Cinnamon toast flan

Whisk the granulated sugar and cinnamon together.

Range the bread slices on a broiling pan rack and spread each with butter.

Sieve an even coat of cinnamon sugar over each slice.

Broil until the sugar starts to bubble, watching so nothing burns.

Cut each slice into four triangles.

Return the pieces to the rack and broil the untoasted underside as well.

Smear the inside of the baking dish with softened butter and crowd in the toast triangles sugar side up, adding a second layer.

Whisk the egg yolks in a saucepan, adding the sugar a little at a time in rapid spoonfuls until pale yellow and thick.

Stir the hot milk in by dribbles rather than beating, to avoid a foam.

Whip the whole eggs, dribble them in and stir through.

Set over moderately low heat and stir with a wooden spoon over the bottom and sides; heat until it thickens but do not let it simmer or the yolks scramble. It is nearly ready when the surface bubbles subside and a whiff of steam rises.

Pass the custard through a sieve into a bowl; it should coat the back of a spoon.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

Ladle half the custard over the toast and let it sit five minutes while the toast absorbs it, then ladle on the rest.

Set the dish in a secondary baking dish in the lower third of a 350F oven and pour in boiling water to come halfway up.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, regulating the heat so the water never comes to a simmer, or the flan turns grainy.

For the optional sauce, rinse and hull the strawberries and put them in a food processor with half the sugar and three tablespoons of lemon juice.

Process two to three minutes, taste, add more sugar and a few more drops of lemon juice, and sieve to remove the seeds if wanted.

He baked it around 40 minutes, about 10 minutes longer than the book gives, and got a custardy bottom with a flan-like top.