FRENCH TOAST "JUBLIEE"

French Toast

Provided by Geoffrey Zakarian

Time 30m

Yield 2 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

1 cup drained jarred high-quality maraschino cherries, such as Luxardo
2 strips lemon peel (using a peeler) plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup rum
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
Two 1 1/2-inch-thick challah bread slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 lemons, zested
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Steps:

For the jubilee sauce: Combine the cherries and lemon strips and juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the rum and return it to the heat to burn off the alcohol, about 5 minutes. Just before serving, swirl in the butter and maple syrup.
For the French toast: Add the cream, honey, almond extract, cardamom and eggs and yolks to a blender and blend until combined. Transfer to a shallow container and soak the bread in the custard mixture.
Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat until frothing. Drain off the excess custard from the bread, add the slices to the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes a side.
Serve by placing the French toast on a platter along with the cherry jubilee sauce. Finish with the lemon zest and a dusting of confectioners' sugar.