Almond Pan Perdu with Sweet Honey Mascarpone and Blackberries

A delicious simple yet fancy brunch the whole family will love.  Almond Pan Perdu with Sweet Honey Mascarpone and Blackberries is the perfect lazy morning made to impress breakfast. 

_{(Original post date Feb. 19, 2019. Links and post updated Dec. 29, 2021)}

So, what is Pan Perdu? In simple terms, it is a fancy version of French Toast.  Instead of soaking the bread in an egg wash, you soak it in more thick egg custard.

I was first introduced to Pan Perdu years ago when I lived in Denver.  At a little brunch place called Lucille’s.  Since I first visited, they have branched out and now have multiple locations, but back then it was a small local business that served up French-style Louisiana breakfast favorites.  One of which is Pan Perdu with Spicy sausage.  The combination of sweet meets spicy on the plate is what brunch dreams are made of.

When I moved away, I craved this fancy Pan Perdu.  So, I started to experiment and one day Almond Pan Perdu was on the plate and I have topped it with everything from apple butter to Carmel sauce, sweet cream spreads to fresh berries to a combination of all the above.

It is always a special weekend in the house for the kids when mom wakes up early and makes this special treat.  It has become my daughter’s favorite and my son loves to steal it off the counter before I am even able to plate it.

The bread takes at least 10 minutes to soak in the liquid before you can cook it up.   It cooks up in two ways. First, you fry both sides of the bread until it is golden brown. Then it is finished in the oven, it needs to cook all the way through.  If you do not put it in the oven the middle will be raw and soggy, which no one wants in the morning.

How to make Almond Pan Perdu

• Slice the stale french bread into 3/4 inch thick slices.  Stale bread works best because it will absorb more liquid without getting too mushy.  It just holds the shape better. 
• In a large bowl whisk together sugar, bourbon, eggs, half and half, honey, vanilla, orange zest, salt, and crushed almonds. 
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees
• Pour egg mixture into a 9X2 cake pan.  Lay sliced bread into the pan.  Allow to absorb 1 minute then turn and allow the other side to rest and absorb the bread mixture for another 3 minutes or until the egg mixture is almost completely absorbed.  
• In a large cast-iron skillet melt 1 tbsp butter. over medium-low heat. Take 1/2 the slice of bread from the egg mixture, and place in the cast iron skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until nicely browned.  Place bread on a baking sheet and allow to finish cooking in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  Repeat this step with the other half of the bread slices. 

Almond Pan Perdu with Sweet Honey Mascarpone and Blackberries is the perfect brunch dish when you are having your girlfriends over and looking to wow, or when your kid just has an amazing week and you want to treat them to something special.  This is a must-have on any brunch menu this year!

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Recipe for Almond Pan Perdu

Almond Pan Perdu with Sweet Honey Mascarpone and Black Berries

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6

Calories: 535kcal

A delicious simple yet fancy brunch the whole family will love. Almond Pan Perdu with Sweet Honey Mascarpone and Blackberries is the perfect lazy morning made to impress breakfast.  

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp bourbon
• 6 eggs
• 1 ½ cup half and half
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup crushed almonds
• 1 loaf french bread staled or left out overnight
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter you may need more

Sweet Honey Mascarpone

• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp orange zest

Garnish

• ½ cup sliced blanched almonds toasted
• confectioners sugar to serve
• 1 pint blackberries
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar

Instructions

Prepare Berries

• Combine the blackberries and light brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside 

Making the Pan Perdu

• Slice the stale french bread into 3/4 inch thick slices.  Stale bread works best because it will absorb the more liquid without getting too mushy.  It just holds the shape better. 
• In a large bowl whisk together sugar, bourbon, eggs, half and half, honey, vanilla, orange zest, salt, and crushed almonds. 
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees
• Pour egg mixture into a 9X2 cake pan.  Lay sliced bread into the pan.  Allow to absorb 1 minute then turn and allow the other side to rest and absorb the bread mixture for another 3 minutes or until the egg mixture almost completely absorbed.  
• In a large cast iron skillet melt 1 tbsp butter. over medium-low heat. Take 1/2 the slice of bread from the egg mixture, and place in the cast iron skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until nicely browned.  Place bread on a baking sheet and allow to finish cooking in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  Repeat this step with the other half of bread slices. 

Sweet Honey Mascarpone

• In a medium bowl whisk together mascarpone, honey, salt, and orange zest. 
• Once fully cooked the bread should spring back just like a cake would when you push on the top (be extra careful it will be hot).  Remove from bread from the oven, place on a plate, spread with mascarpone mixture top with blackberries, sliced almonds, and confectioners sugar. 

Nutrition

Serving: 313g | Calories: 535kcal | Carbohydrates: 67.65g | Protein: 18.86g | Fat: 21.01g | Saturated Fat: 8.487g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.048g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7.422g | Trans Fat: 0.325g | Cholesterol: 646mg | Sodium: 1077mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 41.07g | Vitamin A: 941IU | Vitamin C: 16.8mg | Calcium: 275mg | Iron: 4.49mg

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