Food blogger ELLY McCAUSLAND shares her recipe for French toast

THE French call this pain perdu, ‘lost bread’, and I love the idea of saving tragic lost bread by bathing it in milk, eggs and vanilla before caramelising it in a little butter, sugar and spice. The inside is tender and gooey, the outside crisp and caramelised, scented with spices and brown sugar. I serve it with sharp berries and orange segments, plus a dollop of milky ricotta to balance the sweetness. It makes an incredible brunch.

French toast with orange and berries (serves 2):

4 thick slices of stale brioche or white bread
250ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
A pinch of salt
20g butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
A pinch of ground cinnamon
2 blood oranges
A handful of raspberries and strawberries
Ricotta, to serve

Whisk together the milk, vanilla, eggs and salt and pour into a shallow dish. Lay the bread in a single layer in the mixture and leave for around five minutes, then turn over and leave for another five – it should have absorbed almost all of the liquid.

Meanwhile, slice the skin off the oranges with a sharp serrated knife and then slice the segments away from the membranes of the fruit into a bowl. Squeeze any remaining juice into the bowl. Stir in the raspberries. Quarter the strawberries and add to the bowl.

In a large, non-stick frying pan, heat the butter over a medium heat until melted then swirl to coat the pan. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the butter. Place the bread in the pan and let it sizzle and caramelise for a few minutes, then flip over (check by lifting with a spatula to see if it’s golden brown on the bottom before flipping) and cook for a few minutes on the other side.

Divide the toast between two plates, spoon over the fruit and its juices and serve with a dollop of ricotta on the side.

• Read Elly’s blog online at nutmegsseven.co.uk