Vive Le French Toast!

For the sautéed pears

• 2 large pears, not too ripe, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons Pernod

1. In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium/low heat.
2. Add pears and cook for about 10 minutes or until pears soften slightly and begin to caramelize just a bit.
3. Add sugar and stir together.
4. Add Pernod and stir together. Mixture will thicken a bit. Remove from pan and set aside. And don’t wash your pan yet…you’ll use it again in a little while.

For the French toast

• 6 slices Challah bread, cut 1” thick, left out for several hours to harden slightly
• 2 cups heavy cream (or substitute half and half or milk)
• 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons Cointreau, or other orange-flavored liqueur
• 1 tablespoon Amaretto, or other almond-flavored liqueur
• 2 tablespoons Pernod
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra

1. In a mixing bowl, combine cream, eggs, salt, vanilla, liqueurs, and sugar. With a fork or a whisk, mix well.
2. Lay bread slices in a casserole dish and pour custard over. Let soak for about 20 minutes, carefully flipping bread with a spatula every 5 minutes or so.
3. In the same pan that you cooked your fruit in, melt butter over medium heat, and swirl around the pan.
4. Carefully transfer the bread slices to the hot butter. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Cook for about 10 minutes per side. You’re looking for a lovely golden-brown toasty color on the cooked side. Turn the heat down a bit if bread is browning too quickly. If pan is looking dry, add a few small pats of butter to the pan here and there. Let the butter melt, then flip your toast, and cook for about another 10 minutes.
5. Remove French toast to warm serving plates and spoon sautéed pears over. Serve with maple syrup and/or a little cream. A dollop of crème fraiche would definitely gild this fleur-de-lis.
6. Bon appétit!