Brioche French Toast with Pears & Walnuts in Gingered Maple Brandy Sauce

Only when I have company do I ever make something special for breakfast. Yesterday it was Denis Cotter's Brioche French Toast with Pears & Walnuts in Gingered Maple Brandy Sauce from his book For the Love of Food, the second breakfast recipe I've tried from the cookbook after buttermilk pancakes. Absolutely delicious! Although the lime mascarpone was yummy, we didn't feel it added much value to the dish. We were perfectly happy with the toast and the pear sauce. 

For the lime mascarpone

100 g/ 3 1/2 oz mascarpone

100 ml/ 3 1/2 fl oz double cream, whipped to soft peaks

finely grated zest of 1 lime

For the French toast

2 eggs

100 ml/ 3 1/2 fl oz milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 vanilla pod, interior pulp only (I used vanilla extract)

4 slices brioche

about 15g/ 1/2 oz butter

For the pears and walnuts in gingered maple brandy sauce

50 g/ 2 oz butter

2 medium pears, cored and thickly sliced lengthways

1 piece of stem ginger in syrup, thinly sliced (I just used ground ginger)

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp brandy

1 tbsp chopped walnuts

First prepare the lime mascarpone: beat the mascarpone to soften it and fold in the whipped cream and lime zest. 

Make the French toast: whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla together in a large bowl. Soak the brioche slices for 1 minute in this egg mixture.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ gas mark 4. 

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Remove the brioche slices from the egg mixture and place 2 of them in the pan. Cook on one side until golden, then turn and repeat with the other side. Repeat with the remaining slices, adding a little more butter if necessary, and arrange on an oven tray.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Make the pears and walnuts in gingered maple brandy sauce: in another frying pan, heat 15g/ 1/2 oz of the butter over medium heat and sauté the pear slices in it for 5-7 minutes, turning them to color all sides. Add the ginger, maple syrup and brandy, and continue cooking for a further minute.

Remove from the heat and add the walnuts and the remaining butter to give the sauce a pouring consistency. 

Serve 2 slices of toast per portion, topped with the pears, walnuts and sauce poured over. Add a dollop of the mascarpone and serve. 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I love the combination of sugar, nuts and cinnamon. That's exactly what makes this sour cream coffee cake delicious. I was flipping through The Essential Baker looking for inspiration for an afternoon cake to serve my friends and came across this recipe. I hadn't had coffee cake in a while and it sounded easy to make so I went for it. It did turn out to be very easy and quick to make. And it tastes really good! Guess what's for breakfast tomorrow...

6 ounces (165 g/ 12 tablespoons/ 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F (177°C). Generously butter the inside of a 9 1/2-inch (26 cm) round spring-form pan. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until it's fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and cream together well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla and blend together thoroughly. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the salt and toss together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 stages, blending thoroughly after each. 

For the topping, combine the walnuts, sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl and toss together to blend thoroughly.

Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly. Sprinkle half the topping over the batter in the pan. Transfer the remaining batter to the pan and spread it out evenly over the topping. Sprinkle the remaining topping over the batter. Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a rack.