French Toast with Passionfruit Curd and Rose Petals - by Simmone Logue

Ingredients

"Not just one of the prettiest breakfast dishes ever, this French toast is also lusciously delicious and an ingenious way to use up left-over sourdough. Putting slightly stale bread to such exquisite use always gives me a good feeling, and my customers love it too. Instead of the passionfruit curd, you could drizzle the toasts with maple syrup and top with a scattering of blueberries or sliced banana." - Simmone Logue.

Lemon Curd:

1 X 500 ml (16 oz) jar.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Cooking: 15 minutes.

250 g (9 oz) unsalted butter
Zest of 2 lemons, plus the juice of 3 lemons
3 large free-range egg yolks
190 g (6 3/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

French Toast:

4 free-range eggs
250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) thin (pouring/whipping) cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbs caster (superfine) sugar
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
Pulp of 2 passionfruit
125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) Lemon curd (recipe below)
8 thick slices Sourdough bread about 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) thick
4 Tbs vegetable oil
4 Tbs butter
Unsprayed rose petals, to garnish (optional)

Method

Lemon Curd:

Put the butter and lemon zest in a heavy-based saucepan and place over medium heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.

When the butter has melted, add the egg yolk mixture and lemon juice, then whisk constantly over medium heat until the curd thickens. This will take about 10 minutes.

Leave to cool, then ladle into a sterilised jar and seal. The curd will keep for at least 2 months in the fridge.

French Toast:

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream and vanilla. On a large plate, mix together the caster sugar and cinnamon.

Gently fold the passionfruit pulp into the lemon curd. Cut each slice of bread into two pieces.

Place a large frying pan over high heat. Add half the vegetable oil and half the butter and warm until the butter starts to foam. Turn the heat down to medium.

Dip half the bread slices in the egg custard mixture and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden underneath. Turn the slices over and cook the other side. Drain on paper towel, then toss the slices in the cinnamon sugar.

Clean out the pan and repeat with the remaining oil, butter, custard and bread. Meanwhile, heat four plates.

Stack four pieces of toast on each plate. Spoon the passionfruit curd over the top, scatter with rose petals, if using, and enjoy straightaway.

Credits: Recipes and Image from In the Kitchen by Simmone Logue (Murdoch Books)

Photo Credits: Recipes and Image from In the Kitchen by Simmone Logue (Murdoch Books)