Durian French Toast with Pandan Condensed Milk and Caramelized Banana
- Cook
- 25m
- Total
- 45m
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 2
- Origin
- Filipino
This gloriously unhinged breakfast smashes Southeast Asian durian custard into a classic French toast batter, then drowns the whole thing in homemade pandan-infused condensed milk and sticky caramelized saba bananas. The funk of durian mellows dramatically when cooked and emulsified with egg and cream, transforming into a butterscotch-adjacent richness that pairs with pandan's grassy vanilla notes like they were always meant to be together. It's the Filipino breakfast you never knew you needed, and it will absolutely ruin ordinary French toast for you forever.
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices day-old brioche or pandesal, cut 1.5 inches thick
- 120g durian flesh, seeds removed and mashed
- 3 large eggs
- 60ml heavy cream
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.25 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, for frying
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or coconut), for frying
- 2 saba bananas (or ripe plantains), peeled and halved lengthwise
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, for caramelizing bananas
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, for caramelizing bananas
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt, for bananas
- 1 can (390g) sweetened condensed milk
- 8 fresh pandan leaves, tied in a knot
- 60ml full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh coconut flakes, toasted, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
1. MAKE THE PANDAN CONDENSED MILK (can be done a day ahead): Combine the sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, and knotted pandan leaves in a small saucepan over the lowest possible heat. Stir gently and let the pandan steep for 15–20 minutes, pressing the leaves occasionally with a spoon to release their oils. The milk should turn a faint sage green and smell intensely floral. Remove pandan leaves, transfer to a jar, and keep warm or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.
2. MAKE THE DURIAN CUSTARD BATTER: In a blender or using an immersion blender in a tall cup, combine the mashed durian flesh, eggs, heavy cream, white sugar, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt. Blend until completely smooth — this step is non-negotiable. Blending breaks down the durian's fibrous texture and emulsifies its sulfurous compounds into the fat of the cream and egg yolks, taming the funk significantly. Pour into a wide, shallow dish.
3. SOAK THE BREAD: Place the thick brioche or pandesal slices into the durian custard batter. Let them soak for 4 minutes per side, pressing gently so the custard fully saturates the bread without it falling apart. The bread should feel heavy and custardy but still hold its shape.
4. CARAMELIZE THE BANANAS: While the bread soaks, melt 1 tbsp butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until it melts into a bubbling amber caramel, about 90 seconds. Place the saba banana halves cut-side down into the caramel and cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until deeply golden and sticky. Flip carefully, cook 1 more minute, sprinkle with flaky salt, then remove from heat and set aside. The salt is mandatory — it cuts the sweetness and makes everything taste more intensely of itself.
5. PAN-FRY THE FRENCH TOAST: In a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp neutral oil over medium heat until the butter foams and just begins to smell nutty. The oil prevents the butter from burning. Carefully lay the soaked bread slices in the pan — do not crowd them. Cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until the bottom is a deep golden brown. Flip gently and cook another 3–4 minutes. The durian custard will puff slightly and set to a custardy, almost bread pudding-like interior. If your slices are very thick, tent with foil for the last 2 minutes to help the center cook through.
6. PLATE AND SERVE: Arrange the French toast on warmed plates. Lay the caramelized banana halves alongside or directly on top. Drizzle the warm pandan condensed milk generously over everything — be bold, do not be shy with it. Scatter toasted sesame seeds and coconut flakes over the top if using. Serve immediately while the contrast between the crisp exterior, custardy interior, sticky banana, and silky pandan sauce is at its peak.
Why It Actually Works
Durian's notorious sulfurous aroma compounds — primarily diethyl disulfide and propyl disulfide — are fat-soluble, meaning blending the flesh directly into egg yolks and heavy cream traps and mutes those volatile molecules, leaving behind durian's genuine butterscotch-and-custard flavor without the full olfactory assault. Pandan leaves contain 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, the same aromatic compound found in jasmine rice and basmati, which creates a grassy vanilla note that bridges the gap between durian's tropical funk and the eggy richness of the French toast. The caramelized saba banana's Maillard-reaction sugars and slight starchiness provide textural contrast and a bitter-sweet counterweight that keeps every bite from tipping into cloying territory.
Variations
- UBE REMIX: Swap the durian for 80g of ube halaya (purple yam jam) blended into the custard batter for a milder, nuttier, violently purple version that's more beginner-friendly but equally unhinged.
- SAVORY EDGE: Add 1 tbsp fish sauce to the durian custard batter instead of sugar and serve with a fried egg on top and bagoong (shrimp paste) butter on the side — leans into durian's savory umami potential hard.
- DURIAN BREAD PUDDING VERSION: Pour the durian custard over a full pan of cubed brioche, refrigerate overnight, and bake at 170°C (340°F) for 35 minutes for a crowd-feeding casserole version — top with the pandan condensed milk and blowtorch-caramelized bananas right before serving.
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