Christmas pain perdu

Ingredients

• 250 g of croissant, slightly stale, sliced
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 100 g of sugar
• 300 ml of milk
• 300 g of double cream
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 60 g of raisins
• 60 g of dried cranberries
• 60 g of glacé cherries

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs (both the 2 whole eggs and the 2 yolks) and sugar

2. 2

   In a pan, bring the milk, cream, cinnamon and star anise to the boil. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Strain and set aside

3. 3

   Whisk the infused cream into the sugar/egg mixture and mix well. Mix the dried fruit together in a separate bowl

4. 4

   Line the loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Arrange a layer of sliced croissants on the base of the tray, then sprinkle in the dried fruits, followed by another layer of the croissant pastry. Pour the cream mixture over the top and repeat to form another layer

5. 5

   Place the tin inside a baking tray and fill the tray with warm water - until as much of the tin is submerged as possible. Place into the oven and cook for 30–40 minutes, or until the custard is just set

6. 6

   Remove the tin from the oven. Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until ready to serve