Feta Cheese French Toast with Spiced Honey Syrup

1 . Stage

Place stale bread in a shallow dish just large enough to tightly fit the slices in one layer.

2 . Stage

Whisk eggs, salt, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne, and heavy cream for batter together in a bowl and pour over bread slices. Use tongs to toss to coat evenly. If there's excess batter pooling at the bottom of the dish, spoon it over the top of the bread slices.

3 . Stage

Wrap and refrigerate until bread has absorbed all the batter or is fully saturated, 2 to 12 hours.

4 . Stage

To make the honey syrup, combine honey, water, chili flakes, and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir and bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and reserve until needed.

5 . Stage

Remove bread from the refrigerator and press sliced feta into the top of each piece; about 2 tablespoons feta should almost cover the surface of each piece.

6 . Stage

Heat butter and olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place in the bread, cheese-side down. Cook until the cheese has caramelized and the surface is well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the slices over, reduce heat to medium, and cook the other side until golden brown.

7 . Stage

Serve immediately with the honey syrup spooned over top. Chef John