Strawberry, cardamom and pistachio baked French toast
Ready for the weekend? Not until you’ve got the perfect brunch recipe! This French toast is packed full of subtle flavours and will leave you feeling impressed that it came out of your own kitchen! I suggest prepping this the night before if possible, and the wait will make you all the more excited for when morning comes and your house smells like a cardamom and pistachio filled dream.
Ingredients
For stuffed French toast
- 400 grams brioche or challah, sliced
- 280 grams cream cheese
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Seeds from six cardamom pods, ground
- 300 grams strawberries sliced + 2 tbsp sugar mixed in a bowl
- 75 grams pistachios
For custard mixture
- 470 ml whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp sugar
For serving
- 100 grams strawberries
- Remaining cream cheese mixture
- Zest of one lime
- Remaining chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Mix your cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and ground cardamom together in medium bowl.
- Spread a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese on a piece of bread and spoon on a layer of the strawberries. Press another piece of bread on top to create a sandwich. Repeat this process until all pieces of bread are used and arrange these in your baking dish. You should have some reserved cream cheese mixture that you will use for serving.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the custard mixture and evenly pour across the dish. Cover and refrigerate for minimum 1 hour, but ideally overnight.
- When the morning comes, preheat your oven to 180c/160 fan.
- Uncover your French toast and scatter with 2/3 of the pistachios. Bake the French toast for 45 minutes.
- Serve the French toast with additional fresh strawberries, the reserved cream cheese mixture, some lime zest, and the remaining chopped pistachios.