Recipe courtesy Francois Payard

Serves eight

Ingredients (custard):

4 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

5 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 quart whole milk

1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients (pain perdu):

Two 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaves brioche or chocolate brioche, cut into sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices total

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

4 tablespoons unsalted butter or more as needed

2 tablespoons honey or more as needed

Ingredients (sautéed bananas):

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon sugar

4 bananas cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 tablespoons dark rum, such as Myers's

Confectioners' sugar

Instructions:

Steps to make:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, and cocoa powder. When the mixture is smooth, whisk in the sugar, half the milk, and the vanilla bean or extract. Whisk in the remaining milk. Do not whisk in all the milk at once, or you'll risk having lumps in the custard.

2. Pour the custard in a shallow container. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. You will need 2 slices of brioche per serving. Soak each slice in the custard for about 1 minute, then turn it and soak the other side for 1 minute.

4. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon chocolate chips on 1 slice, and cover with a second slice. Press the top slice so that it adheres to the bottom remaining slices, to make 8 sandwiches. Place them on the baking sheet, and place it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, until the sandwiches are frozen enough that the two slices of bread stick together. This will help the pain perdu keep its shape while cooking and will ensure that the chocolate chips won't fall out.

5. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and remove the brioche sandwiches from the freezer.

6. Put the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and let it melt until it begins to brown. Stir in the honey.

7. Place 3 or 4 brioche sandwiches in the pan, and cook each side for about 1 minute, until it turns golden brown. The center will still be frozen, but it will cook while in the oven. Remove the pain perdu to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining sandwiches. If necessary, clean the pan in between sandwiches with paper toweling, heating up more butter and honey before proceeding with the next sandwich.

8. Bake for about 10 minutes, until each sandwich is cooked all the way through.

9. While the pain perdu is in the oven, put the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and let it melt until it begins to brown. Add the sugar, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the sugar is melted.

10. Add the bananas, and stir so that they are completely coated in butter and sugar. Immediately pour the rum in the pan (see note), let it warm up for a couple of seconds, and ignite it with a match to flambé the bananas. When the flames die down, remove from the heat. The bananas should be warm when you serve them, so do this just before serving the pain perdu. Do not overcook them before flambéing, or they will be mushy.

11. Place 1 sandwich on each plate, and spoon some bananas over it. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve immediately.

NOTE: Never pour alcohol directly from the bottle into a hot pan. The flame might be sucked into the bottle and make it explode. Pour the rum into a heatproof container or small saucer, and then pour it into the pan for flambéing.