French toast, but next level: pandan, coconut mascarpone, and mango on one plate
Pandan French toast is a cheerful twist on the classic French toast we all know made with stale bread, milk, and egg. By adding liquid pandan, the brioche takes on that soft, floral flavor often found in Southeast Asian desserts. It is a bit vanilla-like, a bit nutty, and especially delicious with coconut milk.
Anyone even slightly familiar with Indonesian cuisine knows the bright green pandan cake. But in recent years, pandan has also become a popular flavoring in cookies, drinks, croissants, and ice cream. So, French toast with pandan sounded perfectly logical to us.
What makes this recipe so delicious
In this French toast recipe, you use thick slices of brioche so that the inside remains soft and custard-like, while the outside bakes to a golden brown. Then, one side is briefly dipped in a layer of caramel, creating a crispy sugar coating. Think crème brûlée, but on French toast.
The coconut mascarpone makes it creamy and the mango provides a fresh sweetness. The result is a dessert-like breakfast or simply a very good excuse to make something sweet in the afternoon.
Preparation method for pandan French toast
- In a deep plate or shallow bowl, whisk the coconut milk, egg, liquid pandan, sugar, and a pinch of salt together thoroughly.
- Cut thick slices of brioche. Place the brioche in the pandan mixture and let it soak for about 1½ minutes per side. The brioche should be well soaked but not fall apart.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat and let the butter melt. Fry the French toast until golden brown and crispy all around. Take your time with this so that the inside becomes warm and soft.
- Remove the French toast from the pan and place it briefly on a plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the same pan and turn the heat down low. Let the sugar melt and caramelize slowly. Do not stir too much; instead, gently shake the pan back and forth.
- As soon as the sugar has melted and forms a light caramel-colored layer, carefully place one side of the French toast into the caramel. Be careful, this is hot. Briefly roll the French toast through the caramel, remove from the pan, and place on a plate with the caramel side up. Let cool for a moment so that the sugar layer hardens and becomes crispy.
- Meanwhile, whisk the mascarpone with the powdered sugar and a small splash of coconut milk until light and fluffy. Add a little more coconut milk if you want to make the cream softer.
- Peel the mango and cut the flesh into small cubes.
- Spoon or pipe the coconut mascarpone onto the pandan French toast. Distribute the mango cubes over it.
- Optionally finish with a little powdered sugar or toasted coconut and serve immediately, so that the French toast is still warm and the caramel layer crunches.