French toast recipe by Gillian Veal

This delicious recipe is the perfect start to the day, and goes down a treat with the whole family. The French toast can be topped with berries, or banana and toffee or chocolate sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 50ml single cream
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon and/or a pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• oil for frying
• 8 thick slices white bread (preferably stale)
• 250g blackberries
• a big knob of butter
• maple syrup
• 4 sprigs of mint to garnish and a few edible flowers if you have them

Method

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• Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl and beat gently with the cream. Add the cinnamon and/or nutmeg, if using, and the vanilla extract.
• Heat a griddle or frying pan with a little oil over a medium heat. Put the bread slices, one at a time, into the egg mixture and let them soak for a few seconds before carefully turning to coat the other side. Only soak the bread you will be cooking immediately or it will turn to mush.
• Fry the bread in the pan, leaving each piece until the bottom is crisp and golden brown before you flip it over and brown the other side. Don't cook it too quickly. 
• While the second side is cooking, add the berries to the pan with a little knob of butter and cook gently until they go jammy and the juices seep into the toast. 
• Serve hot with a handful of fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup, and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and edible flowers if you have them.

Café Cooking by Gillian Veal is published in hardback by Kitchen Press in July 2024 and is available nationwide, priced at £25. Kitchen Press titles are distributed by BookSource. 

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