Delicious decadence is the order of the day for the ultimate weekend brunch. And yes, you probably could substitute bought jam and ice cream...

Recipe Rosa Matto | Photographs Brendan Homan | Styling Natalie Homan

Fruit loaf French toast with persimmon jam and olive oil and thyme ice cream
serves 6

persimmon jam
300g persimmon peeled and diced, plus extra, peeled and cut into very thin slices
150g caster sugar
1 mandarin, juice and zest

Stir ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then cook until thick, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate until required.

thyme, mandarin and olive oil ice cream
375ml whole milk
100g caster sugar
55g brown sugar
43g light corn syrup
pinch salt
leaves from a small bunch thyme, about 3 tablespoons
1 mandarin, zest only
5 egg yolks
375ml pouring cream
65ml South Australian extra virgin olive oil

Slowly heat together the milk, both sugars, corn syrup, salt, thyme and mandarin zest in a medium-sized saucepan. Allow the sugars to melt and the flavours infuse over a period of 10 minutes. Set aside to cool a little, still in the saucepan.

Meanwhile, allow the egg yolks to come to room temperature then whisk in a mixer until thick. Pour a little milk onto the eggs to allow them to warm slightly, and whip continuously for eight minutes more, adding about half the milk. Now tip the eggs into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the custard is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, this should take about five minutes. Turn off the heat and strain the custard. Stir in the cream and olive oil, cover and chill thoroughly for at least two hours or overnight. Using an ice cream maker, churn and freeze. 

French toast
The Lost Loaf fruit loaf, sliced into 6 slices, 1-2cm thick
2 large eggs
120ml milk
60ml cream
¼ tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
30g unsalted butter

Beat together egg, milk, cream, cinnamon and vanilla. Heat a frypan over medium-high heat and gently melt half the butter and allow it to heat.

Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in pan, and cook on both sides until golden. Add the remaining butter as needed and continue.

to assemble

Top the hot French toast with persimmon jam, fresh slices of persimmon and a scoop of ice cream.

This recipe first appeared in the September 2020 issue of SALIFE magazine.