Pain Perdu

Pain Perdu

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Here’s another reason I love the French: take some egg, bread, milk and a little sugar and Shazaam, something delicious. I am, of course, referring to a little Pain Perdu. Not just any pain perdu, though; a totally doc’d up version. We stuff le pain with a whipped homemade strawberry jam and cream cheese mixture, soak it in custard like liquid, coat it in a little egg and cook it with some butter. Top it with real maple syrup, some cinnamon and a sprinkle of confectionary sugar. It is the brunch of kings which is why sometimes; it’s good to be the King.

• 5 eggs
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 8 oz jam (homemade is best)
• 1 loaf of bread, preferably a challah or other sweet bread. Best is slightly stale
• 2 cup milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbs cinnamon
• Confectionary sugar
• Maple syrup

Whip the cream cheese with a hand held or stand mixer. Add the jam and mix well. Set aside. Beat 3 eggs together and set aside. In a medium saucepan heat the milk and sugar until it dissolves. Place 2 eggs in a bowl and whip them together. As the sugar dissolves, and the milk heats up add a little bit at a time to the eggs to temper them. Add the tempered eggs back to the milk mixture add the cinnamon and heat on the stove until the mixture just starts to thicken. Remove and pour in a container. Add the vanilla to that mixture. Cut a thick slice of the bread and make a pocket, then stuff it with the cream cheese mixture. Soak the bread in the milk mixture for 5-10 minutes, turning as needed so the bread fully absorbs the liquid. Heat some butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Coat the bread in the egg mixture and cook until the egg coating is done. Remove, pour maple syrup over, sprinkle with confectionary sugar, dust with some fresh ground cinnamon and enjoy. Vive La France!