Cheese & Pickle French Toast

This fabulous Cheese and Pickle French Toast recipe from Su Scott’s Pocha cookbook riffs off the already fabulous Monte Cristo sandwich (ham and cheese stuffed, battered and fried sandwich) to God Tier level via the genius addition of pickle, Branston being her pickle of choice.

The sharp sweet tang of pickle provides excellent contrast to the richness of cheese and ham and pillowy french toast.

You can find our full review of Su Scott’s Pocha cookbook here, and you may also enjoy our review of our previous cookbook, Rice Table.

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Cheese + Pickle French Toast

My first ever butter-fried toast sprinkled in sugar was cooked for me by my auntie; it was kind of a rarity in Korea back in the 1980s. The experience was so sensational! I can still remember the smell of butter and taste the cinnamon-dusted sugar. Little did I know back then that it was a riff on eggy bread. Fast forward a few decades, Western-influenced bakery goods are seen widely across Korea, from the tiny convenience store shelves to fancy dessert cafés with a strong practice of infusing both the traditional and non-traditional Korean baking techniques with European techniques. It’s smart, impressive and actually really exciting.

The idea of sandwiching the cheese and pickle came about when I saw ham and cheese stuffed French toast sold in one of the convenience stores in Seoul, which I later learned is called a Monte Cristo. I like how the sharp and sweet chutney cuts through the richness of the eggy bread and complements the overall flavour. Enjoy it with a good drizzle of maple syrup and a splash of Tabasco.

Author Su Scott

Ingredients

• 2 thick slices of white bread
• 1 tsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp small-chunk pickle (I use Branston)
• 2 slices of Port Salut or 1 slice of American cheese
• a little unsalted butter, for frying
• For the eggy mixture
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp full-fat milk
• 1 tsp icing (confectioners’) sugar
• a pinch of sea salt flakes, to taste

To finish

• maple syrup, to taste
• a splash of Tabasco, to taste

Instructions

• Lay the slices of bread on a chopping board and spread the mayonnaise on one slice of bread and the pickle on the other. Put the cheese on top of the mayonnaise-smeared bread and cover with the other slice, with the pickle side facing inwards. Now you have the cheese and pickle sandwich. Cut into quarters so you have 4 small squares.
• Make the eggy mixture by whisking all the ingredients in a shallow-rimmed dish snug enough hold the sandwich comfortably but without too much space. Carefully dip the cheese and pickle sandwich squares in the eggy mixture, turning on all sides to coat them evenly with the mix. Let the squares sit in the mix for 10 minutes to saturate fully, flipping over halfway.
• Melt a small knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan (skillet) over a low heat. Place the egg-soaked sandwich squares in the pan and cook gently for 2–3 minutes on all sides until beautifully caramelized and golden in colour. You may want to melt in a little more butter from time to time.
• Once done, transfer to a plate. The cheese should be beautifully gooey in the middle with specks of dark brown pickles within. Serve while warm with a drizzle of maple syrup and a few drops of Tabasco.

This is a quick and easy recipe so ideal for snacking, a light lunch or a simple evening meal.

If you love Korean food, do check out our full list of Korean recipes!

Kavey Eats received a review copy of Su Scott’s Pocha: Simple Korean Food From The Streets Of Seoul from publishers Quadrille. Photography by Toby Scott. Home cooking photos by Kavita Favelle.