Springtime Brunch: Brioche French Toast with Apple Chutney Recipe
On Saturday I threw a First Day of Spring Brunch at my apartment. I wanted the menu to be light and fruity, and I also wanted to try some new recipes. I decided on the Blood Orange Salad, Brioche French Toast with Apple Chutney, and Cheesy Scrambled Eggs.
And fruit heavy it was. Peeling and coring those apples for the chutney required a lot of elbow grease! If you peel a lot of apples, I highly recommend getting this contraption. My parents have it at home (we have apple trees in our yard) and it really comes in handy when it’s apple pie season.
That’s about 10 diced up apples, lemon zest and juice, and a healthy dose of brown sugar.
The results were yummy, although I don’t think it was my best effort. French Toast is difficult, especially with thick brioche. I don’t think I found the right consistency of batter to bread. I probably should have let the bread sit in the batter longer so it would soak through and be especially gooey. The apple chutney also turned out only okay in my opinion. I would have liked it to be thicker. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t add the raisins and figs (but subbed extra apples), or maybe because I didn’t allow it to fully cool. Regardless, I would definitely try this recipe again.
If you’d like to give it a whirl, here’s the recipe. It’s from the cookbook Brunch, a birthday gift from my dear friend Andrea.
French Toast and Apple Chutney
Apple Chutney (note: this made about twice as much chutney than was necessary. I would recommend cutting down)
- 8 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup Golden Raisins
- 1/4 cup Dried Figs, chopped
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Late Harvest Riesling or other sweet dessert wine (I used a Muscat dessert wine)
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Place over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until apples can be easily pierced with a fork, about 40 mins. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. (Chutney can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. Let cool completely, then cover tightly and refrigerate.)
French Toast
- 8 Eggs
- 4-6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 8 Slices of Brioche, cut about 1 inch thick
- 1/4 cup Confectioners’ Sugar
Break eggs and beat with a fork until the whites and yolks are blended. Melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. When the butter foams, immerse the brioche slices, one at a time, in the beaten eggs and then place them in the hot pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4 mins., then flip. Add more butter to the pan if need be to prevent sticking. Powder with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.
