Banana and pecan French toast with bacon and vanilla syrup
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Photograph by Laura Edwards
Banana and pecan French toast with bacon and vanilla syrup
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
913Kcal
Fat
58gr
Saturates
27gr
Carbs
77gr
Sugars
43gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
20gr
Salt
2.4gr
Peter Gordon
New Zealand chef Peter Gordon's inspiring pan-cultural food has led to him often being credited as the 'godfather of fusion cuisine', with his restaurants The Providores and Tapa Room, and formerly The Sugar Club in London.
See more of Peter Gordon’s recipes
Peter Gordon
New Zealand chef Peter Gordon's inspiring pan-cultural food has led to him often being credited as the 'godfather of fusion cuisine', with his restaurants The Providores and Tapa Room, and formerly The Sugar Club in London.
See more of Peter Gordon’s recipes
Ingredients
- 40g pecans
- 8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 2 ripe bananas
- 8 day-old brioche slices
- 2 large eggs
- 150ml double cream
- 2 tbsp soft butter
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
For the vanilla syrup:
- 75ml verjus, see Kitchen Secret (or use 75ml clear apple juice and 1 tbsp lemon juice)
- 75g caster sugar
- ½ vanilla pod, split in half
Step by step
Get ahead
Make up to the end of step 5 up to 1 hr ahead, transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper; bake in a preheated oven (180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4) for 5 minutes.
- Toast the pecans in a large frying pan. Roughly chop most of the nuts; reserve a few whole to finish.
- For the vanilla syrup, put everything into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer until it's reduced by one third (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, grill the bacon on high for 6-8 minutes, turning halfway until crisp.
-
Mash the bananas roughly with a fork and spread them over 4 of the slices of brioche. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the bananas. Lay the remaining 4 slices on top and press down to create 4 sandwiches.TipVerjus is unripened grape juice from Australia – it can be tricky to get hold of here, but apple juice and lemon make a good substitute.
- Beat the eggs and cream together in a shallow bowl. Dip the sandwiches into the mixture to coat evenly.
- Melt half the butter in the frying pan, then add half the oil. Cook 2 sandwiches at a time for about 2 minutes until golden. Flip over; cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Remove and drain on kitchen paper; keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter, oil and sandwiches.
- To serve, lay the bacon on top of each French toast sandwich; drizzle with the syrup, scatter over the pecans.
