Introducing Our Reinvented Pain Perdu at Lush Roscoe Village
By Caity Weaver via The Atlantic
What exactly is Pain Perdu?
Quite simply, it’s French toast. The French way.
The name translates to “lost bread,” a centuries-old French tradition of rescuing yesterday’s stale bread by soaking it in eggs and milk, then frying it until golden.
A rather ingenious way to turn something ordinary into something wonderful.
Of course, everybody makes French toast. It’s one of those dishes so familiar that most people have stopped thinking about how extraordinary it could be.
I thought it deserved a little more ambition.
We begin with brioche. Not just any bread, but that magnificent French invention enriched with butter and eggs, possessing a delicate crumb and a richness that makes ordinary white bread seem terribly uninteresting.
Then we make it even better.
We bathe thick slices in a luxurious mixture of eggs and crème fraîche, allowing the bread to absorb all that wonderful richness.
Then comes clarified butter, a hot pan, and the patience to develop a beautiful golden crust while keeping the center tender and custardy.
But why stop there?
We add a little brûlée magic.
A delicate caramelized sugar crust creates that irresistible contrast between crisp, crackling sweetness and the soft, rich interior.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
The traditional approach would be to bury the whole thing under powdered sugar and drown it in maple syrup.
Perfectly acceptable, I suppose. But hardly memorable.
We had a better idea.
Asian pears.
Unlike their softer European cousins, Asian pears have a wonderfully crisp, juicy texture and a delicate sweetness. More importantly, they can withstand a little time in a sauté pan without surrendering into a shapeless puddle.
Gently sautéed, they develop a beautiful depth of flavor while retaining that refreshing bite.
But I wasn’t quite ready to abandon maple syrup entirely. Its distinctive flavor belongs at the breakfast table.
So we gave it a more sophisticated role.
Maple crème fraîche.
Cool, silky, gently tangy crème fraîche whipped with just enough maple to provide sweetness without overwhelming everything else.
Now imagine the combination.
Warm, buttery brioche. A delicate brûléed crust that cracks beneath your fork. A rich, custardy center. Sweet, juicy Asian pears. And a generous spoonful of maple crème fraîche.
Crisp. Creamy. Buttery. Fruity. Just sweet enough.
This is what French toast should have been all along.
And because this is Lush, the story doesn’t end with the food.
What should we drink?
Coffee would be the conventional answer.
But I’ve never been particularly interested in conventional answers.
Consider a glass of Pineau des Charentes.
This remarkable French specialty combines fresh grape must with Cognac eau-de-vie, creating something rich, aromatic, and wonderfully complex.
Its notes of honey, dried fruit, and gentle spice make it a natural companion to caramelized brioche and sautéed pears.
But if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, consider a 30-year-old Pineau des Charentes.
Three decades of patience can produce extraordinary depth: toasted nuts, caramel, dried apricots, warm spices, and a lingering richness that turns breakfast into something approaching an occasion.
Is a 30-year-old Pineau a little extravagant for Sunday brunch?
Absolutely.
But then again, so is turning French toast into a masterpiece.
Some mornings deserve more than coffee and toast.
Pain Perdu at Lush Roscoe Village.
Lost bread. Rediscovered pleasure.
Sunday Brunch | 10 AM–3 PM
Because life’s too short for ordinary French toast.
