A simple but elegant and scrumptious dessert dish that’s perfect any time of the year – fruity and sweet pears baked in puff pastry – absolutely delicious with a scoop of ice cream and a glass of red wine. From French food writer Héloïse Brion, this people pleasing dish is a winner!

Serves 4
ACTIVE TIME: 20–25 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 ripe but firm pears
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp brown sugar
Ground cinnamon (optional)
3 tbsp jam, such as apricot, fig, or Mirabelle plum
1 sheet puff pastry, preferably all-butter
Granulated sugar (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5).

Wash the pears and cut them in half lengthwise. Brush the cut sides with a little lemon juice, then sprinkle with the brown sugar and a little ground cinnamon, if you wish.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pears, cut side down, on it. Spoon a little jam onto the rounded side of each pear.

Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of about ¼ in. (5 mm) and lay it over the pear halves. Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry around each half, so it is completely covered with a pastry shell. You can use the dough trimmings to cut out fun shapes, such as small branches and leaves, to decorate the shells. Brush the shapes with a little water and press them gently onto the pastry shells to attach them.

Cut 2 small slits in each pastry shell to let steam escape. Sprinkle them with cinnamon and granulated sugar, if you wish. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Let cool for 1–2 minutes, then carefully turn each pear half over. Serve warm or at room temperature

KITCHEN NOTES: The pears can be served with a scoop of ice cream, granola, or chocolate chips.

You can also make this recipe using other fruits, such as apples, peaches, or apricots—the choice is yours.

Extracted from the gorgeous book: My Art of Entertaining: Recipes and Tips from Miss Maggie’s Kitchen by Héloïse Brion (Flammarion, 2022).
Photography © Christophe Roué 2022.

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A mouth-watering cake that combines fresh summer fruits with sweet sponge and creamy filling. Seriously moreish and utterly delectable! The basil gives it a bit of oomph that’s unusual in a cake but oh so good! Food writer and recipe developer Ally Mitchell’s strawberry, raspberry and basil roulade is a total winner!

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients

6 eggs separated
200 g sugar
160 g flour
100 g strawberries hulled
60 g raspberries
100 g mascarpone
1 tbsp sugar
4 basil leaves
100 ml double cream for garnish
Raspberries, strawberries and basil for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F. Line a 23 x 33cm (9 x 13 in) baking tray with baking parchment, making sure there is some paper overhanging the two ends.

Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks. With electric beaters, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick, around 5 minutes.

Fold half of the flour into the egg yolks and sugar mixture then half the egg whites, then repeat. Pour it all gently over the lined baking tray and push it to the corners. Tap the tray against the kitchen counter to release any air, then put it in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.

Once risen and golden, remove from the oven and immediately turn the cake out onto a damp tea towel. Remove the tray and peel off the baking paper. Working quickly, gently roll up the roulade, wrapping the towel inside and around the roll. Leave to cool.

Chop the berries into small pieces. In a bowl, beat the mascarpone until smooth. Add the chopped berries, the sugar, and tear the basil leaves into small shreds and add them to the bowl. Fold it all together until the mascarpone is light pink.

Once the roulade is cool, carefully unroll it, keeping it on the tea towel. Spread the filling over the surface, leaving a section at the furthest end of the roll clear so that it doesn’t overflow when rolled up. Gently re-roll, taking care not to push the cream out the sides. Once back in a tight roll, the roulade is ready to garnish.

Whip the double cream into firm peaks. Either fill a piping bag or use a spoon to place dollops down the centre of the roulade. Top the cream with the raspberries, strawberries and basil.

Ally Mitchell is a food blogger and freelance food writer. Rarely thinking about anything else, food is her priority, and since moving from the UK to Toulouse, she has been greedily sampling the delicious cuisine of the region. Her stories of life in France and easy fuss-free recipes can be found on her Substack newsletter From France, With Love. Find her free recipe book ‘Easy Elevenses: Bakes to See You Through Until Lunchtime’ here.

The post Raspberry, Strawberry and Basil Roulade Recipe appeared first on The Good Life France.

