NOPI's French Toast with Orange Yogurt
If you want to spice up your French toast, figuratively and literally, this is the recipe for you. Or if you just want ridiculously good French toast and to feel fancy. I can't take any credit for this recipe. It's from NOPI: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully, which is a beautiful and great cook book. I have yet to make a bad dish from it. Their French Toast with Orange Yogurt is my favorite.
The star anise sugar that coats the French Toast sets this recipe apart. I thought it was a bit odd at first, but I was impressed with how delicious the combination of the star anise with the orange yogurt and berry compote were. No maple syrup needed!
By Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully from NOPI: The Cookbook
French Toast with Orange Yogurt Serves 6
For the orange yogurt:
½ cup Greek yogurt
finely grated zest of ½ orange
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
For the mixed berries:
10 1/2 ounces mixed frozen berries
1/3 cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Star anise sugar
8 whole star anise, blitzed in a spice grinder into a fine powder
¼ cup superfine sugar
For the French toast: (the original recipe calls for 5 eggs and 3/4 cup whole milk, but I always run out of batter so I usually make a little more)
7 eggs
1 cup whole milk
14 ounces brioche loaf, ends trimmed, cut into six (1 1/4-inch) slices
1/3 cup unsalted butter, fridge-cold, cut into ¾-inch dice
Fold together all the ingredients for the orange yogurt in a small mixing bowl and keep in the fridge, covered, until required.
Place the berries in a medium saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Place over high heat and cook for 6 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sugar has dissolved and the compote is shiny and thick. Remove from the heat and set aside for an hour to come to room temperature; the compote will thicken slightly.
Mix together the star anise and sugar, then spread out on a small plate—ready for the toast to get dusted—and set aside.
Place the eggs in a medium bowl and whisk well, until pale, light, and fluffy. Continue to whisk as you slowly pour in the milk, then transfer to a dish that is large enough to fit the 6 slices of brioche in a single layer—use two dishes if you need to. Add the brioche slices and set aside for 5 minutes, turning them once or twice. It will seem like a lot of liquid for the bread to absorb, but it will do; just be careful when you are turning it, as it gets very soft.
Preheat the oven to 465°F/240°C (425°F/220°C convection).
Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat with 4 teaspoons of butter. When the butter starts to foam, lay 3 pieces of brioche in the pan and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the slices over, add 4 teaspoons more butter to the pan, and continue to fry for another 1 1/2 minutes, until golden. Remove the slices from the pan and set aside on a baking sheet while you wipe the pan with some paper towels and repeat with the remaining brioche and butter. Once all the brioche is on the baking sheet, transfer to the oven and bake for a final 4 minutes, until the toast has puffed up and is golden brown. Remove from the oven and dip each slice in the star anise sugar one at a time, flipping so that both sides get coated.
Serve at once, with the berry compote alongside and the orange yogurt spooned on top.
