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Australia, Oceania · Lamingtons

Lamington French Toast

A lamington turned café brunch: brioche soaked in cocoa custard, fried in butter, brushed with ganache and pressed into toasted coconut, with raspberry jam and berries.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time25 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Toast the coconut in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for , stirring constantly, until pale golden, then spread it straight onto a wide plate to cool. Left in the pan, it burns fast from the leftover heat.

    Add in this stepDesiccated coconut 40 g

    medium-low heat

  2. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat for , until it steams and small bubbles appear at the edge, then pour it over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Leave for 1 minute, then stir in small circles from the centre until you have a smooth, glossy ganache.

    Add in this stepCream (for the ganache) 40 mlDark chocolate (around 55% cocoa), finely chopped 40 g

    low heat

  3. In a wide, shallow dish, mix the sugar and cocoa first to break up any lumps, then add the eggs, vanilla and salt and whisk until no streaks of white remain. Pour in the milk gradually, whisking until smooth. Cocoa added straight to milk clumps and won't dissolve.

    Add in this stepEggs 2Sugar 2 tspUnsweetened cocoa powder 3 tspVanilla extract ½ tspSalt 1 pinchMilk 100 ml

  4. Soak the bread in the custard for per side. It should be moist right through but not sag when you lift it; soaked too long, brioche tears.

    Add in this stepBrioche or thick white bread slices (2.5 cm), ideally a day old 4

  5. Heat a 26 cm frying pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and add the bread once the foam starts to subside. Cook for per side, until lightly crisp and no custard seeps out when pressed. The cocoa makes it scorch easily, so don't turn the heat up. If it doesn't all fit, cook in batches, dividing the butter.

    Add in this stepButter (for frying) 20 g

    medium-low heat

  6. Spread a thin layer of ganache over the top and sides of each hot toast with the back of a spoon, then press the ganache side firmly into the toasted coconut. Plate, add a spoonful of raspberry jam and the raspberries, dust lightly with icing sugar through a sieve and serve straight away.

    Add in this stepRaspberry jam 2 tbspRaspberries (fresh or thawed frozen) 80 gIcing sugar (for dusting) 1 tsp

Cook's tip

Day-old brioche or bread soaks up the custard better and falls apart less. If the ganache sets, warm it in the microwave in 10-second bursts. A spoonful of whipped cream on the side gives you the jam-and-cream lamington feel.

Cooking it at camp

A great camp brunch that needs only a burner and one pan. Toast the coconut at home and mix the custard in a jar to carry in the cooler below 5 °C. Chocolate spread can stand in for the ganache, and on a fierce burner, lift the pan off the flame now and then to keep the heat gentle.