French toast is a brilliant and simple way to save stale bread – just soak it in a mixture of milk, eggs and cinnamon and fry it in butter.
Even rock-hard bread turns into a fluffy dessert that’s soft, almost creamy inside. The tartness of fresh berries and the creamy mascarpone cheese are a perfect match with the soft, flavourful slices of bread.
Ingredients
French toast:
1/2 stale loaf of French bread or 2 stale hot dog buns
3 eggs
250 ml milk
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla flavouring
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp butter
Mascarpone cream:
200 g mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp powdered sugar
Topping:
Assorted berries
Preparation:
French toast
1. Cut bread into slices about 1.5 cm thick.
2. Whisk the eggs and milk in a deep plate.
3. Add sugar, cinnamon, vanilla flavouring and a pinch of salt.
4. Mix well.
5. Place as many slices as will fit in the mixture.
6. After 2 minutes of soaking, turn the slices over and let them soak for another 2 minutes.
7. Adjust the time depending on how dry the bread is – if it’s not too dry, soak it for less time.
8. Meanwhile, set a medium pan over a medium heat.
9. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the heated pan.
10. Using a fork, carefully lift a slice of bread from the plate and let the excess mixture drip off, then place into the pan.
11. Repeat the process with all the slices.
12. Fry 3 to 5 minutes per side over medium heat. Check frequently to see if the slices have nicely browned,
13. then flip them over carefully with a spatula and fork and brown them on the other side.
14. Place the slices on a plate covered with a paper towel.
Mascarpone cream:
1. Place the mascarpone and powdered sugar in a bowl and
2. beat to a soft cream with a mixer.
Serving
1. Pile slices on a plate, spread over a tablespoon or two of cream and
2. scatter with berries.
