Toffee Apple Pain Perdu Food

TOFFEE APPLE PAIN PERDU

Steps:

• For the creme patissiere: Bring the milk to the boil over medium heat. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and flour. Add a small amount of hot milk, whisk then add the rest of the milk. Return to saucepan and stirring continuously over medium heat until think - 2-4 minutes Stir through the butter and set aside until cool.
• Trim the bread slices into neat squares. Spread the creme patissiere over half the slices and sandwich together. You now have 6 'pain perdu'.
• Place them in a shallow dish. In another bowl whisk together the milk and eggs and pour over the bread. Gently turn over the bread to soak up the milk mix.
• Heat the butter in a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add the bread and fry until golden on each side. Transfer to plate and keep warm.
• Wipe out pan and return to heat, sprinkle sugar over pan and melted and caramelised add the sliced apple and turn to coat well and slightly soften, about 3-5 minutes.
• Serve 1 pain perdu topped with carmalised apple and hazelnut icecream.

PAIN PERDU I

Steps:

• Cut the bread and place on a wire rack to dry out a little as you prepare the batter.
• Whisk the egg to blend. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan or on the stovetop and allow to cool slightly. Whisk the sugar, salt and spices into the egg. When the butter has cooled slightly, slowly drizzle it in to the egg, whisking all the time. A little at a time, add the flour to the egg mixture to make a smooth thick paste. After it is all added, slowly blend in the milk and finally the vanilla. Whisk until just smooth and set aside.
• Heat the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip a slice of the bread in the batter and allow to soak for 30 seconds, no more. Remove from the batter and allow the excess to drip off, back into the bowl. Place the battered slice in the skillet. Repeat with the remaining slices. Cook until golden on one side and then flip to brown the other. Serve immediately--a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and a good dusting of powdered sugar is traditional.

MARMALADE & WHISKY PAIN PERDU WITH APPLES

Steps:

• Make four brioche sandwiches with some of the butter and all the marmalade. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally.
• Whisk the eggs in a baking dish with the milk and whisky. Add the sandwiches, turning them over in the eggs, and let them sit until soft but not falling apart.
• Meanwhile, prepare the apples. Melt the butter over a medium to high heat in a frying pan and fry the apples on both sides until they're soft but not collapsing, around 5-6 mins. Add the sugar and toss the apples until they get slightly brown edges. Add the marmalade and orange juice and simmer for a couple of mins until the marmalade is runny. Remove from the heat.
• Fry the sandwiches in a large frying pan with the remaining butter, for 2-3 mins on each side until golden and cooked through. Serve each person two sandwiches and spoon the apples in marmalade on top. Dust a little icing sugar over the edge of the bread. Crème fraîche is good on the side as something tart helps to balance the richness.

HOMEMADE TOFFEE APPLES

Steps:

• Place the apples in a large bowl, then cover with boiling water (you may have to do this in 2 batches). This will remove the waxy coating and help the caramel to stick. Dry thoroughly and twist off any stalks. Push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the stalk end of each apple.
• Lay out a sheet of baking parchment and place the apples on this, close to your stovetop. Tip the sugar into a pan along with 100ml water and set over a medium heat. Cook for 5 mins until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the vinegar and syrup. Set a sugar thermometer in the pan and boil to 150C or 'hard crack' stage. If you don't have a thermometer you can test the toffee by pouring a little into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it.
• Working quickly and carefully, dip and twist each apple in the hot toffee until covered, let any excess drip away, then place on the baking parchment to harden. You may have to heat the toffee a little if the temperature drops and it starts to feel thick and viscous. Leave the toffee to cool before eating. Can be made up to 2 days in advance, stored in a dry place.