When making the recipe, be sure to let the bread get stale before plunging it into the tres leches custard, because if it’s too moist, the custard won’t sink in, Santos says.
Taco Guild serves the dish with a spiced syrup laden with cinnamon, cayenne and black peppers, brown sugar and butter, which gives it both earthy and spicy notes. But if you don’t want to go to the trouble, this French toast goes down just fine with plain old maple syrup.
Coconut French Toast
Tres Leches Custard (4 servings)
3 each eggs
1 cup tres leches milk (equal parts condensed milk , evaporated milk and heavy cream)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cardamom
½ tsp. salt
4 oz. brown sugar
Preparation: Crack eggs into a medium-sized bowl. Whip until fluffy. Add in the spices and whip until combined. Add in the remaining ingredients and whip to combine. Transfer to a bowl with a lid and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Mango Topping (1 serving)
½ oz. frozen mango, thawed and drained (you can also use fresh)
½ oz. strawberries, cut into ¼ inch dice
¼ oz. coconut, toasted
Preparation: Mix ingredients together well. Store in a bowl in the refrigerator.
Coconut French Toast (1 serving)
¼ recipe custard
1 torta roll, cut in half and dried for 2 hours (or a bolillo roll)
1 serving mango topping
Powdered sugar
1 tbsp. butter substitute/oil blend/or pan spray
2 oz. spiced syrup
2 oz. scoop cinnamon honey butter (regular butter works also)
Preparation: Spread the butter substitute/oil blend on a flat pan. Press the dried bread into the custard. Lay the soaked bread on the oiled pan. Allow to cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook until golden. Dust with powdered sugar. Put the topping in the center of the French toast. Serve with syrup and butter.
