Pain perdu stuffed with mixed berries

Pain perdu, which is perfect for breakfast, is essentially the same as French toast: here, day-old brioche slices (made according to the recipe on the left) are sandwiched with a berry and cream cheese filling. The trick is to get the outside of the brioche sandwich caramelised and crunchy, while the filling remains super soft so it melts in your mouth. Serves 2 Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 8–10 minutes

YOU NEED

• 2 slices (1,5 cm thick) brioche

• castor sugar, for sprinkling

• butter, for frying

MIXED BERRY CREAM

• 75 g cream cheese, softened

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) raspberry jam

• 5 strawberries, hulled and cubed

• ½ teaspoon (2,5 ml) lime zest

CUSTARD BATTER

• 3 large eggs

• ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla essence

• ½ cup (125 ml) fresh cream

THIS IS HOW

Make the mixed berry cream Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate until needed. Once chilled, remove it from the fridge. Sandwich 2 slices of brioche with the filling and refrigerate until needed.

Make the custard batter Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.

Place the chilled brioche sandwich in the custard mixture and allow it to soak for 90 seconds on each side. Sprinkle the top with castor sugar.

In a large non-stick pan over mediumhigh heat, melt the butter until slightly browned. Place the custard-soaked brioche sandwich, sugar side down, in the pan. Sprinkle the top with castor sugar and flip the sandwich to cook on the other side, ensuring both sides develop a beautiful dark caramel colour.