Brioche is an enriched bread from France. Unlike plain white bread, brioche contains eggs, butter and more sugar. This helps give it its famous soft texture, golden colour and rich, subtly sweet, taste. Trust me, it is delicious. You can enjoy it simply toasted with all sorts of toppings (like pistachio cream). However, it will take sweet treats and desserts to the next level. I love using it to make a luxury brioche bread and butter pudding. You can also blitz it to crumbs for treacle tart or use it in summer pudding. Oh, and of course it makes the best French Toast!

What is French Toast?

An ingenious way to use up leftover bread! French Toast is made by soaking leftover sliced bread in beaten eggs and milk or cream, then pan-frying until golden. Each country has their own version. In France, it is called ‘pain perdu’ and normally has vanilla. Meanwhile, China makes Hong Kong French Toast which often uses peanut butter and condensed milk. In Brazil they make a deep-fried version called rabanada which is often served at Christmas. In the UK, we often call it French Toast or ‘eggy bread’.

Can I make this Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast in advance?

Yes and no. You can definitely make the pistachio cream in advance. It will keep well in the fridge in a jar or sealed tupperware for up to a week. Not that it has ever lasted that long in my house! However, it is best to soak and cook the brioche French Toast just before serving as they are best warm from the pan. It isn’t like bread and butter pudding where prolonged soaking gives a better texture. In this case, it will make it soggy and difficult to handle. You can fill the brioche with the pistachio cream ahead of time and keep them well-wrapped in cling film in the fridge. But that step doesn’t take particularly long anyway.

What can I serve with this Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast?

This Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast is such a versatile recipe. You can enjoy it for a luxury breakfast or brunch or a delicious dessert. Here I have gone for warmed blackcurrant jam. I love how the flavour pairs with the pistachio cream. You can use any flavour you like. The important thing is to gently warm it so it turns into a delicious fruity sauce. A coulis or compote would also work well. Alternatively, sprinkle with fruity berries. Strawberries, pitted cherries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are all lovely with the pistachio cream. A dollop of very softly whipped cream is a wonderful way to finish off this Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast. You can add some icing sugar to sweeten it, if desired. Alternatively, a swirl of squirty cream or dollop of clotted cream is delicious. Sometimes I serve with mascarpone or crème fraîche for a subtle tang. For full-on pudding vibes, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is so good. If you can find it, pistachio ice cream complements the pistachio cream really well.

What can I do with any leftover Pistachio Cream?

If you have any leftover pistachio cream, there are so many ways to enjoy it. You can swap it for the hazelnut creme in my Hong Kong French Toast or drizzle it over Pancakes . It is also delicious with Croissants , in a Pistachio Tiramisu or bread and butter pudding. Pretty much any recipe you would use a spread like nutella, you can use pistachio cream. It is also rather irresistible spooned straight from the jar…

Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast

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Imagine fluffy brioche, filled with pistachio cream, soaked in custard and cooked until golden brown. This Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast is the most delicious breakfast, brunch or pudding.

Author: Margie
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Yield: Serves 3
Category: Breakfast
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: Italian American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the pistachio cream:

150g shelled unsalted raw pistachios
180ml full-fat milk
1 tbsp icing sugar
30g unsalted butter
100g good-quality white chocolate

For the brioche French Toast:

About ½ loaf of brioche, cut into 3 thick 5cm slices
approx 6 tbsp pistachio cream
3 large eggs
60ml full-fat milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
About 30g unsalted butter

To serve:

3 tbsp blackcurrant jam
3 dollops of softly whipped cream
Icing sugar, for dusting

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Instructions

I always start by boiling the shelled pistachios for 3 minutes to soften them. Then drain them and set them on a clean tea towel to dry.
Then use the tea towel to rub the pistachios to loosen the skins. You want to separate the pistachios from the skins. This step does take a little time but I promise it’s worth it. If you don’t remove the skins your pistachio cream won’t be lovely and vibrant green and will taste slightly more bitter, not in a bad way, it’s still good! But this way is really really good. Once you’re done, pop the pistachios into a food processor and discard the skins.
Add the icing sugar and just a splash of milk. Blend for around 5 minutes until the pistachios turn into a smooth pistachio paste, scraping down the sides every minute or so. Be patient – to begin with, it will resemble breadcrumbs but eventually, it will turn into a paste – this is important.
Meanwhile, pop the butter, white chocolate and the rest of the milk into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow to melt slowly, stirring every now and then. Once melted, remove from the heat.
Scoop the pistachio paste into a blender and then pour in the melted white chocolate mixture. Blend until extra creamy and silky smooth.
Pour into a piping bag (or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off) and set aside.
For the French Toast: cut a slit into the bottom of each 5cm thick slice of brioche to create a pocket inside - go as far as you can, although not all the way through to the other side. Pipe in a generous amount of the pistachio cream. You want about 2 tbsp in each slice. Use a knife (and gravity) to gently encourage the pistachio cream to evenly distribute inside the brioche - you don’t want it all bunched in one place. Set aside.
In a baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract until combined. Dip the filled brioche slices into the egg mixture, turning to coat on all sides. Take care, it will absorb the egg mixture very quickly so don’t leave them to soak too long or they will go soggy.
Place a medium-sized non-stick pan over a low-medium heat. Add a knob of butter and swirl to coat the base of the pan, making sure it is all covered with a layer of melted butter. Once the butter is foaming, add a slice of eggy brioche. Cook gently for about 3-4 minutes - or until golden brown. Don’t be tempted to increase the heat or else the outside will overcook before the inside is ready. Use a spatula or large palette knife to carefully flip over and continue to cook on the other side until equally golden. Repeat with the remaining slices.
Meanwhile, gently warm the blackcurrant jam in a small saucepan or in small bursts in the microwave.
To serve: pop a slice of Pistachio Cream Brioche French Toast onto a plate. Top with a dollop of gently whipped cream and a spoonful of warm blackcurrant jam. Dust generously with sieved icing sugar and enjoy!

Notes

Brioche: if you can’t find unsliced brioche, use 6 slices of pre-sliced brioche and make 3 sandwiches. You will need to spread the pistachio cream instead of piping.

Pistachio cream: you can swap the pistachio cream for all sorts of sweet spreads. Lotus Biscoff Spread and Nutella are both delicious.

Jam: swap the blackcurrant jam for whatever flavour you like. Alternatively, serve with a fruit compote or coulis. A handful of fresh berries also taste delicious.

Serving suggestions: you can swap the softly whipped cream for squirty cream or a dollop of clotted cream. Alternatively, mascarpone or crème fraîche work well.

Make ahead: the pistachio cream can be made up to 1 week in advance. Simply pop into a jar or sealed tupperware and store in the fridge. The brioche French Toast is best served straight away.

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/pistachio-cream-brioche-french-toast/