Ontario Apple French Toast
Delight you crowd with the sweet flavours of fall, with Ontario apples. A classic pairing of buttery caramelized Mutsu apples & classic pumpkin-cinnamon baked french toast finished with a dollop of vanilla chantily all drizzled with house made caramel sauce. Soon to become a brunch favourite.
CARAMELIZED APPLES
INGREDIENTS
3 Mutsu apples
3-4 TBSP butter
1/3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
METHOD
Wash and dry the apples. Peel(optional), slice and remove core from the apples and cut into 1/8ths. Mix salt and sugar together & reserve. In a large sautee pan, place the sliced apples on medium high heat. Sprinkle the apples with the reserved sugar mixture. Toss the fruit to avoid burning. Turn heat down if the apples are browning too quickly. As the apples start to brown add the butter and continue to caramelize until one side has caramelized. Place the apples on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover until ready to serve. The caramelized apples can be made a few days in advance.
CARAMEL SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
1 cup 35% cream
8 TBSP butter
1 cup + 4 TBSP white sugar
METHOD
Combine in a sauce pan, the cream & butter until the butter melts and set aside. Place sugar into a sauce pan over low heat till the sugar melts & turns golden. Whisk hot cream into the sugar mixture. Careful as the mixture starts to boil and rise up the pot. Remove from heat, keep whisking until thickened, strain and place into a container. Stores well in frigde for several weeks. The caramel freezes well for months.
BREAD PUDDING
INGREDIENTS
8 large eggs
3/4 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
5 cups whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1 loaf thickly sliced challah
METHOD
Generously butter a casserole dish.
Whisk the eggs & sugar in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add pumpkin puree and combine. Scald the cream with the spices, vanilla & salt. slowly pour the liquid into the pumpkin mixture. Combine well. Strain into a clean bowl. Set aside.
Cut the bread into even sized pieces. Add the pumpkin mixture. Toss gently until the bread has absorbed the mixture. Rest minimum for 1 hour or wrap and store in fridge overnight.
Pre-heat oven to 325F. Baked the french toast for 40-50 minutes. Insert a skewer and test for doneness. At this point reheat the apples for 10-15 minutes. Rest the French toast for 5 minutes.
French Chantilly Cream
INGREDIENTS
2 cups 35% cream
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 TBSP sour cream
METHOD
In a mixing bowl beat the heavy cream on high speed. Once the cream starts to thicken add the sugar and vanilla. Beat till stiff peaks form. Add 2 TBSP sour cream to lighten up the whipped cream mixture. If cream is stiff add additional sour cream and whisk in 1 TBSP at a time. Cover with cling film and store in refrigerator.
Platting
Cut the french toast in to even squares. Place directly on the plate. Top with the caramelized apples, drizzle with caramel sauce and top with Chantilly cream.
