Feta cheese French toast with spiced honey syrup

Lay thick slices of stale French bread in a single layer in a dish.

Mix the custard: two large eggs, a big pinch of salt, a spoon of white sugar, a couple drops of vanilla, a small pinch of cinnamon, a shake of cayenne and heavy cream (or milk). Whisk thoroughly.

Pour the batter over the bread and toss the slices with tongs until evenly coated.

Spoon as much batter as possible over the tops, wrap, and refrigerate at least a few hours or ideally overnight, until completely saturated.

For the syrup, put honey and a couple tablespoons of water over medium heat; add Aleppo chili flakes and a big pinch of salt and stir.

Once it starts to simmer, cook about 30 seconds. It thickens as it cools; reduce a little more if needed.

Cut thick slices of feta (crumbles work as well).

Press thick slices of feta into the surface of the soaked bread for almost complete coverage, one side only.

Place cheese side down in hot olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan.

Do not flip until the cheese melts, dries out and caramelizes brown on the bottom, maybe three to five minutes; peek underneath.

Flip, lower the heat to medium and brown the second side, until it springs back to the touch and does not feel mushy.

Serve two slices per order beside mandarin sections tossed in a little of the syrup; spoon over a generous amount of syrup and finish with a shake of Aleppo pepper flakes.