Brioche French Toast Recipe

09 May –

In a special Mother’s Day episode of Around the Table, Shea is joined by her mom, TamTams, in the McGee kitchen to make a simple and delicious holiday brunch.

In the sixth installment of our Around the Table series, Shea and TamTams (the nickname her family affectionally call Shea’s mom) step into the kitchen to make brunch for the family. This recipe is a dressed-up French toast made with vanilla custard, crunchy almond granola, and fresh mixed berries. Watch the webisode here to follow along and get the full recipe below to try it yourself. And to all the mothers and mother figures out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

Ingredients

1 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for cooking
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 ¾ cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
8 slices brioche, sliced ¾-inch thick
2 pints berries (such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or diced strawberries)
Powdered sugar, maple syrup, and whipped cream, for serving

Method

Preheat the oven to 225° Fahrenheit and place a 9×13 pan inside. Prepare the toasted almond topping by combining the almonds, rolled oats, maple syrup, and 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter in a small bowl. Transfer to a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat and cook until the almonds and oats are very fragrant and slightly browned—about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until completely smooth. Warm a large skillet over medium heat, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the pan to melt.

Working quickly, dip the brioche into the custard mixture to coat both sides—the bread should be in the custard mixture for no more than 15 seconds. Allow the excess custard to drip off the bread, then cook in the skillet until golden brown—about 2 minutes per side. When cooked through and browned, transfer the French toast to the oven to keep warm. Between cooking each piece of French toast, remove the pan from the heat and add extra butter to the pan.

To serve the French toast, dust each piece with powdered sugar then top with the toasted almonds, berries, maple syrup, and dollops of whipped cream.