French toast with banana ice cream and caramel
Soft serve banana ice cream, caramel and spice-laden French toast come together in the ultimate indulgence brunch!
Ingredients
For the ice cream
- 6 over-ripe bananas
- 500ml/18fl oz double cream
- 397g tin condensed milk
For the caramel
- 300ml/10fl oz double cream
- 100g/3½oz caster sugar
- 25ml/1fl oz dark rum (to taste)
For the French toast
- 1 good-quality brioche loaf, thickly sliced
- pinch ground cardamom
- pinch ground cloves
- pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds removed
- 15ml/½fl oz dark rum
- pinch salt
- 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 200ml/7fl oz full-fat milk
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 30g/1oz caster sugar
To cook the French toast
- 50g/1¾oz butter
- 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
- 30g/1oz Kinako roasted soybean flour or gram flour (optional)
Method
To make the ice cream, blend the bananas in a blender or food processor.
Whip the double cream in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Add the blended banana to the cream and stir in the condensed milk. Once fully combined, transfer to a suitable container and leave to freeze.
To make the caramel, whip 100ml/3½fl oz of the double cream until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Set aside.
Prepare a bowl with ice cold water on your work surface that will fit the pan you are using to make the caramel.
Put the sugar and 25ml/1fl oz of water in a heavy-pan. Set this over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place a sugar thermometer in the pan turn the heat to high and bring the syrup to a boil. Check the temperature doesn’t go above 135C or the sugar might burn. Once it’s boiling, avoid stirring it. Keep boiling until it becomes quite dark brown in colour. Quickly plunge the pan into the ice cold water – take care as the caramel will be extremely hot. Pour in 200ml/7fl oz of the cream that has not been whipped, then add the rum and stir in the whipped cream. Set aside.
To make the French toast, preheat the oven 130C/110C Fan/Gas 1. Put the brioche on a baking tray and leave in the oven for a few minutes to dry out. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Combine the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla seeds, rum, salt, beaten eggs, milk, cream and sugar together in a shallow bowl. Dip the brioche in the egg mixture and soak it well.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add some of the butter and then 2 pieces of eggy brioche (you'll need to do this in batches). Cook on both sides. Sprinkle a little of the sugar over the bread and turn over to allow to caramelise. Repeat on the other side.
Remove from the pan, dust with more caster sugar and use a mini cook’s blow-torch to crisp the top. Dust with the roasted soya bean flour, if using, just before serving. Repeat with all the brioche slices, butter, sugar and soy bean flour.
Serve the French toast with the banana ice cream on top and the caramel drizzled over.
