Click here to visit the new home of KitchenDaily!

Hot on KitchenDaily:

 

Pillow Talk French Toast
0
0
0
0
0
  • total
  • prep

Recipe Filed Under
Egg, Dairy, Fruit, Baking, Easy, Kid-Friendly

Provided By:
Melissa Roberts

  • Would you say this recipe is...
    + VOTE NOW

    • There's no need to stand at the stove to make French toast - just pop it in the oven and it develops a pillowy center and crunchy edges. Drizzled with fresh strawberry syrup and dollops of whipped cream, it's a romantic breakfast indulgence.

    Ingredients

    Serves:

      • For strawberry syrup:
      • 1/2 cup sugar
      • 1/3 cup water
      • 2 cups (1 pint) strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced lengthwise
      • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
      • For French toast:
      • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces (plus more for greasing the pans)
      • 8 (3/4-inch-thick) slices brioche (from a 1 pound loaf)
      • 2 cups whole milk
      • 2 large eggs
      • 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
      • 1 teaspoon vanilla
      • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
      • 1/4 teaspoon salt
      • For whipped cream topping (optional):
      • 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
      • 1 teaspoon sugar
      • Special equipment: a shallow (1 1/2-quart) baking dish; a 3- to 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter

    Directions

    Make syrup:

    Heat sugar and water together in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries then lemon juice. Let stand while preparing French toast.

    Make French toast:

    Grease baking dish with some butter. Arrange 4 slices of brioche in pan in a single but slightly overlapping layer. Cut out hearts (with cutter) in remaining 4 slices brioche (discard or nibble on crusts). Arrange hearts over brioche slices in dish.

    Beat together milk, eggs, 3 tablespoons sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over brioche, then gently press down on bread to submerge and soak in custard. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over top and dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Let stand until most of custard is absorbed into bread, 15 to 20 minutes (spoon some custard over top once or twice while standing).

    While bread stands, preheat oven to 425F with rack in middle. Bake French toast until golden and custard is just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes before serving.

    Make whipped cream while French toast cools:

    Beat cream with sugar until soft peaks form.

    Notes:
    *An equal amount of Challah can be substituted for the brioche in this recipe.
    *This recipe can easily be halved to serve 2. Use a 9-inch pie plate for baking.

    What do you think?

    Add a Comment

    Sign in »
    *0 / 3000 Character Maximum

    23 Comments

    Filter by:
    Lawrence A. Evans

    OH... and one more thing. The CRUSTS were sooo good. I used some to outline heart shapes around less perfect ones. The rest of the crusts I pushed in the dish soaking up remaining liquid custard before baking and they were my personal favorite. Needless to say my wife was pleased that I got up early and took the time to assemble this. YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE GUYS.... GO FOR IT... even if you screw up, it's still the EFFORT that counts.

    February 14 2012 at 2:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    Lawrence A. Evans

    Made this for my bride this morning and IT WAS SUPERB. Brioche bread is available from specialty bakeries if pre-ordered. The Challah works just as well. What's important is that it's tall enough for heart shaped cutter (nice effect).

    Perhaps I added too much water to my Strawberry syrup, regardless I kept it on simmer the whole time reducing it to a delicious clingy consistency. Take the tops off the strawberries then turn upside down slicing them vertically (will actually appear heart shaped if done intentionally).

    Use a larger baking dish, and have only one layer of bread (all don't have to be heart shaped). Slowly poor liquid custard over bread to soak in. Be sure most all liquid is soaked into bread. Spoon or baste rest on top (a thin film can remain on bottom, will evaporate).

    BAKE UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN ON TOP

    This was so good I will make it again, next time doubling the recipe.

    (Ignore all previous comments about typos, etc. This is a corrected version and perfect)

    YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE HOW GOOD THIS IS.

    Follow directions exactly (like fresh lemon). Reddi Wip works as well as home made. Not necessary but a nice touch.

    February 14 2012 at 2:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    Lauren

    Where do you buy brioche?

    February 11 2011 at 6:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    Tom

    Don't understand recipe. Calls for 1 tablespoon (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter. That makes no sense. I would like to make this. Please clarify.

    February 08 2011 at 4:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    chevyguyase

    My market was all out of large tablespoon eggs, so I'll stick to my old recipe.

    February 08 2011 at 2:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    Linze

    Get over the typos people, can't you figure it out? Obviously it's not 4 TBS of eggs. It explains it in the directions just fine. And it looks delish!

    February 08 2011 at 12:46 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    1 reply to Linze's comment
    krobb0lelli

    Could you please repost it in a more comprehensible way?

    February 08 2011 at 1:02 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    keosauqua

    It really is a pain to have to receive eight (8) pages of Kitchen Daily or anything else from AOL. This one printed 8 pages which included 2 pages of the receipe on the Pillow Talk French Toast--a recipe which I really want to try. Never again.

    February 07 2011 at 11:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    beachlght

    The measurements for butter and eggs do not make sense. Could you reprint? (i.e. 1 Tablespoon butter does not equal 1 1/2 sticks; what are 4 tablespoons of eggs? Yolk only? Yolk and white mixed?)

    February 07 2011 at 10:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    jm5530

    Love to make it, please clarify. recipe doesn't make sense

    February 07 2011 at 10:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
    milakette

    Melissa Roberts, what were you drinking when you typed this recipe? After how many cups of booze you decided to type? And who are the idots who allow this travesty of a recipe to be posted and remain here?!

    February 07 2011 at 10:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

    Also on AOL >>>