Praline pain perdu with berries

Method

1. Start by making the praline. Spoon 150g of the caster sugar into a large frying pan, put over a low-medium heat and melt until golden brown and caramelised, swirling the pan to help the sugar melt evenly (don’t stir). As soon as the caramel is ready, sprinkle in the chopped hazelnuts and pour immediately onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave the praline to cool and set for 10 minutes, then break into rough pieces. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor, pulse until finely ground, then set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. In a large bowl or jug, whisk together the remaining 40g caster sugar with the eggs, milk, cream, brandy/rum (if using) and vanilla until very smooth. Cut the brioche into 4 fat slices (4-5cm thick). Lay them in a snug-fitting high-sided dish or roasting tray and evenly pour over the egg/milk/cream mixture. Leave to soak for 15 minutes, turning the slices halfway through.
3. Put a large frying pan over a medium heat and add half the butter. Dust 2 of the brioche slices with half the flour, then fry for about 4 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Transfer to a baking tray. Repeat with the remaining butter, flour and brioche slices. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of the whizzed praline over each slice (see tip), then transfer the tray to the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the praline is golden and crisp.

4. While the pain perdu is in the oven, put the yogurt in a bowl. Crush most of the berries into the yogurt and ripple together. Spoon over the hot praline pain perdu slices, top with the remaining berries and tuck in.