Serves 10
ACTIVE TIME: 25–30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 40–45 minutes
COOLING TIME: 25–30 minutes
CHILLING TIME: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the cake

Butter and flour, for greasing
2 cups (9 oz./250 g) shelled pistachios
2¼ cups (10 oz./280 g) all-purpose flour
1 scant tbsp (11 g) baking powder
2 pinches baking soda
1 generous pinch fleur de sel (or salt)
1½ sticks (6 oz./180 g) unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
¾ cup (5 oz./150 g) superfine sugar
⅔ cup (5¼ oz./150 g) brown sugar
4 egg whites
½ cup (4¼ oz./120 g) crème fraîche
1 tsp bitter almond extract
Scant 1 cup (240 ml) low-fat milk

For the frosting and decoration

1 cup (9 oz./250 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
7 tbsp (4 oz./110 g) unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
3 cups (14 oz./400 g) confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)
Shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Assorted berries and fresh herbs

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4). Grease a 9½-in. (24-cm) springform pan with butter and dust with flour.

Pulse the pistachios into fine crumbs using a food processor. Place in a mixing bowl and stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and fleur de sel until combined.

In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter, superfine sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric beater, whisk in the egg whites one at a time, then whisk at high speed for 2–3 minutes until light and creamy. Stir in the crème fraîche and almond extract. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients. Stir in the milk.

Transfer the batter to the pan. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the tip of a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Transfer to a serving plate and let cool for 15–20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Stir together the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Chill for about 15 minutes.

Spread a thick layer of frosting over the top of the cake and decorate as you wish with pistachios, berries, and herbs.

Kitchen Notes: The undecorated frosted cake can be stored for 2–3 days in the refrigerator; take it out about 30 minutes before serving and decorate.

Extracted from My Art of Entertaining: Recipes and Tips from Miss Maggie’s Kitchen by Héloïse Brion (Flammarion, 2022).

Photography © Christophe Roué 2022.

The post Frosted pistachio cake recipe appeared first on The Good Life France.

The great chef Escoffier made a cake that resembles Le Fraisier around the 1900s, but it was the famous French pastry chef Gaston Lenôtre who made it the great cake we know and love today. Sponge cake soaked in kirsch, sweet mousseline cream and fresh strawberries – and heaps of wow factor.

Every baker seems to have their own recipe, all similar, but often featuring different alcohols or cream mixes, diplomat cream is also really popular as a filling – made with whipped cream and gelatine. You could also use Chantilly cream and gelatine. It’s also really popular to cover the top layer of sponge cake with a thin layer of marzipan, but I’ve not included that in this recipe. But if you do want to have that just roll out Marzipan to fit on top and then you can pile strawberries on top which gives it great height too. Red or white marzipan looks fabulous. It’s best to put the cake in the fridge overnight – so make it the day before you want to eat it.

This recipe is classic and fairly easy (though not quick)  and makes either one 9″ cake or eight 3″ cakes.

Almond Genoise  sponge cake ingredients

50 g (3 1/2 tbsp) butter, unsalted
200g (1 2/3 cup) cake (self-raising) flour
6 medium eggs
200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
50g (1/2 cup) almond flour (powder)
20g (3/4 oz) butter

Making the Genoise cake

Melt the 20g butter and use a pastry brush to butter your cake pan. Place the cake pan in the fridge to allow the butter to harden.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a heatproof bowl.

Preheat oven to 340F/Gas Mark 4/170 C. Place your heatproof mixing bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk until the mixture is warm, thick and pale, and the mixture has tripled in volume. Remove from the heat and keep mixing until the mixture is cool.

When it’s cooled down, fold in half the sifted flour into the mixture followed by the  50g of butter – which must be melted first – then the rest of the flour and the almond powder.

Divide the mixture between two cake tins. Bake for about 30 minutes until light golden in colour. Leave to cool when cooked.

Kirsch Syrup

100ml (3.3 fl oz or 7 tablespoons) water
100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
40ml (1.3 fl oz or 2 1/2 tbsp) kirsch liqueur

Making the syrup

Combine the sugar and water into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and leave to boil for 5 seconds. Remove from the heat, let the mixture cool, then stir in the kirsch liqueur.

Creme Mousseline

350ml (12 fl oz) whole milk
100g  (1/2 cup/4oz) granulated sugar
Half of a vanilla pod, split lengthwise and scraped
4 medium egg yolks
35g  (1.2 oz) plain flour
200g (cup/80z) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon cherry liqueur (optional)

Making the creme

Place milk, vanilla bean and scraped seeds into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

Separately whisk egg yolks and sugar until mixture is pale yellow then mix into the flour until well combined.

Remove vanilla bean pod from milk mixture. Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, constantly whisking to combine.

Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and place over high heat. Whisk constantly until it is thick, smooth and glossy.  Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Immediately cover with plastic cling wrap and allow to chill.

