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Poached peach and almond pain perdu

by Graham Hornigold
  1. Sous Vide Poached Peach Recipe
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Traditionally pain perdu was a way of using up stale bread, yet in Graham Hornigold's stunning dessert recipe the dish is transformed from mere convenience to glamorous showstopper. Almond-infused peaches, poached to perfection in a water bath, and a golden peach caramel add a burst of fruity sweetness, while fresh raspberries bring a welcome tartness to this beautifully bright brioche pain perdu recipe.

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Poached peaches

Peach caramel

Pain perdu

Chantilly cream

  • 500ml of double cream
  • 1 vanilla pod, scraped
  • 50g of icing sugar

To serve

SAVE RECIPE

Equipment

  • Vacuum bags
  • Bar sealer
  • Water bath
  • Pastry cutter
  • Electric hand whisk

Method

1
Preheat a water bath to 65°C
2
Slice the peaches in half, removing the stones, then place in a vacuum bag along with the toasted almonds and scraped vanilla pod. Seal the bag and cook the peach halves for 10–12 minutes in a water bath, until softened
3
Meanwhile, prepare the peach caramel. Place a pan over a medium high heat and allow to heat up. Add the sugar gradually, stirring gently between each addition, until all the sugar has melted
  • 100g of Demerara sugar
4
Allow the sugar to cook until it forms a golden caramel, then slowly add the peach purée – this will create a lot of steam so take care. Bring the mixture back up to the boil, stirring well to ensure the caramel has fully dissolved
5
Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the butter, whisking well until emulsified. Set the caramel aside, allowing to cool a little before serving
6
Remove the cooked peaches from the vacuum bag and leave to cool, face down, on a tray or plate
7
While the peaches are cooling, prepare the pain perdu. Cut the brioche loaf into 3cm thick slices, then cut out 8 rounds using a medium sized pastry cutter
8
Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and double cream in a large mixing bowl. Add the brioche rounds to the bowl and soak well until most of the mixture has been absorbed
9
Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a spoonful of butter. Heat until foaming, then add the soaked brioche rounds – cooking in batches if necessary – and fry for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Once cooked, remove the pain perdu rounds from the pan and leave to drain on kitchen paper
  • 1 tbsp of butter, or more if cooking in batches
10
Before serving, whisk the cream until just beginning to stiffen and fold in the vanilla and sugar. Carefully peel the peaches and cut into chunks, discarding any pieces which no longer hold their shape
  • 500ml of double cream
  • 1 vanilla pod, scraped
  • 50g of icing sugar
11
To serve, place a piece of pain perdu on each plate and dust lightly with icing sugar. Drizzle over a generous serving of the peach caramel and arrange pieces of peach and fresh raspberries across the plate. Finish with a quenelle or two of the Chantilly cream, scattering over a handful of toasted almond flakes to serve
First published in 2016
Graham Hornigold

Graham Hornigold’s expert pastry skills have been refined in some of the best restaurants and hotels in London, effortlessly adding delicate, refreshing touches to dessert menus. Today, he runs gourmet doughnut brand Longboys, which has three sites and stocks the likes of Harrods and Selfridges.

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