Macadamia crumble

• 35g (¼ cup) plain flour
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 50g chilled unsalted butter, chopped
• 40g (½ cup) shredded coconut
• 40g (¼ cup) crushed macadamia nuts

Balsamic strawberries

• 55g (¼ cup) caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 300g strawberries, hulled

French toast

• 4 free-range eggs
• 80ml (⅓ cup) milk
• 80ml (⅓ cup) thin (pouring) cream
• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 brioche loaf, about 400g, cut into 8 slices about 2cm thick

Directions

1. To make the macadamia crumble, preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the flour and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture. Stir in the coconut and macadamias.
2. Spread on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until the crumble is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The crumble can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
3. To make the Balsamic Strawberries, put the sugar, balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons cold water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the strawberries and increase the heat to high. Bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until needed.
4. To make the French Toast, whisk together the eggs, milk and cream in a wide bowl. Melt half the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Dip four slices of bread, one at a time, in the egg mixture until soaked, then drain off the excess.
5. Fry the bread for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm while you cook the remainder of the slices.
6. Serve topped with the strawberries and crumble.

Tips

• Start this recipe the day before, so your crumble and strawberries are ready to go, and all that needs to be done in the morning is to cook the French toast.

• Serve this with ice-cream, even for breakfast, so look for the best vanilla ice-cream you can find or have a go at making some yourself. Alternatively, serve with vanilla yoghurt or mascarpone.

Image and recipe from All Day Café by Stuart McKenzie (Murdoch Books RRP $39.99). Photography: © Armelle Habib 2017.