Pain Perdu & fresh fruit al fresco

Last Saturday I was ambitious in preparing pain perdu, aka French toast, topped with sautéed fresh fruit. Doing a demonstration is a lot like cooking when you are camping but even more difficult, because you must bring water and all the equipment you need. Needless to say as I was driving to the market I realized I had forgotten 2 piece of essential equipment. But ‘all’s well that ends well’, and the results were well received. You can also top the toast with fresh fruit tossed with Triple Sec , grated orange peel and honey if needed to sweeten. The day old baguettes bread I used on Saturday were graciously donated by the master European baker at our market, Varouj Kachikian of Dolce Arte . Enjoy!

PAIN PERDU with SAUTEED SEASONAL FRUIT
known in America as French toast

SAUTEED FRUIT:
1+ Tbsp butter
4 cups seasonal fruit peeled and sliced (apples, pears, plums, peaches, berries etc)
grated nutmeg and cinnamon to taste
Grated orange peel
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the fruit
3. Sautee until the fruit softens.
4. Taste and add honey or sugar if needed
5. Add fresh grated nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel or lemon peel
PAIN PERDU:
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
6 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cup milk
Ten ½ inch-thick slices of day old baguette, brioche or challah
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. In a shallow dish whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt, then add milk.
2. Add the bread and turn to coat; let the bread soak for 10 minutes.
3. Add each slice to the skillet. Cook over moderate heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the bread slices and cook for 3 minutes longer.
4. Serve warm with the sautéed fruit on top.