Beat the butter until creamy. Then when the pastry cream is about room temperature, add the cream to the butter and mix until while combined. Add the liqueur if required.

Spoon the mousseline into a piping bag with 1cm piping tip.

Assembly

1lb (2kg) of large ripe strawberries, cut in half and with the green tops removed.

Cake mould(s)

Assembling the cakes

Place one sponge inside a deep cake ring and line it with a circle of plastic cake wrap. Then put the sponge cake inside. Brush the sponge with the kirsch syrup. Arrange some of the strawberries around the edge of the cake ring with the flat edge facing the outside. Pipe or spread the creme mousseline over the strawberries.  Then place another layer of sponge cake on top. Pile strawberries, dipped in the remaining kirch on top. Place in the fridge overnight.

Photo: Strawberry Frasier cake made by Jennifer Pogmore at the Chateau de Gudanes.

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In the little town of Haute-Rives, home to the astounding Palais Ideale, a palace built from pebbles by a postman (it’s a whole other story you can read about in The Good Life France Magazine – totally for free), I popped into the lovely little bakery across the road.

There in front of me were an assortment of cakes, pastries and bread. In France they call window shopping leche-vitrine. It literally translates as window-licking. Standing at the window of the boulangerie (below) I totally got the concept.

The shop sold delicious cakes and had several specialities such as a pogne – a doughy cake which is filled with praluline, a pink praline mix and a version of it called a Saint-Genix brioche cake. Like many cakes in France, there’s a tale to be told.

Saint-Genix cake

The Saint-Genix brioche is made in honour of Saint Agathe. Born in Italy in the 3^rd century AD, she had strong Christian beliefs and when a Roman Consul tried to have his wicked way with her, she rejected him. Angered, he kidnapped and tortured her and tried to get her to renounce her faith, even cutting off one of her breasts. But a miracle took place, it grew back. The Roman consul ordered her to be executed, an act which was followed by an earthquake – it killed the Roman Consul and the executioner.

Anyway , some 1300 years later, the people of Sicily decided to adopt Saint Agathe as their patron saint. Every year on her birthday, 5^th February, they made round cakes in her honour. The cake’s popularity spread to France and the French brioche recipe in use today was created by a 19^th century pastry cook from Saint-Genix in Savoie. He flavoured the brioche with orange blossom water and filled it with praluline. His customers loved it and now its made in several regions.

You’ve got to love a weird cake story haven’t you!

Recipe for Brioche de Saint Genix

Ingredients
1 sachet of dried yeast
350g strong flour
2 eggs if using strong flour
75g butter cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 dessertspoons sugar
175ml of cold milk
200g Pink Praline
50g of crystallised sugar
egg for glazing

How to make a Brioche de Saint Genix

Warm the milk and add the yeast, then the butter, eggs and sugar. Mix in the flour and knead the mixture until the dough has a pliable elastic type consistency. Leave the dough in a large bowl to rest overnight in the fridge.

The following day knead the dough again and then roll the dough out and turn and fold it a few times.

Reserve some praline for the top and lightly crush the rest and incorporate the praline into the dough. Then shape the dough into a round loaf.

Leave to rise in a warm place for around two hours.

Brush the brioche with egg wash and then sprinkle the pralines and sugar on top.

Bake at 190C for about 30 minutes until a deep brown colour and hollow-sounding underneath.

How to make pink praline

250 g (8.8 oz) Toasted whole almonds (or hazelnuts)*
450 g (2 ¼ cups) white granulated sugar
120 ml (4 fl oz) Water: use cold water or water at room temperature.
Orange flower water (or rose flower) – optional
Red food colouring

* To toast almonds, bake them on a tray in a preheated oven at 300 F/150 C for 15 minutes.

Red food colour: the red colour is a signature of pink praline. Add food colouring as needed (it is usually enough to add about 7 drops of red food colouring to each cooking step).

Method

In a large frying pan, place one-third of the sugar (¾ cup/150 g), pour one-third of the water (1.35 fl oz/2.7 tbsp/40 ml) and add a few drops of red food colour.

Stir the sugar mixture well with a wooden spoon and bring it to a boil. Once large bubbles start forming, add the almonds.

Lower to a medium heat, add orange flower water and keep stirring constantly.

The red sugar syrup will begin to crystallize – keep stirring until all the nuts are coated in the syrup.

Pour the mix onto a parchment covered baking tray and let cool then place in a clean pan.

Save the remaining, pink-coloured caramelized sugar.

