The French really know how to toast toast; fry yours in foaming butter à la friend of the Festival, Daen Lia.

Serves 4 

Prep time 2 hours and 5 minutes

Cook time 6 minutes  

INGREDIENTS

4 slices of white bread cut 4cm thick 

5 eggs 

1 1/2 cups full cream milk 

1/4 cup white sugar 

1 tsp vanilla bean paste 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

50g butter 

Olive oil 

Maple syrup 

Strawberries, sliced  

INSTRUCTIONS 

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla bean paste and cinnamon powder until all ingredients are well combined. 
  2. Place the slices of bread into a deep-dish tray. The more snug they are the better. Pour the mixture all over the bread and leave to sit for a minimum of 2 hours or ideally overnight. The bread will soak up all the liquid. 
  3. In a fry pan on a medium-to-high heat, melt the butter with a drizzle of olive oil. When the butter starts to foam, place a piece of bread into the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and repeat this step with the remainder of the bread. 
  4. Drizzle maple syrup all over and finish off with a sprinkling of fresh fruit.