French toast recipe with a twist

This unusual French toast, pain perdu, was inspired by a recipe shown on the French morning TV, Tele Matin. I have modified it by replacing the brioche, sweet bun, with whole wheat muffin which is much more usual in our household. You can make this recipe with almost any fruit in season; peaches, apricots, apples…

2- 3 servings

1 whole wheat muffin
150 ml milk
1 vanilla pod
1 egg
1 tbsp sugar
2 fresh and ripe peaches

Preheat the oven to 180° C.

Pour the milk into a bowl and gently warm it in a microwave oven. Half the vanilla pod lengthwise and place in the milk. Whisk until it has released the vanilla grains into the milk, then discard the pod. Cut the muffin into cubes and place them into the milk to get soaked.

In a larger bowl, whisk the egg and sugar. Pour the muffin- milk mixture into the egg- sugar mixture.

Wash and dry the peaches and cut into cubes. Add them into the muffin- egg- milk and mix well.

Oil a small non- stick ovenproof dish and pour the fruit- muffin- egg- milk mixture into it. Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and gently ease the edges from the dish with a wooden spatula. Place a plate upside down on top of the dish and quickly turn over the dish and plate releasing the “French toast” on to the plate. Lift off the ovenproof dish and serve.

Come to think of it, this dessert could also be called Tarte Tatin with a twist by the way the bake is released from the dish. Serve it with a good vanilla ice cream if you wish to intensify the vanilla flavour.

Walking in Old Carros

The commune of Carros is situated 17 km northwest of Nice. New Carros is nowadays a busy industrial town with its business park extending several km towards Le Broc along the River Var.

Carros Village, Old Carros (387m alt.) on the other hand is totally different. We visited it on a beautiful and warm September morning. It was pleasant to stroll along its tranquil medieval alleys. From various spots, we had great views over the high mountaintops in the north and the Var Valley and the coast in the south.



Carros chateau is beautifully restored some years ago.  Contemporary art exhibitions are arranged in the chateau, and entrance is free. For example, last year we went to see their exhibition named variations LeCorbusier. Alas, on the day of this visit, the chateau and exhibition were closed because of change of exhibitions. It is therefore best to consult their web site https://www.ciac-carros.fr/ (in French) to see what’s going on before making a trip there, something we failed to do today.

Several hiking trails start or pass through the village. These would be nice to explore later, as on a crisp and sunny Riviera winter day.

Carros village has few restaurants. There’s an old auberge transformed into a restaurant, and a good pizzeria with a sunny terrace offering views down to the Var Valley, and a crêperie on a shaded alley.

A visit to the perched village of Carros makes a nice change from the more famous and crowded attractions on the French Riviera.