In a small saucepan, place one-third of the sugar (¾ cup/150 g), one-third of water (1.35 fl oz/2.7 tbsp/40 ml), the reserved pink sugar, and a few drops of red food colouring and heat.

Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture reaches the temperature of 255 degrees F/124 degrees C (use a sugar thermometer).

Pour the syrup over the nuts, stirring constantly until well coated then tip onto parchment covered tray, taking care to separate the individual almonds.

Repeat again as for steps one and two with remaining ingredients but check the colour – you may not need more food colouring at this stage.

Let the nuts dry out before storing then in a tightly closed jar or box in a cool dry place.

By Janine Marsh, Editor of www.thegoodlifefrance, author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online.

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

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Éclairs are one of those wonderful and iconic French pastries that are deservedly famous around the world. Popular with the traditional ‘creme pat’ filling, a lusciously thick and creamy custard, they can also be enjoyed with chocolate or other delicious flavours.

But these èclairs by Kit Smyth are something else. Never-fail perfectly crisp choux pastry, a thick crème patisserie filling with added sweet chestnut purèe or hazelnut praline and a decorative glacé icing. They’re perfect for any festive occasion – or just because you love them!

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20minutes

Yield: 12 Portions

Ingredients:

Pastry:

200ml/7 floz water, room temperature
90g/3oz butter or margarine
90g/3oz plain/all-purpose flour, sifted
3 eggs, large, beaten

Crème Patisserie:

1 large egg, whole
1 large egg, yolk only
60g/2oz white caster sugar
15g/1 tablespoon cornflour
25g/1.5 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour, sifted
280ml/ ½ pint milk, room temperature
Vanilla essence

Chestnut puree or hazelnut praline – see recipes

Glacé Icing:

450g/1lb icing sugar/powder
Hot water
Essence: Vanilla, or other favourite flavours
Food dye if you prefer different colours.

Method

Preheat your oven to 18˚C/350˚F

Choux pastry: Combine the water and butter in a deep sauce, bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once; beat until combined and just coming away from the saucepan walls. Spread out on a plate to cool.

Once cool, return to the saucepan, and gradually add in the eggs, beating well between each addition. The paste should be free of any lumps, and shiny. It should be thickish, holding its shape when tested – ‘drop’ a small amount on a plate to check. It will be difficult to ‘drop’ if too thick and will lose spread if too runny. If the latter happens, do not add any more egg. Rather, add a small amount (1 teaspoon at a time) of plain/AP flour to thicken.

On a greased and lined baking tray/sheet, pip each éclair approximately 7cms or 3 inches, and roughly 1.5cms/ ¾ inch wide; leaving plenty of space between each baton.

Spritz the sheet with a little water prior to placing them in the oven. Once on the oven rack, close the door and increase temperature to 190˚C/375˚F, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Crème Patisserie: separate the whole egg, reserving the white, and mix the yolks together with the sugar, sift in the flours, and half the milk.

Warm the rest of the milk until almost boiling, then add it to the mixture, pouring slowly and whisking in gently. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat over a medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened, remove from the heat.

Whisk the egg white until stiff and fold into the custard mixture. Return to the heat and stir for about 1 minute, then add the vanilla essence. Remove from the heat, and cover with a greaseproof paper circle directly onto the custard and allow to cool.

Once cool, you can divide and use this mixture as required, adding chestnut puree, hazelnut praline, or using without further flavouring. If adding the praline or puree, add it in tablespoon amounts, until you reach flavour you enjoy best!

Glacé icing: Place the icing/powdered sugar into a bowl, and carefully add the hot water whilst stirring constantly. Only add a few drops of water at a time, as the sugar will dissolve quickly. Add the vanilla or other essences; stop adding water when the consistency runs evenly and coats the back of a spoon. If you want to create different coloured icing toppings, nows the time to add your favourite colour!

Assembly: To build your èclairs, you can cut the choux pastry almost in half lengthways before piping some crème patisserie into it, or you can pipe the mix in with a long-nosed flute pipe – common for filling doughnuts, etc. Delicious filled with homemade chestnut puree.

Once filled, carefully dip the top of the èclair into the icing, or spoon the icing over the top to coat each pastry. And for extra pizazz, why not sprinkle a little homemade hazelnut praline over the top! Allow the icing to set before serving – or it gets very messy!

