SALTED CARAMEL
150g/¾ cup caster/superfine sugar
120ml/½ cup double/heavy cream
20g/1½tbsp butter
A large pinch of flaky sea salt
FRENCH TOAST
3 eggs
30ml/2tbsp milk
A pinch of salt
30g/2tbsp butter
4 slices white bread
TO SERVE
Vanilla ice cream
The French toast eaten in Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette? fulfils the craving of an expectant mother. She dreams of it sandwiching a large scoop of Molly Moon’s salted caramel ice cream, but if you can’t get to Molly Moon’s in Seattle, vanilla ice cream and a big spoonful of salted caramel will provide a worthy substitute.* I use my friend Liv’s salted caramel recipe, a jar of which is always somewhere in my kitchen, to satisfy any entirely non-pregnancy related cravings.
Serves 2
1. First, make the salted caramel. Melt the sugar to a rich, nutty brown in a pan, then take off the heat, and whisk in the double cream (it will bubble up, so watch your forearms). Whisk in the butter. Finally, season with a big pinch of flaky sea salt. Store it in a sterilized jar (see p. 158) in the fridge – it lasts about a month, but I guarantee you’ll be eating it with a spoon before too long.
2. To make the French toast, use a fork to whisk the eggs in a wide dish, until there are no streaks of white or yolk. Add the milk and salt and whisk again.
3. Place a non-stick or cast-iron pan over a moderate heat, and put a tablespoon of the butter in the pan. Dip a piece of bread into the egg, and flip over to soak the other side too. Allow it to drip, and then place it into the foaming butter. Repeat with a second piece of bread. Once the bread is golden brown underneath, flip it over and cook on the other side. Add more butter, and then soak and fry the other 2 slices.
4. Serve with a scoop of ice cream, and a spoonful of salted caramel.
* I visited Molly Moon’s a few years back. It’s well worth a trip if you’re in the area; I still think about their honey lavender, and that famous salted caramel.