Bananas and custard French toast

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"First, an apology to my friend Martha. We’ve been best friends since we werethree, but there’s always been a third wheel in the relationship... Martha’s fear of bananas. I’d like to think that this brunch might turn her around, but it probably won’t. So, sorry Martha, it’s incredible and I couldn’t leave it out."

Find more recipes in Poppy's new cookbook, Poppy Cooks.

SERVES

Ingredients

1 recipe quantity of Perfect Custard (see page 200)

French toast:

100 ml / scant 1/2 cup whole milk
4 tablespoon sugar
2 bananas, peeled, and sliced lengthways in half
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 x 2.5 cm-thick (1 inch) slices of brioche loaf
4 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
A knob of butter
2 tablespoons chopped salted peanuts
A spoonful of mixed berries (optional), to serve

Directions

Pour the custard into a bowl or oven dish that’s large enough to dip in your brioche slices. Mix the milk into your custard just to loosen it slightly.
Tip the sugar on to a plate and roll the banana halves through so that it sticks on both sides.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bananas and fry for about four to five minutes each side, until golden and caramelised all over. Remove from the pan and set aside for later. Keep the pan to hand.
On one edge of each slice of brioche, using a paring (small chopping) knife, slice through the thickness to make a pocket inside. Use a teaspoon to fill the pockets with equal amounts of delicious peanut butter.
Dip the filled slices into your custard, carefully turning each slice to coat it on both sides.
Add the knob of butter to the frying pan and place it over a low–medium heat. When the butter starts melting, place your soggy, filled brioche slices into the pan (do this in batches, if necessary).
Fry for about two minutes on each side, just so that the bread is golden and toasted to the point of getting a little crisp around the edges. Remove from the pan and transfer to a serving plate.
Top with the caramelised bananas, chopped peanuts, berries (if using) and a good dollop of leftover (controversial) cold custard. Offt! Yes, please!

Excerpted from Poppy Cooksby Poppy O’Toole. Copyright © 2021 Poppy O’Toole. Photography ©2021 Louise Hagger. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.