Serves 1
“At some point back in the 1950s, I was the breakfast cook at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris. We made a lot of French toast, and to go faster, I would melt the very eggy ice cream from the pastry kitchen, to make it. Here, I’m using vanilla ice cream, but you can use any flavor for this fast and simple version. I love bananas with this, but berries and most fruit work well.” —Jacques Pepin
Ingredients
1 to 1½ cups vanilla ice cream, melted
1 slice firm white bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ banana, sliced, for serving
2 tablespoons maple syrup, for serving
Method
Pour the melted ice cream onto a serving plate and dip the bread in it, turning it on both sides. Let the bread rest for a couple of minutes so that it absorbs as much of the ice cream as possible.
In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the bread and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Turn the bread and cook again on the other side, another 2 minutes. Return the toast to the same plate; garnish with slices of banana and drizzle with maple syrup. Serve immediately.