Poor knights of Windsor (French toast) recipe

This French toast-style dish makes a luxurious breakfast treat or a lovely addition to a brunch spread. You can use white bread or brioche, raspberries or strawberries — the final result is guaranteed to be delicious.

Just be sure to leave your bread out the night before so that it gets slightly stale.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 10 minutes

SERVES

Four

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices of white bread or brioche

• 4 egg yolks

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 150ml milk

• 50ml sherry

• Butter to fry with

• 200g raspberries or strawberries

• 200ml chilled double cream

• 1 level tbsp icing sugar

METHOD

1. Leave the four slices of bread or brioche on a wire rack to dry out overnight.

2. The next day, beat together the egg yolks, sugar, milk and sherry.

3. Pour this into a shallow, flat container and dip each slice of dry bread in the mixture, leaving it in for about 30 seconds so that the bread soaks up the liquid but doesn’t break up, and can still be fried.

4. Gently melt a knob of butter in a large non-stick frying pan and fry two slices of soaked bread at a time, turning them once they are browned underneath so that both sides turn golden. Lift them out on to a wire rack to drain and repeat with the rest of the bread.

5. Meanwhile, gently warm the fruit in a small pan, just enough to bring out the flavour. Use a fork to break the berries down a bit.

6. Whip the chilled cream and icing sugar together until thick.

7. To assemble, put each slice of bread on a plate and top with the warm fruit. Put a spoonful of the whipped cream over the fruit and serve.