
• 1/2 cup sugar (using brown sugar will give it the caramelized crunch on exterior, so it’s important!  I typically use half dark and half light, or in a pinch whatever brown you have mixed with white is fine too.)
• loaf of brioche bread (found in bakery dept. at most grocers)
• 1 TBS Mexican vanilla extract (he uses a vanilla bean pod, but most don’t have that on hand)
• powdered sugar (for garnish)
• stick of unsalted butter
• fresh raspberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Separate your eggs.  In a large mixing bowl, add egg yolks, brown sugar mixture, milk and vanilla.  Whisk thoroughly.
2. Slice brioche in 1″ thick slices
3. Dip slices of brioche in the mixture, coat evenly but don’t get too soggy or it’ll fall apart.  Set on a plate while you brown the butter in the next step.
4. In a large sautée pan, brown a generous portion of butter on medium-low heat (around 2 TBS) per 2 thick slices of brioche.  (This is not the time to multitask – watch it closely, shake the pan every 30 seconds or so for it to brown evenly.   The butter burns fast and you want it light golden brown just before you quickly add your bread to the pan.  If you accidentally burn the butter, wipe the pan clean and start over…the rest won’t taste good!)
5. Add your brioche slices to the pan – I usually do 2 at a time, but however many will fit in your largest pan is best so you can get the most done at once…the goal is to get everyone to the table and eat together.  Watch closely and flip when its golden brown.  What seems like an obscene amount of butter will help keep the brioche from burning.  Keep the pan on medium-low heat to avoid charring your brioche!
6. Add more butter (generously!) before adding the next batch of brioche to the pan or it will burn!  Try to remove the pan from the heat if you’re not adding more butter + brioche right away or the remnants of the previous butter will burn and turn the pan black.
7. Plate your Pain Perdu! I put a layer of the Raspberry Chantilly Cream (directions below) in between two slices of brioche and a dallop on top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and fresh raspberries. Serve warm maple syrup on the side.

RASPBERRY WHIPPED CREAM

This takes literally 5 minutes and can be made up ahead and store it in the fridge! We typically make extra (just double the recipe) and put half in a separate tupperware before adding raspberry.  The plain chantilly version can be used for future recipes, like topping ice cream sundaes, pies, fruit dip (just add cream cheese!) or adding it to our morning coffee if we’re feeling extra indulgent!

YOU’LL NEED:

• Electric mixer – hand-held or stand mixer with whisk attachment
• Metal mixing bowl (if you can, chill it for at least 15 minutes prior)
• 1 cup cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• 2 TBS Sugar to sweeten (granulated or confectioners)
• 1/2 TBS Vanilla extract (I always use a high quality Mexican vanilla, it makes a huge difference!)
• 1-2 TBS Raspberry Jam (like Bonne Maman, you can do any flavor!)

Did you know? Since we’re flavoring the whipped cream with vanilla extract, this is called Crème Chantilly in French.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start with cold heavy cream. The colder the cream, the easier and more successful it will whip. Cold cream also creates the lightest whipped cream! Slightly warm or room temperature cream does not equate to whipped cream. For an even better result, chill the mixing bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes before starting.
2. Whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla together on medium-high speed. This speed is perfect for whipped cream, which will whip air into the cream at a medium pace. I find that high speed easily over-whips cream (we don’t want butter!) and low speed under-whips cream.
3. Don’t walk away! Whipped cream only takes a couple minutes, but it’s only a few seconds between soft whipped cream and over-mixed whipped cream. Over-mixed whipped cream is curdled and grainy. Soft whipped cream, the ideal sweet spot, has a billowy and smooth texture. Stand by your mixer so you know when it’s ready.
4. Look for medium peaks. What are medium whipped cream peaks? When you lift the beaters or whisk out from the bowl, a slightly sturdy peak should form on them. The peak will slightly droop down, but not lose its shape entirely. It won’t be too soft and liquid-y, it won’t be heavy and curdled. Don’t be afraid to stop the mixer and check the consistency of the whipped cream as you go.
5. When its almost ready – add 1-2TBS of raspberry jam (to taste, depending how strong or sweet you want it to be) and finish mixing.  It should be a lovely light pink color!

Tip 1: Do NOT mix fresh raspberries (or any other fruit) into your whipped cream, they hold too much water and will cause your mixture to curdle/separate.  This is why we use the jam.

Tip 2: To make the dish even more authentic to Maison Ladurée, and add another flavor profile:  add 1-2 drops of rose extract while you’re mixing which makes a Raspberry Rose chantilly.  However, while I love the combo…I find a lot of people either don’t like floral essence in their food (like my kids/hubby) or people just don’t have it readily on hand, so I typically omit it.

*Use immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.  This can last several days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Bon Appétit!

If you make this recipe, please tag us on instagram @strawberrymilkevents so we can see!