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French Toast with Whipped Honey Ricotta Topping

Source of Recipe

From "Cravings: Hungry for More" by Chrissy Teigen


Recipe Introduction

"When I was growing up, French toast was one of the handful of non-Thai things my mom would make *and* actually eat. We, of course, loved us some Wonder Bread at the time but I hiiiiighly recommend going the extra mile and getting a big loaf of brioche. Make your slices nice and thick to absorb all the eggy goodness. You are going to freak out when you press your fork into it for the first bite and you see how perfectly soft and fluffy and ooey gooey this monster is. Do you remember the rum-soaked, salty-cornflake-topped French toast casserole from Cravings? The one you 'accidentally' spilled extra booze into and made with all your nonjudgmental friends? The one you tagged me in thousands of awesome Instagram posts with? This is its not-so-naughty neighbor."

List of Ingredients

For the whipped ricotta topping:
â—¦ Scant 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese (1 pound)
â—¦ 6 tablespoons heavy cream
â—¦ ¼ cup honey
â—¦ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the honey butter syrup:
â—¦ ¼ cup honey
â—¦ 4 tablespoons butter
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ Kosher salt

For the French toast:
â—¦ 1 (12-inch) loaf day-old challah or brioche (¾ to 1 pound)
â—¦ 4 eggs
â—¦ 1 ¾ cups whole milk
â—¦ ¼ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ Kosher salt
â—¦ Dash of grated nutmeg
â—¦ Butter, for the skillet


Recipe

Make the whipped ricotta topping: In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, cream, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon and whisk until everything fluffs up a bit, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Cover and chill.

Make the honey butter syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the honey, butter, vanilla, and a few pinches of salt and heat over low heat until the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from the heat. Stir to recombine, if necessary, and cover to keep warm.

Make the French toast: Cut the bread into slices 2 inches thick. In an 8-inch square baking dish, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, a few pinches of salt, and nutmeg. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture for 10 seconds per side if you want lighter, fluffier French toast, or 20 to 30 seconds per side for creamier, more custardy and undercooked-in-a-good-way centers. Put the slices of bread on a baking sheet to hold.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Grease the skillet generously with butter and add as many slices of bread as will fit comfortably in one layer. Cook until the bread is golden and toasty, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining bread, greasing the skillet again between batches.

Divide the French toast among plates, dollop with ricotta, and drizzle with syrup.

Serves 6