TL;DR
A 2022 PBS American Masters video shows chef Jacques Pépin making French toast by soaking bread in melted ice cream, then cooking it in butter. A recent Kitchn report says the technique has been circulating on social media; the reason for the renewed attention is unclear.
Chef Jacques Pépin’s French toast method uses just bread and melted ice cream in place of a separately prepared egg-and-milk mixture, according to a cooking video posted by PBS’s American Masters in 2022. The technique has recently been circulating on social media, The Kitchn reported, although the publication did not identify a specific cause or measure the trend’s reach.
In the video, Pépin calls the dish “ice cream French toast.” He puts French vanilla ice cream on a plate and microwaves it for 15 seconds to soften it. He then soaks a slice of bread in the melted ice cream, with the aim of saturating the bread before cooking.
Pépin cooks the soaked bread in a frying pan with butter over low heat, turning it after a couple of minutes on each side. The video shows him serving the toast with maple syrup and banana slices, along with some of the remaining melted ice cream. The supplied report does not give exact quantities, cooking temperatures or a complete written recipe.
The method’s two ingredients are the bread and ice cream used to soak it. Butter is still used to cook the toast, and the syrup and banana are serving suggestions in the demonstration. Pépin says other ice cream flavors can be used, while cautioning that the resulting toast will taste different.
A Shortcut to French Toast
The technique offers a low-preparation alternative to mixing eggs and milk before making French toast. Since ice cream is already a mixture of ingredients commonly used in sweet dishes, Pépin’s approach combines the soaking step into one ingredient; the video does not provide a nutritional comparison or claim that the method is faster in every kitchen.
For home cooks, the main practical appeal is flexibility: the recipe can be tried with different ice cream flavors and whatever bread is available. The trade-off is that flavor and sweetness will depend on the ice cream, and the source does not specify how different varieties perform. The method is a cooking tip, not a reported change to Pépin’s broader work or a newly published recipe.
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The 2022 PBS Demonstration
The Kitchn’s report traces the technique to a video posted by American Masters on PBS in 2022. The newer report describes the tip as appearing across Instagram, but gives no post dates, view counts or evidence that the renewed attention has reached a particular scale. It also says the reason for the social media circulation is unknown.
The coverage presents the method as a simple variation on familiar French toast preparation: bread is soaked in a mixture before being cooked in a pan. In Pépin’s version, melted ice cream takes the place of a separately mixed egg-and-milk dip. The source does not establish who first devised the method or whether Pépin was the first to use it.
““I made my French toast here with the vanilla ice cream.””
— Jacques Pépin, in the 2022 American Masters video, as quoted by The Kitchn
The Trend’s Reach Is Unclear
The source does not say when the recent social media attention began, how many people have watched or tried the method, or why it resurfaced. The reported comments are individual reactions, not a measure of popularity. It is also unclear whether the method’s renewed circulation is tied to a particular post or event.
The demonstration does not specify bread type, ingredient amounts beyond the brief microwave timing, or a precise cooking time for each side. It gives no food-safety guidance for handling or storing the prepared toast. Results may vary with the bread and ice cream used, but the source offers no comparisons or tested variations.
Home Cooks Can Test Variations
No follow-up announcement, new recipe release or further milestone is identified in the source material. Readers interested in the technique can refer to the 2022 American Masters video for Pépin’s demonstration and try the method with the flavor and bread they have on hand, while treating any changes as their own variations rather than tested instructions from the report.
Whether social media interest continues is not established. Further reporting would be needed to document the trend’s timing or scale, or to provide tested quantities and guidance for adapting the method to different breads and ice creams.
Key Questions
What are the two ingredients in Pépin’s French toast method?
The two ingredients used for the soak are bread and melted ice cream. Pépin also cooks the bread in butter; maple syrup and banana appear as serving suggestions in the video.
How does Jacques Pépin prepare the ice cream?
In the 2022 demonstration, he puts French vanilla ice cream on a plate and microwaves it for 15 seconds to soften it before soaking the bread.
How is the soaked bread cooked?
Pépin cooks it in a pan with butter over low heat, turning it after a couple of minutes on each side. The report does not provide exact cooking temperatures or a full recipe with quantities.
Can other ice cream flavors be used?
Pépin says strawberry and chocolate ice cream can be used, while noting that the flavor of the French toast will be different. The source does not compare results across flavors.
Why is the technique circulating on social media now?
The Kitchn reports that the tip has been appearing on Instagram but says the reason for its renewed attention is unclear. It gives no specific start date, view counts or measure of the trend’s reach.
Source: thekitchn.com
