Canarian · Dessert

Torrija de plátano

Plantain custard French toast with honey rum

Brioche soaked overnight in a custard made from island plantain, fried in butter, then brûléed so the top cracks under the spoon. The dessert that closes the Huerta menu.

Serves
Six
Prep
25 min
Cook
15 min
Cuisine
Canarian

A torrija is Spanish French toast, usually milk and cinnamon. This one replaces most of the milk with plantain blitzed into the custard, which does two things: it sweetens without sugar, and it makes the inside set almost like a bread pudding. The overnight soak is not optional.

Ingredients

  • 6 thick slices brioche or good white bread, crusts on, cut 3 cm thick
  • 3 very ripe plantains or bananas, black-skinned
  • 400 ml whole milk
  • 150 ml double cream
  • 3 eggs plus 2 yolks
  • 60 g caster sugar, plus more for the top
  • 1 strip lemon peel
  • Butter for frying
  • Honey rum to serve

Method

  1. Warm the milk, cream and lemon peel to just below a simmer, then take off the heat and leave 20 minutes to infuse. Remove the peel.
  2. Blitz two of the plantains into the warm milk until completely smooth.
  3. Whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar, pour the warm plantain milk over while whisking, then strain.
  4. Lay the bread in a dish, pour the custard over, and press it down. Cover and refrigerate overnight. It should be saturated and heavy in the morning.
  5. Lift each slice out carefully and fry in foaming butter, two minutes a side, until deep brown. Handle it like it will fall apart, because it will.
  6. Slice the last plantain, dust the torrijas and the plantain with sugar, and blowtorch until the sugar goes amber and cracks. Pour the honey rum at the table, while it is still too hot to eat.

Serve it with. Nothing. It does not need cream and it does not need ice cream.