Sweetcorn French toast with pancetta and avocado

Mexican food is considered one of the world’s first fusion cuisines. This traditional corn cake recipe is normally served cold and here has been adapted so it can be sliced and grilled (broiled) before topping with crispy bacon, avocado and salsa mexicana. It’s French toast Mexican style! Maple or agave syrup can be included in this recipe with fresh bananas, if you have a sweet tooth.

Credit: Paul Wilson

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 100 g (3½ oz) thinly sliced pancetta
• 4 wedges of iceberg lettuce or rocket (arugula) leaves to serve
• 1 avocado, thickly sliced
• salsa mexicana (see below)
• Jalapeño & finger lime crema (see below)
• micro leaves to serve
• 1 small red capsicum (bell pepper), thinly sliced in rings, to garnish

Sweetcorn loaf

• 125 g (4½ oz) butter
• 300 g (10½ oz) frozen or fresh corn kernels (about 2 corn cobs), plus extra cooked shards for garnish (optional)
• 375 g (13 oz) tin condensed milk
• 60 g (2 oz/¼ cup) sour cream
• 5 large organic eggs
• 50 g (1¾ oz/½ cup) masa harina PAN flour (see Note)
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of sea salt
• oil for spraying 

Jalapeño and finger lime crema

• 250 g (9 oz/1 cup) sour cream
• 100 g (3½ oz) salted ricotta, finely grated
• 2 green jalapeños, seeded and roughly chopped
• finely grated zest and juice of 3 limes
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• pinch of ground cumin
• 1 large handful of oregano leaves, finely chopped
• 50 g (1¾ oz) finger lime flesh (see Note) or the zest and juice of 1 lime
• sea salt to taste

Salsa Mexicana 

• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 150 g (5½ oz) jicama, finely diced (see Note)
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 habanero chilli, seeded and thinly sliced (see Note)
• 4 large handfuls of coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) zesty lime dressing or lime juice
• sea salt to taste

Cooling time 10 minutes

Chilling time 4 hours or overnight

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) and lightly grease and line a loaf (bar) tin with baking paper.

For the sweetcorn loaf, melt the butter in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the corn, cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the condensed milk and sour cream and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a food processor and blend to make a smooth sauce. Gradually add the eggs, flour and baking powder, processing on low speed to combine. Season with salt.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 30–40 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean when tested. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

Invert the sweetcorn loaf onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

Preheat an overhead grill (broiler) to high.

Slice the cornbread into 8 slices, 2–3 cm (¾–1¼ in) thick. Arrange the pancetta slices on a baking tray and grill (broil) until crisp. Drain off any excess fat and keep warm. Preheat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spray the pan with cooking oil and cook the cornbread slices for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

To serve, arrange 2 pieces of cornbread onto each plate, top with an iceberg wedge and some pancetta and avocado slices. Spoon on some salsa mexicana and a dollop of the crema and garnish with the micro leaves, capsicum and shards of corn, if using.

To make the jalapeño and finger lime crema

Makes 400 ml ( 13½ f l oz)

 

Combine the sour cream, salted ricotta, jalapeño, lime zest and juice, garlic and cumin in a bowl, and stir to make a smooth cream. Stir in the oregano and finger lime flesh. Season with salt. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To make the salsa Mexicana

Makes 750 g (1 lb 1 1 oz/3 cups)

 

Combine the onion, tomato, jicama, jalapeño, habanero and coriander in a medium bowl. Just before serving, add the lime dressing or juice and toss to combine. Season with salt.

Note

• Masa PAN flour, also known as harina PAN, is a type of masa harina flour from Venezuela. It is available from South American grocery stores. 

• The finger lime is a gourmet bush food native to Australia and is sometimes known as lime caviar due to its caviar-like flesh. It has a citrus flavour similar to lime. Available from bush food specialists and some gourmet grocery stores. 

• If jicama is hard to find, use breakfast radish or daikon (white radish).

• The habanero is a very hot chilli used in Mexican, Caribbean and South American cooking. They are small and lantern-shaped and range from green to bright orange. They are available fresh and dried from Mexican grocery stores and gourmet greengrocers.

Recipe and image from Cantina by Paul Wilson (Hardie Grant Books, $49.95, hbk, available here)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.