FRENCH TOAST CLAFOUTIS WITH BRANDIED PLUMS

When our four children were little, Christmas morning had its expected rituals. The kids in their pajamas would impatiently wait for my husband and me to emerge bleary eyed from late night finishes to one or another homemade gifts: Adding the hinges to the roof of a dollhouse, say, or sewing the mane on a slightly cockeyed hobby horse. Once the glee subsided, and the wrapping paper had been rescued from further shredding by the family dog, it was time for a festive brunch. Bacon broccoli-cheese quiche, waffles with fresh fruit and whip, mugs of hot cider, and sometimes? A big baked dish of French toast that had soaked in creamy custard overnight.

Thinking of that tender toast put me in mind of two other favorite things: Brandied plums and clafoutis, the not-too-sweet French dish of fresh fruit baked in custard. Why not omit the flour from the clafouti custard recipe, quick-brandy the plums and combine the two in a sumptuous version of overnight-soaked French toast? Why not indeed!

For a large family, this festive pan-full of custard-plummy goodness is so much easier to make than standing at the stove flipping French toast to order when you want to be singing carols with everyone in the other room. And while true brandied plums take weeks to set up, macerating the fruit in sugar and brandy overnight before adding to and baking the toast still yields nicely spirited flavor. I use Italian prune plums (prunica domestica—sometimes sold as Empress plums) in this recipe because they hold their shape better than other varieties, but you can substitute any of your favorite plums. Because more is better here, I roast an extra batch of the plums, which, in their rich pink syrup, go very well with the French toast.

A little extra tip: If you’d like to make true brandied plums for a boost through the coming winter doldrums, all you need is a pound of plums, pitted, quartered, and mixed with a cup and ½ of brandy, ½ cup of sugar and a vanilla bean. As my Mom did making rumtopf, I put the mixture in a crock and place it in a dark room with a heavy plate pushed down over the fruit to keep it submerged. Within three weeks, the plums soften into boozy splendor, ready to be enjoyed.

SERVES 6 TO 8

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE FRENCH TOAST

• 1 lb. loaf of brioche, cut into thick slices
• 3 Tbsp. softened butter, divided, plus more as needed
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• Confectioners’ sugar, to dust finished toast

FOR THE MACERATED BRANDIED PLUMS

• 12 Italian prune plums, pits discarded, cut into quarters
• Zest of one fresh lemon
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 1-½ tsp vanilla paste OR 1 Madagascar vanilla bean

FOR THE EXTRA BRANDIED PLUM SAUCE

• 12 Italian prune plums, pits discarded cut in HALVES
• Zest of one fresh lemon
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 1-½ tsp vanilla paste OR 1 Madagascar vanilla bean

METHOD

PREP THE CUSTARD AND BRIOCHE

Evenly coat the inside of a 2-quart baking dish with 1 Tbsp butter. Spread remaining 2 Tbsp butter on the tops of the brioche slices, using more butter if needed. In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add milk, cream, sugar, vanilla paste, almond extract and pinch of salt. Whisk again until smooth and well incorporated. Working one slice at a time, dunk the buttered brioche in the custard and, starting at the back of the dish, shingle the slices (upright and tilted slightly backward) in the dish, overlapping as needed. Pour the rest of the custard over the bread. Press tops down a bit to squish them down and help them soak up the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

MACERATE THE PLUMS IN BRANDY

In a medium-sized bowl, mix 12 quartered plums with zest of one fresh lemon. In small bowl, whisk 1/3 cup brandy with 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1-½ tsp. vanilla paste (OR if using a vanilla bean, split bean, scrape seeds into brandy mixture and add bean to the fruit.) Pour liquid over the fruit and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

MAKE EXTRA BRANDIED PLUMS TO SERVE WITH FINISHED TOAST

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. From second brandied plum recipe listed above, mix 12 quartered plums with zest of one fresh lemon. Whisk 1/3 cup brandy with 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1-½ tsp vanilla paste. (OR if using a vanilla bean, split bean, scrape seeds into brandy mixture and add bean to the fruit.) Arrange halved plums cut side up in a 9-inch pie dish; pour brandy liquid over all. Roast in oven for 40 minutes, occasionally basting the tops of the plums with the juices. Remove from oven. Cool.

BAKE THE FRENCH TOAST

In the morning, an hour and a half before you want to serve the toast, place oven rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a pan that is larger than the 2-quart baking dish of French toast on your counter; center the French toast dish inside the larger pan. Remove and discard plastic wrap from macerated plums and custard. Carefully pry apart the slices of soaked bread and insert the macerated plums between slices. Cover the top of the French toast baking dish with foil and place in the larger pan. Place pan on oven rack. Carefully fill the larger pan with boiling water until it comes halfway up the outside of the French toast baking dish. Make sure the foil doesn’t touch the water. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes until custard has completely set (poke down to the bottom of the dish to check,) plums are tender, and toast is golden brown. Remove from oven. Once cooled a bit, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm with the extra roasted plum sauce and dollops of whipped cream, if desired.