Chai French Toast with Caramelized Peaches

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Okay I’m keeping this super brief because I had no plans to post this recipe. BUT, I got many DMs asking for it, so here it is! Please note this is a ROUGH recipe—I didn’t take proper notes, and tbh, I always kinda wing French toast. But this is the general idea! You could also just apply the chai-infused milk and cream to your personal favourite French toast recipe.

LOVE YA!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Chai French Toast & Chai Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup whipping cream

• 2 bags chai (or ~2 tbsp loose-leaf chai)

• 3 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

• 1/3 cup sugar (for custard), plus 2–3 tbsp sugar (for whipped cream, adjust to taste)

• Day-old sourdough bread (or any slightly stale, good-quality bread), cut into thick slices

• Butter, for frying

• Chopped, toasted nuts to garnish (optional)

Peaches:

• 3–4 peaches, sliced

• 1/2 cup (1 stick / 113g) unsalted butter, plus extra if needed

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, plus extra if needed

Directions:

1. Infuse Milk and Cream: Pour milk and cream into separate containers or jars with lids. Add one chai tea bag to each container. Cover and let infuse in the fridge for at least 24 hours (I did 48 hours, which was perfect).

2. Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place it in the oven to heat up.

3. Prepare Chai Custard: Remove the chai-infused milk from the fridge, discarding the tea bag. In a small-to-medium baking dish or bowl, whisk together chai-infused milk, 3 eggs, egg yolk, and 1/3 cup sugar until fully combined. Set aside.

4. Prepare Chai Whipped Cream: Remove chai-infused whipping cream from the fridge, discarding the tea bag. In a large bowl, combine the infused cream with 2 tbsp sugar. Whisk vigorously until it begins to thicken. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Continue whisking until you reach your preferred consistency (I like a soft whip!). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Cook Peaches: In a medium pan over medium heat, melt the 1/2 cup butter. Once melted, add the 1/2 cup brown sugar. Stir until sugar has melted and the mixture is bubbly. Add sliced peaches and cook, stirring occasionally. If the mixture looks too dry, add additional butter and brown sugar as needed. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently while you prepare the French toast, stirring periodically.

6. Cook French Toast: Heat a stainless steel or non-stick pan over medium heat. Add a small knob of butter. Using tongs, dip one slice of bread into the chai custard, making sure both sides are well-coated. Lift bread out of custard, allowing excess to drip off gently. Place the soaked bread onto the hot pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Transfer cooked toast onto the preheated sheet pan in the oven.

   Note: The oven is at 400°F, not just a “keep warm” temperature. Since the bread is stale and fully soaked in custard, I liked the texture I got from brief additional cooking in the oven. If making a larger batch, monitor carefully, or reduce the oven to 200°F to simply keep warm once cooked.

7. Repeat dipping and frying with remaining bread slices.

8. Serve: Top warm French toast with generous dollops of chai whipped cream, spoonfuls of cooked peaches, and garnish with toasted nuts. Enjoy!

That’s all for now! See you next time At Isabelle’s.