French Toast with Wild Berries

Now is definitely the time to make the most of this season's wild fruit and this recipe marries a classic sweet bread French toast with a medley of wild fruit to produce a sumptuous and decadent breakfast.

Sweet French Toast with Wild Berries

Ingredients:
3 large whole eggs
100ml whole milk
60g golden caster sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
4 slices brioche or sweet cake (eg Madeira Cake or Banana Bread)
1 wilding apple, peeled, quartered and cored
4 plums, halved and pitted
70g mixed berries (blackberries, elderberries, wild raspberries etc)
1 heaped tbsp butter
1 (generous) tbsp brandy


Whisk together the eggs, milk, half the sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon in a bowl. Pour into a large, shallow, dish (it should be large enough for the bread to fit comfortable and allow some space for movement). Add the brioche (or cake) and allow to sit in the egg mixture for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut each apple quarter into thirds and toss these pieces, along with the plum halves, in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. When the fruit are well coated melt half the butter in a non-stick frying pan, add the fruit pieces and cook for 1 minute then add the mixed berries. Continue cooking until the apple pieces are browned all over on medium heat.

Melt the remaining butter in a separate pan then drain the brioche slightly and place in the pan. Fry for about 2 or 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned then transfer to warmed serving plates.

Pour the brandy over the apples in the pan, carefully light the alcohol to burn it off (its safer to use a taper to ignite the vapours). Then, as soon as the flames have subsided, spoon the apples over the brioche. Pour any of the fruit and brandy sauce over the top and serve hot.

This recipe comes courtesy of the Celtnet Wild Food recipes and Celtnet Breakfast recipes pages.

For all the wild food recipes on this blog, see the wild food recipes page.