Kit Smyth is a retired chef with a passion for French cuisine. Originally from Australia, Kit is dedicated to exploring both old and new ingredients, techniques and styles, and developing recipes for home cooks, she also teaches these recipes online and in-person. Find out more at her website: TheBiteLine

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A quick and easy very delicious praline recipe by Kit Smyth. Often used in patisserie recipes, it’s also great for making praline shards for decadent desserts or cake decorations. Use carefully, as it is strongly flavoured, and will add a generously nutty flavour to any dessert.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30mins
Yield: 25 x 1 Tablespoon portions

Ingredients:

300g/10.5oz raw hazelnuts
37.5ml/2.5 tablespoons water
200g/7oz raw/golden caster sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 160˚C/325˚F.

Line a baking tray/sheet with parchment and place the nuts on the tray and pop in the oven for around 10 minutes, mixing them up halfway through.

When the time is up, and the hazelnuts are fragrant, place them into a clean tea towel, and rub vigorously to remove as much of the skin as possible. The more peeling you can do, the smoother the paste will be at the end.

In a non-stick saucepan, add the water and sugar and bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar. Keep the liquidised sugar on the heat, increasing it slightly until the sugar begins to boil. Keep cooking the sugar until it turns a deep golden colour, approx. 9-10 minutes.

Prepare a sheet of parchment paper on the same tray as before, and lightly oil the paper.

Once golden, turn off the heat to the sugar, and add the peeled nuts, stirring to coat the nuts in the golden and syrupy sugar. Pour onto the oiled parchment paper, and leave to cool and set over several hours, or place into the fridge to speed up the process to about 10 minutes.

When set, you can break it up into chunks. To make a praline paste, place into a food processor. Blitz on low at first to break up the chunks further and scrape down the sides if necessary. Then switch to high to form a powder, a paste will form as the time goes on. The paste should form after about 2 minutes.

Pour the praline paste into a mason jar, or similar, or use right away as required. This praline paste will keep for up to 1 month in a pantry.

Kit Smyth is a retired chef with a passion for French cuisine. Originally from Australia, Kit is dedicated to exploring both old and new ingredients, techniques and styles, and developing recipes for home cooks, she also teaches these recipes online and in-person. Find out more at her website: TheBiteLine

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Deliciously creamy chestnut puree is a firm favourite in France. It features in lots of desert recipes from rice pudding to cakes and ice cream and even spread on toast. And it’s perfect as a filler for eclairs. Kit Smyth’s recipe is easy to make and utterly scrumptious.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 Portions

Ingredients:

455g (1lb) chestnuts, pre-prepared. Or 795g/1.75lbs raw whole chestnuts, and skin them by your preferred method.
200g/7oz sugar
250ml/1 cup water
5ml/1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the chestnuts are tender.

Add the vanilla before straining the nuts from the liquid, keeping it for later, and allow the chestnuts to cool a little.

Place the semi-cooled chestnuts into a food processor, and blend first on low, then increase to higher speeds, until smooth. Whilst processing, slowly pour the reserved chestnut and vanilla liquid into the paste, stopping once the desired consistency is achieved.

Pour into an airtight container, like a mason jar, and leave to cool fully before storing in the fridge. Will keep for up to 10 days in the fridge, or 6 months in the freezer.

Kit Smyth is a retired chef with a passion for French cuisine. Originally from Australia, Kit is dedicated to exploring both old and new ingredients, techniques and styles, and developing recipes for home cooks, she also teaches these recipes online and in-person. Find out more at her website: TheBiteLine

The post Recipe for Chestnut Puree | Purée de marrons appeared first on The Good Life France.

Snow eggs, a frothy concoction, is an any time of the year simple dessert despite it’s name. The snow is a floating island of sweet meringue poised delicate on top of a creamy crème anglaise – French custard!

Ingredients for 4

½ litre milk
1 vanilla pod
4 eggs – separate the yolks from the whites
120g sugar
Pinch of salt

Prepare the custard first. Split the vanilla pod in half. Heat with the milk. As soon as the milk begins to boil, remove the vanilla pods and take the milk off the heat.

Separately beat the egg yolks and 50 g of sugar for 5 minutes. Slowly pour in the still hot milk, whisking. Reheat everything over low heat, stirring. As soon as the foam disappears from the surface, remove from heat – it’s ready to serve.

For the snow: Whip the egg whites until stiff and add a pinch of salt. Once the ‘snow’ is firm, add the remaining 70g of sugar. Whisk for 1 minute until very stiff.

For soft meringue: In a pan, pour 5 cm of water. Simmer the water. Make ‘snowballs’  or ‘eggs’ using two tablespoons to mould them. Place the meringues in the water and be careful to not let the balls touch each other! Cook for a about one minute, turn them over and cook for one minute. Remove them then drain them delicately.

