SERVES 8 · ACTIVE: 15 MIN · TOTAL: 30 MIN
I’VE BEEN MAKING THIS dish since my first cooking job when I was 15. Somewhere along the way, I started to serve it as dessert with vanilla ice cream with great success. It works especially well as a finale to a holiday brunch. When berries are at their summer peak, you could use fresh fruit combined with a little honey instead of the preserves.
1 loaf Brioche (here) or challah bread, chilled
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
½ cup raspberry preserves
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Maple syrup, for serving
4 mint sprigs
½ cup fresh raspberries
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Using a serrated knife, trim the ends from the loaf of bread (save them for bread crumbs) and slice the loaf into four 2-inch-thick slices. Cut down the middle of the top of each slice, almost all the way, leaving an inch connected at the bottom.
Combine the cream cheese and preserves in a bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Evenly spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the raspberry cream cheese in the pocket of each slice of bread. (This can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.)
Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large baking dish. Dredge the stuffed brioche slices in the batter for about 10 seconds on each side and drain the excess liquid.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 stuffed brioche slices and cook on both sides until lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and stuffed bread. Transfer the browned French toasts to a nonstick baking sheet and bake until the center filling is hot, about 10 minutes. Cut on the diagonal and serve with maple syrup, mint sprigs, and fresh raspberries.
SERVES 10 TO 12 · ACTIVE: 30 MIN · TOTAL: 1 HR 30 MIN
THIS LIGHT, FLUFFY, AROMATIC cake happens also to be gluten-free because it uses almond flour as its base. Jasmine tea brings out the perfume of the strawberries and complements the sweet white chocolate. Be sure to use a good-quality bar of white chocolate made with cocoa butter, not the chips that are mostly milk, oil, and way too much sugar.
Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon jasmine tea leaves
8 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups almonds, finely ground in a food processor
1 pound strawberries, stemmed and quartered
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons white wine, preferably Riesling
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 10-inch non-stick springform pan with parchment paper and lightly butter it. Place it on a baking sheet.
Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer over low heat. Set a stainless steel bowl over (but not touching) the water. Melt the white chocolate in the bowl. Let cool to room temperature.
In a small pot over low heat, bring the heavy cream and tea leaves to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and ½ cup of the sugar on high speed until it doubles in volume, about 5 minutes.
Stir the ground almonds into the cooled chocolate. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve and add the cream to the chocolate. Gently fold the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture.
In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites on high speed in the stand mixer until they reach the soft peak stage, just starting to hold onto the whisk. Reduce the speed to low and add the remaining ½ cup sugar. Return to high speed and whip until they’re just stiff and glossy. Fold one-third of the whites into the chocolate at a time until just incorporated, being careful not to over-fold the mixture and lose volume.
Pour the batter into the springform pan and transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for about 1 hour. The cake will rise and crack a little, and it’s done when a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
While the cake bakes, toss the strawberries with the confectioners’ sugar and wine in a bowl, and let marinate for 20 minutes.
Let the cake cool to room temperature on a rack. Remove it from the pan and top each serving with a spoonful of strawberries.