French Toast With Pear-Cranberry Compote
This delightful recipe combines tender brioche French toast with a decadent pear and cranberry compote, resulting in a delicious breakfast or brunch dish bursting with warm flavors and comforting aroma. The sweetened whipped cream adds a creamy finish, making each bite a pure delight for your taste buds.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 4 Bartlett pears, about 1 3/4 lb. total, peeled, cored and each cut into 12 wedges
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 5 slices day-old brioche, each 5 inches high, 3 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 Tbs. sugar
- 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. unsalted butter
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
- Sweetened whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- To make the compote, in a small saucepan over high heat, bring 1/4 cup water to a boil. Add the cranberries and remove from the heat. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in the deep half of a frittata pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter. When the foam subsides, add half of the pear slices, arranging them in a single layer. Cook, without moving them, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully turn the slices over and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl. Melt 1/2 Tbs. of the butter in the pan and repeat to cook the remaining pear slices.
- Return all the pears to the pan along with the cranberries and any remaining soaking liquid. Add the vanilla and the remaining 1/2 Tbs. butter, and sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Gently swirl the pan and stir the fruit to combine, about 1 minute. Transfer the compote to a bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Rinse and dry the pan.
- Cut each brioche slice into 3 triangles (1 large central triangle flanked by 2 smaller ones). In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- In the deep half of the frittata pan over medium heat, melt the 1 Tbs. butter. In the shallow half of the pan over low heat, melt the 1 tsp. butter. Swirl the pans to distribute the butter evenly. Arrange the brioche triangles in a single layer in the deep pan to cover the entire surface; face the narrower points toward the center of the pan, like slices of pizza (you may have a triangle left over). Cook until the bread is lightly golden underneath, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Starting at the center, slowly pour the egg mixture over the bread, spiraling outward just to the edge, so all the bread is covered. Cook for 2 minutes more. Place the shallow pan upside down on top of the deep pan and flip the French toast into the shallow pan. Cook until golden brown underneath, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Gently slide the French toast onto a cutting board and let rest for 2 minutes. Cut into wedges and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Top with the pear-cranberry compote and whipped cream and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
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