Grease a 9×13” baking dish with softened butter. Butter the front sides of the slices of brioche and sprinkle each piece generously with some crumbled chestnuts. Laying the pieces of prepared bread like shingles, placing the slices slightly upright in the dish, overlapping as necessary.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and salt until well combined. Use a ladle to slowly pour the milk mixture over the bread, making sure to evenly coat every slice. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat your oven to 350° degrees. Remove the plastic wrap. Nestle slices of raw pear amongst each slice of soaked bread. Sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate evenly over the top of the dish. Bake until puffed, golden and set in the center, 45-55 minutes. If the top begins to get too dark before it is done baking, tent the dish with foil. Once done baking, remove from the oven and let the dish stand for 10 minutes at room temperature.

To serve, whip the heavy whipping cream together with 2 tbsp of sweetener of your choice and the vanilla extract. Top slices of French toast with a large dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a touch of finely chopped chocolate.