French toast with plum compote
If the plums seem heavier than the recipe calls for, that's because the plums I used the first time were big and shiny, like billiard balls, and about as firm (if yours are similar, quarter them instead of halves to ensure they cook through). If you're lucky enough to have your own plum tree in your yard, you can use those instead. I love plums with deep red flesh, which is enhanced by cranberry juice. But any plum will do. You can also add apple juice if you prefer a less intense, syrupy flavor from cooked fruit. Also, don't think that this jam is limited to French toast; enjoy it with Greek yogurt or granola for breakfast, with crème anglaise for dessert on Sundays, or, frankly, any time.
This is a doubly useful recipe for the thrifty: French toast (a bit thicker than the kind we ate for breakfast as kids) is made with leftover bread that was too stale to eat, and the cranberry-cinnamon jam uses plums that were bought more in a fit of optimism than common sense.
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.
Ingredients for the recipe:
French toast (croutons):
- 4 large slices of stale white bread
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp softened butter
Plums:
- 450 g plums
- 1 cup sweet cranberry juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
We recommend
Cooking the dish according to the recipe:
- For plums: Pour the cranberry juice into a wide saucepan, add the sugar, and stir until the sugar begins to dissolve. Then place the saucepan over low heat and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Cut the plums in half, remove the pits, then cut them in half again if they are large.
Once the sugar has dissolved in the red liquid, add the cinnamon stick, then increase the heat again, bring the liquid to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes until the mixture turns into syrup. - Then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add the plum halves or quarters. Cook for about 10 minutes, but remember that this is the standard cooking time for very unripe plums, so you may need less.
When the plums are soft but not falling apart, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let the mixture sit until warm. You can boil the plums ahead of time and serve them at room temperature with French toast, or reheat them.
For French toast: In a pie dish, combine eggs, milk, cinnamon and sugar.
Place 2 pieces of bread in the egg mixture, turning them over after each side has been soaked enough so that the bread turns yellow, i.e., so that it has absorbed the liquid but does not fall apart. - Melt half the butter in a frying pan and fry two soaked slices of bread for a couple of minutes on each side. Transfer the yellow, egg-covered bread, well-fried in places, to warm plates. Meanwhile, soak the next two slices.
Melt the remaining butter and fry the other two slices in the same way.
Serve with plum jam, a beautiful red colour.
Culinary advice: The jam can be made up to a day in advance. Transfer it to a bowl to cool, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, gently reheat the jam in a saucepan. Freezing tip: The chilled jam can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as above.
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