SPICED ROASTED PLUM & ALMOND FRENCH TOAST

Oct 28, 2016
5 min read

Updated: Feb 2

Warm, cinnamon-anise-spiced, sweet roasted plums on a bed of golden-brown caramelized French toast, and an almond crunch with every bite - just my idea of autumn weekend breakfast.

French toast topped with roasted plums, almonds, and powdered sugar, served with espresso on a wooden table. Red plates add a vibrant touch.

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French Toast* is known by many names: Eggy Bread in England, Pain Perdu (lost bread) and Pain Doré (golden bread) in France, Arme Ritter (poor knights) in Germany, and Pavesen in Austria and Southern Germany, as well as Gypsy Toast and Bombay Toast. Its origins date back to the Romans in the 4th or 5th century, where bread was soaked in milk and served with honey. The Romans called it promisingly: alter dulcet, or 'another sweet dish'. In medieval Europe, French Toast was often served alongside game birds and meats.

Roasted plums with cinnamon in a glass dish, glistening with syrup. Star anise visible in the center, creating a warm, cozy feel.

This version with spiced roasted plums is incredibly delicious and so beautiful, with its lovely warm autumn colours.

The process is easy: the plums are roasted with warm spices, while the bread is soaked in a sweet egg-milk mixture, quickly fried in the pan, and then served with the roasted plums and a sprinkle of toasted almonds. It does take a bit of time, but luckily requires only a few hands-on steps.

I would say, the toughest part is having to get out of bed to prepare it for breakfast... having said that, nothing stops you from returning while the plums are roasting and the eggy bread is soaking.

Happy Weekend! ❤️

French toast with plums and almonds, dusted with sugar, served on white plates. Red cups of coffee, yogurt bowl, and cutlery on wood tray.

*Wikipedia: French Toast

How to prepare:

SPICED ROAST PLUM & ALMOND FRENCH TOAST

Warm, cinnamon-anise-spiced sweet roasted plums on a bed of golden-brown caramelized French toast, and an almond crunch with every bite - just my idea of autumn weekend breakfast.

Jump to TEXT-ONLY RECIPE

Recipe source: Spiced roast plum and almond French toast, by Louise Robinson @greatbritishchefs

Level: Easy - Cooking time: approximately 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Makes: Breakfast for 2 ❤️

For the plums:

4 plums, halved and stoned
15 g (½ oz) light brown soft sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 star anise
2 tablespoons water

For the French toast:

2 eggs
1 tablespoon cream or double cream
2 tablespoons whole milk
seeds from ½ vanilla pod, cut in half and scraped out, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
15g (½ oz) caster sugar
2 slices of toast, thick, brown or whole wheat, one day old and a little dry, which helps the bread to absorb the liquid better without falling apart
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

To serve:

2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
Icing sugar
Optional: Greek yogurt

Ingredients on a wooden table: plums, eggs, bread, sliced almonds, vanilla bean, star anise, spices, sugar, and liquids in small dishes.

DIRECTIONS:

Gather all the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180° fan/gas mark 6.
Spice and roast the plums: Place the plums, cut-side up, in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over 15 g brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of water and add 1 star anise. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the fruit is soft but still keeps its shape. Remove the plums when done, but keep the oven on for later.
Prepare the egg-milk: While the plums are cooking, add 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon of cream, 2 tablespoons of milk, the seeds from ½ vanilla and 15 g of caster sugar into a bowl and cream together.
Soak the bread in the egg-milk: Pour the egg-milk into a shallow dish and add the bread slices. Soak for 30 minutes, turning them over every now and then as the plums bake. The liquid will be fully absorbed at the end.
Toast the almond slices: Meanwhile toast 2 tablespoons of almond slices over medium heat in a small frying pan until light golden.
Fry the eggy bread: Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add the soaked bread and fry for a couple of minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the bread to a baking sheet and place them in the pre-heated oven for 3 minutes.
Assemble: Remove the bread slices from the oven, cut them in half diagonally and divide them between two plates. Top with the roasted plum halves and drizzle over some of the plum juices. Sprinkle with flaked almonds, then dust with icing sugar.
Serve immediately: Optional: serve Greek yoghurt on the side.

TEXT-ONLY RECIPE