Pain Perdu

 Recently we discovered  a reason to return to Cafe Rouge...pain perdu. A light french toast, sweetened with a topping of soft fruits. Whilst hunting for fruit recipes, we happened across one for pain perdu in the Hamlyn All Healthy Colour Cookbook (adapted below).

 This is ideal for those of you who find it difficult to eat first thing as it is light as well as nutritious. Pain perdu is also a colourful, tasty idea for school breakfast clubs. If you have time, prepare a breakfast smoothie (blend milk, oats, dates and bananas/strawberries) as an accompaniment. 

Preparation time: 10 minutes and Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 slices of mixed-seed bread

1 egg beaten

3 tablespoons of milk (full fat/semi-skimmed or skimmed)

1 drop of vanilla essence or a pinch of ground cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Honey or caster sugar 

Selection of soft fruits

Method

1. Beat the egg, vanilla essence/cinnamon and milk in a shallow dish.
2. Slice the bread in half diagonally and dip into the egg mixture until well coated.
3. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the bread slices for 2-3 minutes either side. 
4. Sprinkle sugar or drizzle honey on the bread and serve immediately with soft fruit.