This is part 2 of a feature about my delicious experience with Chef Beylka Krupp at Wobble Café in Ossining, New York. You can find part 1 referenced in the original series.
The Pain Perdu at Wobble Café is one of my favorite menu items. It’s an indulgent, stuffed French toast that changes flavors frequently, offering a different combination almost every day. The concept is simple but brilliant: a hollowed baguette filled with a creamy, flavorful mixture, soaked in French toast batter, then browned until golden. The result is rich, slightly crisp on the outside and soft and custardy inside.
This recipe is flexible and forgiving — you can fill the baguette with jams, preserves, fresh or dried fruit, chocolate, spices, or cordials. For my version I used homemade peach preserves whipped into Neufchâtel cheese and finished with pomegranate seeds for a fresh, tart pop of color. Neufchâtel is a little lighter than traditional cream cheese, which makes a nice balance when paired with sweet preserves.
Begin by slicing a baguette into sections. One full baguette can be divided into four equal lengths that make perfect individual portions. Hollow out the center of each section carefully; an iced tea spoon or a small melon baller works well to scoop out the bread. Be sure to leave a little at the end of each piece to prevent the filling from leaking out, and keep the removed bread pieces — you’ll use them to cap the filled openings after stuffing.
At the café, the griddle’s heat and a sandwich-style assembly allow chefs to use two slices of baguette with filling spread between them. The heat warms the filling while the bread browns and the filling doesn’t become overly runny. For home cooks, however, stuffing each hollowed baguette piece and then capping it with the reserved bread piece is the more reliable method — it keeps the filling inside during soaking and frying.
Whip the filling until smooth and easy to pipe or spoon into the hollowed bread. For my peach-pomegranate version, I combined about 8 ounces of room-temperature Neufchâtel with 4 tablespoons of peach preserves and stirred until even. Use an iced tea spoon or small spatula to press the filling into the baguette cavities, leaving a tiny space at the top, then place the reserved bread caps back in to seal the filling.
Soak the stuffed baguette pieces in your preferred French toast batter for a few minutes — long enough for the custard to penetrate but not so long that the bread falls apart. Heat a skillet over medium and add a mild-flavored cooking oil. Start frying with the capped end down first to seal the filling, and then rotate so each side becomes evenly golden and crisp.
When the Pain Perdu is fully browned on all sides, remove it from the pan, dust with powdered sugar, and drizzle with maple syrup. Garnish as you like — I used pomegranate seeds for color and texture. The contrast of warm, sweet filling and a crisp exterior is irresistible.
Beylka shared several favorite filling ideas that work beautifully in this format. Try dried pineapple paired with crystallized ginger, dried blueberry with cardamom, any homemade jam or preserve, dried strawberry with freshly cracked pepper, or brandied cherry with chocolate chips. Each combination offers a different flavor profile — from bright and spicy to rich and boozy — and highlights how adaptable the Pain Perdu can be.
- dried pineapple with crystallized ginger
- dried blueberry with cardamom
- any homemade jam or preserve
- dried strawberry with fresh cracked pepper
- brandied cherry with chocolate chips
📖 Recipe
Big Flavors from a Restaurant Kitchen Volume 8: Wobble Café’s Pain Perdu
Ingredients
- 1 baguette, cut into 4 equal lengths (about 4 inches each)
- French toast batter of your choice (enough to soak the pieces)
- Filling of choice — for example: 8 oz Neufchâtel or cream cheese mixed with 4 tbsp peach preserves
- 1 tablespoon mild-flavored cooking oil per serving (about 4 tbsp total)
- Powdered sugar for serving
- Pure maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Slice the baguette into four 4-inch sections.
- Scoop out the center of each section, reserving the bread pieces to cap the filling.
- Prepare your filling and soften it to room temperature so it’s easy to spoon or pipe. Fill each cavity, leaving a little space at the top.
- Place the reserved bread pieces back on top to cap the filling and press gently to seal.
- Soak each stuffed piece in French toast batter for about 5 minutes, allowing the custard to absorb without falling apart.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add one tablespoon of oil per serving (or about 4 tablespoons total for four pieces).
- Lift the soaked pieces and let excess batter drip back into the soaking pan, then place them in the hot skillet with the capped end down first to seal the filling.
- Rotate so each side browns to a golden color. Patience yields the best crust.
- Remove from the pan, dust with powdered sugar, drizzle with maple syrup, and garnish as desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe by Beylka Krupp of Wobble Café. This technique works well with many fillings — jams, dried fruits, spices, chocolate, or boozy preserves. If using fresh or very moist fillings, cap carefully and avoid over-soaking to prevent leakage. Adjust soaking time depending on the bread’s freshness and density.
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