French toast has my heart. I admire all recipes that give stale bread a lifeline. There are many recipes out there in the world with repurposed day-old or more bread as star

of the show. So much so, I buy or make bread and always have the tail end of a loaf in mind for one recipe of another. French toast is an easy win in this house, either sweet or

savoury. What makes this French toast special is the use of orange blossom water (an ingredient that so deserves its cupboard space). Made from water distilled with the essence of flowers from orange trees, I am always surprised by what a drop or two of this sweet, citrus and floral-scented water can bring to so many different dishes. Popular in African, Middle Eastern and also French cuisines it works beautifully

here in with this French toast, puffed and golden and served with thinly sliced clementines, chopped pistachios and some runny honey.

Method:

• In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, orange blossom water (as much or as little as you like) and sugar. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add a small amount of butter. Leave the butter to melt. Dip each slice of brioche into the egg mixture, making sure both sides are well coated.
• Fry the coated slices for about 2–3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and beginning to caramelize.
• You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your pan.
• Remove the French toast from the pan and place it on a paper towel to remove any excess fat.
• Serve straight away topped with slices of clementine and drizzled with the honey and sprinkled with the pistachios.

Extracted from Claire Thomson’s Veggie Family Cookbook (Ebury)