Maple sugar grated from a hard block gives this simple dessert its sweet crunch, and thick, heavy cream gives it its lush pillowiness. In La Beauce, cream tends to be particularly rich; to make regular supermarket cream more substantial, we've whipped it a little bit.

3/4 cup heavy cream
4 thick slices of hearty white country bread
4 tbsp. coarsely grated maple sugar

1. Put cream into a medium bowl, and whisk until slightly thickened. Pour 1/4 cup of the cream over each slice of  bread. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of the maple sugar over the cream. Serve immediately.

This recipe comes from Saveur magazine, issue #47.  The main focus of this issue was A French Canadian Christmas Eve feast.