Stuffed Pain Perdu … or Cake for Breakfast
A luxurious way to celebrate the ones you love with the best meal of the day - breakfast.
I don’t usually like sweet things for breakfast, but this French toast is balanced with tangy cream cheese and pan-fried in salted butter for a melt-in-your-mouth breakfast party. It’s almost like eating cake for breakfast, but better. We made this for my mother’s birthday this morning and may as well have stuck a candle in it. And don’t let the idea of stuffing scare you - if you can make a sandwich and fry an egg then you have all the skills you need. Whipped cream, fresh berries, and a dusting of powdered sugar add just the right amount of drama to make anyone feel special.
Stuffed Pain Perdu (French Toast)
Ingredients
1-1/2 loaves good brioche, cut into approx. 1/2” thick slices
8 oz room temperature cream cheese
A pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla for the cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla for the egg mixture
6 eggs
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
7-8 tsp strawberry jam
4-5 tbsp salted butter
Fresh berries, whipped cream, maple syrup, and powdered sugar for serving
Note: Feel free to sub any jam or fruit you like to really make this your own.
Directions
In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the cream cheese, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.
In another bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla and the ground cinnamon. Pour the egg mixture into a pie plate or other wide dish that will allow enough room to lay the bread flat in the egg.
Cut the brioche into 16 slices and make eight cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches by spreading a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on the inside of one slice of bread (about a tbsp) and a thin layer of jam on the inside of the other slice (about a tsp) before laying them together into a sandwich. Be careful not to over-stuff them because the cream cheese will melt and leak out into the pan, creating a big mess.
Once the sandwiches are made, heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt a tbsp of salted butter to coat the pan.
Coat the sandwiches in the egg mixture one at a time before you cook them. Lay one sandwich into the egg mixture at a time, very gently pressing down for a few seconds to help the bread soak up some of the egg. Flip the sandwich and very gently press down again. Then carefully lift the sandwich with both hands and allow any excess egg to drip off.
Lay each sandwich in the hot butter and fry for 1-2 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and the cream cheese is hot and melted. Dip and fry a few sandwiches at a time (depending on the size of your pan) until they are all cooked. Add butter to the pan as you go to keep it coated with a thin layer so the sandwiches will brown.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, a handful of berries, a drizzle of syrup, and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
