A WONKY RECIPE

on Jan 12, 2009

So... Caramel apple french toast huh? Did you dream about it? Did you lust after it? It was bliss. Yummy, scrummy, blissful bliss. Aaaaaand, I don't have a recipe.

You see, when I was young and naive, I originally trained as a chef before going to University. Two years of my life, spent learning about hollandaise, bernaise, roux, choux, chicken stock, beef stock, fish stock... blah. At the end of it I decided I did not like it. I just could not picture mysefl having a family and working every day from 11 am to 1 in the morning and having Tuesdays off. It was just not part of my vision. So I went back to University and got a degree in something else.

This left me with a good side and a bad one. The good one, I guess, is I can cook. I cannot -or maybe will not- do anything impossibly fancy, but I am not afraid of cooking, or recipes, or experimenting. The bad one, I seldomly do recipes. If I taste something I like that is simple and straight forward*, I will just make it. Which is what I did for the Caramel Apple French toast that generated comments.


I woke up in the morning and realized there was only one egg left, and we had run out of pretty much else except stale bread. That was it. So husband suggested french toast. And I sighed a little bit, because it's not really my favourite. But then I had the brilliant idea of adding some cinnamony apples on top and that cheered my day right up. But I didn't measure how much I put of anything. I just assumed it would be nice with butter, cinnamon and sugar, you see. So that is why I don't really have a recipe.

But I do not want to dissapoint anybody who dreamt about the brunch, so how about a Wonky Recipe? We can test my eye-measuring-skills, which is something every chef should possess. If you make it then you can let me know how good (or bad) I was at calculating my ingredients

CARAMEL APPLE FRENCH TOAST

For the apples:
2 medium sized apples (I used Braeburn, and would also have liked Golden Delicious, but go ahead and be traditional and use Granny Smith if you like)
Half a stick of butter which I am guessing is 2 oz? (I may have used the heavier side of the half a stick of butter)
1/3 cup of brown sugar. I thought they were a bit on the not sweet side which Husband and I like, so if you are super sweet toothed, add a little more.
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

For the toast:
1 egg
4 Slices of bread (I had mixture left over for maybe another four so go ahead and do as many as you can)
1/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of sugar, I used brown
Dash of cinnamon

Thinly slice the apples. (I happen to love apple skin, I find it gives an extra layer of texture to baked goods, but if you are a peel-hater, go ahead and peel them)
In a pan on medium heat, add the butter until it melts.
Add the sugar and cinnamon and mix thoroughly.
Let cook for about 2 minutes stirring constantly.
If caramel is too hard, or horribly sticking to the pan, add a couple of tablespoons of water to un-stick it.
Add apple slices and mix well.
Stirr ocassionally until apples are cooked (I am thinking about 8 minutes. Go ahead and sample it to see if they are done, this is the best bit! Also: beware, caramel will be very hot)

Meanwhile, mix egg, milk, sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl that is also big enough to fit your bread slices. Place each bread slice, into mixture and allow to soak for a few seconds before turning to coat other side. Do each slice as you go, one at a time, otherwise you risk over-soaking. Place on skillet over low heat until brown on both sides. (Erm, you have to flip it, obviously)

Cut slices into triangles and serve with the warm apples on top. Finish by drizzling the caramel sauce onto the deliciously yummy toast.

Brew a fresh pot of coffee, and sit down to enjoy with an amazing book.

Bliss.

(Now I wish I had taken a picture of it)


*Please note I am not a chef. I do not do jus clarifications or compound butter or hollandaise even. Please don't think I am fancy and gourmet.

2 comments:

Not Your Aunt B said...

Will try on a Saturday soon (the only day I can make something like that!). Sounds so, so good.

Bethtastic said...

I love wonky! They're the best kind...ones that call for pinches and dashes and eyeballing of amounts. Perfect!

Thanks Dyn! Can't wait to try it! :)