If you want crunchy meringues: place a lightly oiled mould onto a rack inside a roasting tin. Pour boiling water to the height of the rack. Pipe the meringue mix into the moulds and bake for 10 minutes.

Place the snow on the custard. You can decorate with caramel, fruit etc.

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This absolutely delicious adaptation of a classic French pain perdu by Chef Rachel Howard features chocolate and a rich toffee bourbon sauce. It’s utterly, utterly scrumptious!

INGREDIENTS

Pain Perdu:

¼ teaspoon salt (less if Kosher)
4 medium eggs
1 litre (4 cups) milk (demi or whole)
200g (cup) white granulated (caster) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
900g (4 ½ cups) day-old bread, cubed (see note below)
300g (1 ½ cups) milk or dark chocolate chips or chocolate disks, chopped medium
Optional:  3 ripe to over-ripe bananas, halved and sliced
Optional:  Cinnamon-sugar mixture for sprinkling

Toffee Bourbon (or rum) Sauce:

113 g (½ cup) white granulated (caster) sugar
113 g (½ cup) butter
60ml (¼ cup) rum (light or dark)
113 (½ cup) double cream (heavy cream/crème entière), room temperature

Makes approximately 10 ramekins or small forms, depending on the size

 Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4

Pain perdu:

Whisk the salt, eggs, vanilla, milk and sugar until well combined and sugar is dissolved.

Add the bread, cut into cubes to the egg mixture and let them soak for about 10 minutes but no more than 20 minutes. If left too long in the mixture, the bread will begin to dissolve and there will more of a pudding texture to the final product. You may find that you have leftover egg mixture after filling the ramekins; if so, add some more bread cubes and fill one or two more ramekins.

If you decide to use one large form rather than individual ramekins, then prepare the form by buttering well.

Pour the mix into each ramekin until about half full. Then sprinkle over the chocolate (and bananas if using) and fill each ramekin with remaining mix to the rim of just over.  Ensure that each ramekin is about half full of liquid mix.

Pop some more chocolate drops over the top. You can also sprinkle the top of each ramekin with a small amount of cinnamon-sugar – just check more often while baking to ensure that the top does not burn and cover lightly with a sheet of foil if the cinnamon-sugar is browning too quickly.

Place the ramekins in large high sided pan and place on the middle oven rack. Fill the pan with hot water until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins (a ‘bain marie’).

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, depending on your oven. Be careful not to overbake or they will lose the pudding texture. They should be softer than a quiche coming out of the oven.  While baking, begin preparing the rum sauce (see below).

Remove the puddings from the oven and allow to set for at least ten minutes. Serve at room temperature (Chantilly cream goes well) or warm with toffee sauce (a sprinkling of powdered sugar is attractive, with the sauce served in a shot glass on the side).

You can keep the puddings in the fridge for up to two days; reheat in a microwave for 60 seconds and crisp the tops for about a minute under a grill/pre-heated broiler.

Toffee bourbon Sauce:

Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt on medium heat. After the foam has subsided, watch the fat solids carefully for their color, until they have turned a medium-dark brown and the butter begins to smell nutty. The color of the butter will determine the color of the sauce, as well as the depth of the nutty flavor, so don’t lose your nerve and pull the butter off too soon. While still on the heat, add the sugar and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Add the heavy cream (be careful; it will boil up quickly and then subside). Whisk to ensure that the sauce is a smooth consistency, since adding the cream may re-crystallize the sugar, especially if the cream was cool. If the sauce has a grainy texture, then continue whisking on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, and the sauce has come together again. Add the bourbon (or rum) and continue heating for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol (this will ensure that the sauce retains the flavor without the harsh notes of raw alcohol). You can also substitute rum for bourbon.

The sauce is best served immediately with the warm pudding, either on the side or drizzled over the top. However, it can be saved in a plastic container in the refrigerator, and either reheated as a whole or in individual shot glasses in the microwave. If reheated, stir or whisk after reheating to ensure that the sauce has a smooth consistency.

Note

You can use any kind of day-old bread that is on hand; for example, baguette will have more texture and yield more crunchy bits at the top (a more dramatic presentation), while brioche will dissolve into more of a cohesive pudding texture.  Also, if more texture is desired, then cut larger cubes, or cut smaller cubes for a more pudding-like texture.

Enjoy our podcast episode – a Taste of France and the fascinating history of French food…

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