It may be a bit cliché, but I’m a chocolate addict. I’m always trying to find new ways to use chocolate. Growing up, there was Nutella on the table every day, and I thought it would be fun to come up with a decadent, chocolate-flavored breakfast treat for the holidays.
This special breakfast combines French toast, chocolate and, since it’s the holidays, marshmallows. I took stale brioche, dipped it in chocolate flavored custard and seared it on the stove. The garnish is made with marshmallow fluff and a drizzle of warm Nutella. Who would say no to that?
1. Info for Chocolate French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Chocolate French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)
- 1 (16-ounce) stale brioche (see tips)
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, as needed + 1 small mound
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons Nutella, warm
- 6 fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon Christmas-themed colored sprinkles
3. Directions:
3.1 Making French toast
Cut the brioche into 12 slices.
Break the chocolate bar and finely chop it using a chef’s knife. Set aside.
In a saucepan, place the cream. Bring to a near boil. Turn off the heat and immediately add the chopped chocolate. Using a spatula, keep stirring until the chocolate is fully incorporated (see tips).
For the custard, beat the egg yolks in a mixing bowl with sugar until you get a pale yellow foam; the texture of the egg yolks will be thicker. Add milk, vanilla extract, the chocolate cream and salt.
Soak each slice of brioche in the French toast batter.
Place a non-stick pan over medium heat. Grease it with a little butter (count about 2 tablespoons per 4 slices of brioche). Melt it and heat until it’s nutty and fragrant. Place 3 to 4 slices of soaked brioche and cook for about 2 minutes. Flip them and cook for another minute.
3.2 Making marshmallow fluff
In a small saucepan, melt a small mound of butter (about 1 teaspoon) over medium-low heat. Add the mini marshmallows to the saucepan. Cook over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and add a little salt. Let cool for about 2 minutes.
3.3 Assembly time
Plate the French toast in individual serving. Spoon a mound of marshmallow fluff. Caramelize the top with a culinary torch until the marshmallow forms a golden brown crust and starts to bubble. The marshmallow will caramelize and can burn fast, so watch it carefully as it changes color until the crust is formed.
Drizzle with warm Nutella.
Dust with a little powdered sugar.
Garnish with fresh mint leaves and decorate with a few sprinkles.
Serve with a cup of latte.
Enjoy!
4. Tips and advices:
- If you have left-over gingerbread or Panettone bread, it would also make the perfect French toast.
- You could also flavor the chocolate French toast batter with 2 teaspoons of orange blossom water or grated fresh ginger.
- While letting the chocolate steep in the dairy mixture, it’s preferable to stir the mixture until the liquid is smooth rather than whisking, to create as little milk froth as possible. You don’t want a latte foam to form.
- You can pair French toast with powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, butter, fresh fruit or maple syrup.
- If you make desserts such as crèmes brulées as often as we do, a culinary torch is a good investment.
){kind=link}