½ cup fresh lemon juice, 3-4 lemons, plus their zest
⅛ tsp salt
Raspberry Sauce
1 half-pint fresh raspberries
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 Tbs lemoncello
French Toast
6 extra-large eggs
1½ cups half-and-half or whole milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 brioche rolls
3 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs vegetable oil
Instructions
Lemon Curd
Using a peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful not to include the bitter white pith. In a food processor with a steel blade, add the lemon zest and sugar. Pulse until very finely minced.
In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter. Add the lemon zest mixture to the bowl and mix until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, throughly mixing in each one before adding the next. Then add the lemon juice and salt, stirring well.
Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan over low heat, cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at approximately 170 degrees F or just below a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Raspberry Sauce
Place the raspberries, sugar, and water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then bring the temperature down to a simmer for 4 minutes.
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the cooked raspberry mixture, jam, and lemoncello. Blend until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine-meshed sieve to remove any seeds.
French Toast
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, lemon zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Set bowl aside to work on filling the brioche buns.
With a very sharp and thinly bladed knife, remove just the very top and bottom of the buns to expose a greater cooking area of the brioche. So you're just creating a flatter surface.
Next, use a chopstick or similarly shaped object to create a small hole in one side of the brioche (like a jelly-filled donut). Gentlly work the chopstick up/down and back/forth to create a space for the lemon curd. Be careful not to poke through the other side of the bread.
Using a piping bag and small tip (or a ziplock bag with a small corner clipped off) squeeze the lemon curd into the open hole of the brioche, tapping the bun on the counter occasionally to settle the lemon curd at the other end.
Once all buns have been filled, soak them in the egg mixture for 5 minutes, turning once during that time.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Cook the remaining soaked bread slices, adding butter and oil as needed, until all are cooked. Serve stuffed French toast with prepared raspberry sauce. Enjoy!