Serves: 4
I tend to make pain perdu with any leftovers from a brioche loaf but every time I taste it I make a note to cook it more often. It is delicious, quick and easy- pretty much an instant pudding. I wouldn’t recommend making it for more than about 4-maybe 6- people at most as the eggy bread is best served straight from the frying pan but you can keep it warm for 5-10 minutes in a low oven if necessary. British apricots are back in season and while they are still slightly unripe they benefit from being roasted in a hot oven. If you are baking them for children you might want to leave out the amaretto in which case add the same amount of orange juice.
Ingredients
- For the baked apricots
- 350g apricots, about 8, halved and stoned
- 20g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 ½ tablespoons coconut sugar (or soft brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons amaretto (optional)
- For the pain perdu
- 4 slices brioche, cut into about 1.5cm thick slices
- 2 large eggs
- 100ml whole milk
- 60ml double cream
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 small knobs of unsalted butter for frying
- To serve Greek yogurt or mascarpone
Method
- Heat the oven to 200˚c, fan oven 180˚c, mark 6. Lay the apricot halves in an ovenproof dish and dot with the butter. Sprinkle over the coconut sugar (or brown sugar) and amaretto (or orange juice). Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, turning over the apricots after about 15 minutes. When they are soft and caramelised remove from the oven and set aside at room temperature.
- For the pain perdu, find a shallow dish large enough to just fit the brioche slices. Mix together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Pour over the brioche and leave to soak in for about 10 minutes. Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan and fry a couple of slices for 2 minutes each side. If you have a large frying pan you can fry all four at the same time. Keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining 2 slices. To serve, top each slice of pain perdu with apricot halves and top with a spoonful of Greek yogurt or mascarpone.
