An Inspired Cook

This is by far the best french toast I’ve ever had!  It reminded me of the time Joe ordered french toast in Hawaii and they brought out a whole loaf of Hawaiian bread cut into thick slices of french toast and served with coconut syrup.  It was massive and he loved every bite.  I’m not a coconut fan but I do love tropical so I went with a banana pineapple topping and macadamia nut sprinkles. A drizzle of maple syrup tastes really good over the top, but not too much because you don’t want to mask the flavors of the caramelized fruit.  I’m good for nothing in the morning so this was served for dinner but who wouldn’t love a plate of this tropical inspired french toast served any time of day!

For the caramelized fruit I used 2 bananas, 2 slices of pineapple, butter, brown sugar and a little splash of Rum.

I prepped my pineapple and used used two of the slices.  From those slices I made large chunks.  I peeled and sliced the two bananas as well.

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a cast iron skillet.

Add a tablespoon of the rum and stir.

The alcohol will burn down a bit at first.

You can add both the bananas and pineapples together but I wanted to brown them separately.  They will start to caramelize quickly.  Shake the pan a couple times to move them around.

After a couple minutes turn them over to caramelize on the other side.

Now because I cooked the pineapple separately, there wasn’t enough butter and brown sugar left in the pan so I added another tablespoon of each, plus a half tablespoon of Rum.  Shake these around the same as the bananas and turn them after a couple minutes.

I set them aside on a warming plate on top of the stove to keep warm while I make the french toast.

For the french toast slice 8 thick pieces of brioche bread.  You’ll need 4 eggs, 1/3 cup half and half plus a dash of cinnamon.

For those who want a little crunch, run a knife through a handful of macadamia nuts.

Crack the eggs and whisk in a bowl large enough to accommodate your slices of bread.

Whisk in the half and half.

Add the cinnamon.

And there’s the coating for the french toast!

Heat a griddle and melt a pat of butter until it’s coated.

Dip the sliced bread into the egg wash coating both sides.  If you run low on egg wash, whisk in another egg and a splash of half and half.

Place the egg dipped bread onto the hot griddle and cook over medium high heat.

When the bread has browned on the bottom side, flip it over to toast the other side.

Spoon on caramelized fruit, a drizzle of maple syrup and chopped macadamia nuts.





Brioche French Toast with Caramelized Banana and Pineapple

8 slices Brioche Bread, sliced 3/4 inch thick
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup Half and Half
Dash of Cinnamon
Pat of Butter for griddle
2 Bananas, peeled and sliced
2 slices Fresh Pineapple, cut into chunks (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Rum
Maple Syrup, to drizzle over top
1/4 cup Macadamia Nuts, roughly chopped, to sprinkle over top

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Pour in a tablespoon of rum and stir.  Add the bananas and pineapple to the skillet.  Give the skillet a good shake to coat the fruit.  Turn the fruit if necessary to coat all sides.  When the fruit has caramelized on all sides, remove from skillet to a warming plate.

Whisk eggs, half and half and cinnamon in a large bowl to accommodate bread slices.  Heat a griddle to medium high heat and melt a pat of butter to coat.  Dip 2 – 3 slices of brioche bread into the egg mixture coating both sides and place on hot griddle.  When toast has browned on the bottom, flip to toast the other side.  You may need to wipe down the griddle with a paper towel in between batches.  Butter the griddle before cooking the next slices of french toast.

Top french toast with caramelized fruit, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of macadamia nuts.

Makes 3 – 4 servings.