I like Granny Smith apples for this particular recipe because of their low water content; they hold up really well when you cook them. Juicy apples, such as McIntosh, are not ideal for this because they fall apart and turn to mush. I developed this recipe at Cafeteria in New York City. The gooey caramel apples are amazing with the croissant French toast. This dish was written up in InStyle magazine.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　

Batter

3 eggs

　　1/4 cup milk

　　1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　Pinch of ground cinnamon

　　

Caramel Apples

1/2 cup sugar

　　3 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut in 1/2-inch-thick wedges

　　1/2 cup maple syrup

　　3 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　4 large croissants, split in half lengthwise

　　Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

　　Ground cinnamon, for dusting

　　

Step 1

Make the batter for the French toast by whisking together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until evenly blended. Cover and refrigerate.

　　

Step 2

Pay close attention while you make the caramel apples. Put the sugar in a large, dry skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Be careful; the sugar is really hot at this point. Still stirring, add the butter, which will foam a little. Once the sugar and butter become a caramel sauce, fold in the apple wedges. Now, because the apples are cooler than the sugar, the sugar may start to seize and harden, but don’t freak out—keep stirring. Once the apples warm up the caramel will smooth out again. When the caramel sauce loosens up and coats the apples, pour in the maple syrup. Give it a stir and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the apples are fork tender. Pull them off the heat and keep them warm.

　　

Step 3

For the French toast itself, warm the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. You probably will be able to fit only a couple of croissants in the pan at once, so prepare these in batches. Take a croissant half and quickly dredge it in the batter. The key word here is quickly; the croissants are very soft and will disintegrate if soaked in the batter. Lay the croissants in the pan, cut side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip them over with a spatula and brown the other side.

　　

Step 4

The presentation is like a caramel apple sandwich. Put the bottom half of the croissant on a plate; spoon some of the caramel apples on top of that and cover with the top half of the croissant. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon. This is what I call a breakfast of champions!

　　Reprinted with permission from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen by Tyler Florence. © 2003 Clarkson Potter