French toast with whipped honey ricotta topping

When I was growing up, French toast was one of the handful of non-Thai things my mom would make AND actually eat. We, of course, loved us some sliced bread at the time but I hiiiiiighly recommend going the extra mile and getting a big loaf of brioche. Make your slices nice and thick to absorb all the eggy goodness. You are going to freak out when you press your fork into it for the first bite and you see how perfectly soft and fluffy and ooey gooey this monster is.

Do you remember the rum-soaked, salty-cornflake-topped French toast casserole from Cravings?? The one you 'accidentally" spilled extra booze into and made with all your nonjudgmental friends? The one you tagged me in thousands of awesome lnstagram posts with? This is its not-so-naughty neighbor.

French Toast with Whipped Honey Ricotta Topping

Serves 6
Active Time / 15 min
Total Time / 30 min

INGREDIENTS

For the whipped ricotta topping

• 500 g whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 6 tablespoons double cream
• 4 tbsp honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the honey butter syrup

• 4 tbsp honey
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Kosher salt

For the French toast

• 1 (30-cm) loaf day-old brioche
• 4 eggs
• 435 ml whole milk
• 60 ml cream double or single
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Kosher salt
• Dash of grated nutmeg
• Butter, for the pan

METHOD

Make the whipped ricotta topping

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, cream, honey, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk until everything fluffs up a bit, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Cover and chill.

Make the honey butter syrup

In a small saucepan, combine the honey, butter, vanilla and a few pinches of salt and heat over low heat until the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from the heat. Stir to recombine, if necessary, and cover to keep warm.

Make the French toast

Cut the bread into slices 2 inches thick. In a 20-cm square baking dish, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, a few pinches of salt and nutmeg. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture for 10 seconds per side if you want lighter, fluffier French toast, or 20 to 30 seconds per side for creamier, more custardy and undercooked-in-a-good-way centres. Put the slices of bread on a baking sheet to hold.

Heat a large frying pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Grease the pan generously with butter and add as many slices of bread as will fit comfortably in one layer. Cook until the bread is golden and toasty, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining bread, greasing the pan again between batches.

Divide the French toast among plates, dollop with ricotta, and drizzle with syrup.