French Toast Churros with Orange Glaze

Ingredients:

French Toast Churros

• 6 slices 4 cm thick of yesterday's crumbly bread, without crust
• 1 tbsp. sugar + 2 tbsp.
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground star anise
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large yolks
• 2 cups light cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 55 g butter

Orange glaze

• 0.5 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup almond paste
• 250 g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp finely grated orange zest

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 135°C.
2. Cut each slice of bread lengthwise into thirds (18 pieces total). Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes to toast. Remove from the oven and let rest for another 30 minutes before toasting the French toast.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the ganache.In a small saucepan, combine the cream and almond paste. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. The mixture should not be completely smooth. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes.
4. Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl (if the cream has cooled too much, reheat it until almost boiling). Strain the hot cream over the chocolate through a fine sieve, add the orange zest, and let sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Keep warm.
5. French toastIn a shallow baking dish, combine 1 cup sugar, cinnamon and star anise.
   
   In a bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, 2 tablespoons of sugar, light cream, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour into another shallow baking dish.
6. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, soak the bread until it is coated with the egg mixture, turning the slices several times, about 3 minutes.
7. In a large nonstick skillet, heat half the vegetable oil and half the butter over medium heat until melted. Fry the soaked bread in batches, turning, until golden brown on all sides, about 30 seconds per side. Immediately remove from the skillet, roll the toasts in cinnamon sugar, and transfer to a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining vegetable oil, butter, and bread.
8. Serve churros warm with ganache dip.