Parmesan French Toast with Mushroom Fricassée

French toast without maple syrup, you say? Topped with woodsy stewed mushrooms, this crisp, cheesy pain perdu is 100-percent savoury. If the bread slices are much bigger than 4-inch (10-cm) square, either trim them down or use 6 slices and serve 1½ pieces per person.

MUSHROOM FRICASSÉE

½ oz (15 g) dried porcini mushrooms ½ cup (125 mL) boiling water

2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter

1 lb (455 g) mixed mushrooms, sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste ½ cup (125 mL) heavy cream

PARMESAN FRENCH TOAST

4 large eggs

1 tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard

¾ cup (175 mL) whole milk

½ cup (125 mL) finely grated Parmesan 1½ tsp (7 mL) chopped thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 8 slices day-old good-quality white sandwich bread, about 4 inches (10 cm) square and ½ inch (1 cm) thick 6 tbsp (90 mL) unsalted butter, divided Finely sliced chives to garnish

1 For the mushroom fricassée, combine porcini and water in a small bowl. Let stand 20 minutes. Remove porcini and squeeze dry. Rinse porcini in sieve under running water. Squeeze dry, roughly chop and set aside. Carefully decant porcini broth, leaving sediment behind, and reserve.

2 Heat butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is sizzling, add mixed mushrooms and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Add porcini and reserved broth. Cook until most liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add cream and simmer until thickened to a saucy consistency, about 1 minute. Season with pepper and remove from heat.

3 For the French toast, preheat oven to 200°F (100°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4 Whisk eggs and Dijon in a large mixing bowl until Dijon is fully incorporated. Whisk in milk then Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Working in batches of 3, soak bread for 15 seconds per side in egg mixture. Transfer to a baking sheet.

5 Heat 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches of 3, cook soaked bread until deep brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat until bread and egg mixture are used up.

6 While French toast is cooking, reheat mushrooms over a medium-low heat. (Add a splash of water if it’s too thick.) Serve 2 slices of French toast per person and divide mushroom mixture overtop. Sprinkle with chives.

Serves 4