Anyone who's ever wasted an insane portion of their daily calorie count on a mediocre brunch can relate to Chef Michael Ferraro's stance on French toast: "It's one of those things that I will only order if I know it'll be ridiculously good," he explains. "Otherwise, why wouldn't I just have an egg white omelette?" It was with that idea that he developed Delicatessen's French toast.
It's incredibly decadent for a first-thing-in-morning dish — a giant hunk of brioche piped full of strawberry cream cheese filling — and when you hear Ferraro's inspiration, you'll understand why. He describes the dish as what'd happen if a donut and French toast had a baby. It's deep-fried like a donut but topped with the traditional syrup and cut fruit you'd find on a plate of French toast. The first iteration wasn't even filled, "but I needed it to be more glutinous," Ferraro laughs. That gluttony comes in the form of whipped cream cheese mixed with sugar and a puree of whatever fruit is in season. Ferraro's used raspberries, blueberries, apples, and now strawberries.
The French toast is one of those dishes that's met with bulging eyes and claims of I'll never be able to finish this!, Ferraro says, though everyone always does. But if you're really looking to impress the chef, don't just polish off the whole thing; make it one of a multiple courses. "We had a group of four tiny girls come in recently who all ordered entrees — burgers and Benedicts — and a French toast appetizer for the table," he remembers. "I was like, I might love these girls!"
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