Our cookbook of the week is Olive + Gourmando: The Cookbook by Montreal-based chef and restaurateur Dyan Solomon. Over the next three days, we’ll feature more recipes from the book and an interview with the author.
The timing couldn’t be better for this breakfast dish. With oranges at peak freshness and deliciousness, seasonality is the perfect excuse to top a thick slice of french toast with a spicy-sweet-tart citrus salad.
Dyan Solomon recommends the stunning breakfast dish — which was created by a former head chef named Michael — as a Valentine’s Day treat for the morning after. With the holiday landing on a Friday this year, it’s just the thing to wake up to on a Saturday morning.
“It’s really delicious and decadent and gorgeous and all the things,” says Solomon. At Olive + Gourmando, they serve it during the winter, “but otherwise use whatever fruits are in season, changing the spiced honey for buttery maple syrup, or lemon curd.”
MIKEY’S CITRUS FRENCH TOAST
Spiced honey:
2/3 cup (150 mL) liquid honey
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) orange flower water
1 stick cinnamon
1 star anise
1 pinch ground cardamom
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch Aleppo pepper
Citrus salad:
1 large grapefruit, cut into segments
2 oranges, cut into segments
1 Cara Cara orange, cut into segments
1 small lime, cut into segments
1/2 cup (125 mL) Spiced Honey
To cook:
4 eggs
1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk
1 cup (250 mL) milk
Approximately 1 cup (200 g) white sugar
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) kosher salt
4 slices milk bread, sliced 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick
Salted butter, for sautéing
To serve:
Citrus Salad
1 heaping cup (120 g) Maple Crumble (recipe follows)
Whipped Labneh (recipe follows)
Fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp (30 mL) Spiced Honey
Spiced honey:
Step 1
In a small pot over low heat, heat all of the ingredients until the honey begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Citrus salad:
Step 2
In a large airtight container, gently toss all of the citrus-segment supremes with the spiced honey. Cover and let macerate in the refrigerator overnight.
To cook:
Step 3
In a bowl, using a whisk, combine the eggs, buttermilk, milk, sugar and salt. Transfer the mixture to a flat-bottomed shallow container. Place the bread slices in the egg mixture and let soak for 10 minutes on each side.
Step 4
In a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the soaked bread slices, about two at a time. Cook for approximately three minutes per side, or until the bread is golden brown.
To serve:
Step 5
Place the french toast on plates. Top with the citrus salad and sprinkle with the honey and juice. Finish with the crumble, labneh and mint leaves. Drizzle with the remaining spiced honey.
Note: When you are cutting the citrus segments, work over a bowl to catch the juices, then squeeze the membrane in order to extract all of the juice and add it to the citrus salad.
Makes: 4 servings
MAPLE CRUMBLE
1/2 cup (65 g) whole raw pistachios
1/3 cup (60 g) raw almonds, roughly chopped
6 tbsp (60 g) pumpkin seeds
Approximately 1/2 cup (50 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
3 tbsp (45 mL) brown sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp (22.5 mL) black sesame seeds
1 1/2 tbsp (22.5 mL) canola or grapeseed oil
1 tsp (5 mL) fleur de sel
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground ginger
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Step 2
In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients using a wooden spoon or your hands. Transfer the crumble in an even layer to the baking sheet.
Step 3
Bake for 15 minutes or until the nuts are roasted. Let cool on the baking sheet. Transfer to an airtight container.
Makes: 2 1/2 cups (625 mL)
WHIPPED LABNEH
1/4 cup (60 mL) 35 per cent cream
1/3 cup (75 mL) labneh
Step 1
In a bowl, whip the cream until hard peaks form. Gently fold in the labneh using a spatula. Refrigerate until just before serving.
Makes: 3/4 cup (180 mL)
Excerpted from Olive + Gourmando: The Cookbook by Dyan Solomon (KO Éditions, 2019). Used with permission from the publisher.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
