Difficulty: Intermediate
Servings: 4
Nutritional Info Per Serving
- Serving Size: 1 of 4 portions
- Calories: 1650
- Total Fat: 76 g
- Saturated Fat: 36 g
- Carbohydrates: 230 g
- Dietary Fiber: 20 g
- Sugar: 168 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 470 mg
- Sodium: 466 mg
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Active Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
Date Molasses
- 30 medjool dates, pitted
Pan-Seared Apples
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 5 Gala apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
- Juice from half a lemon
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 cup apple cider or natural apple juice
Yogurt Whipped Cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- Seeds from half a vanilla bean
French Toast
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- Eight 1 1/2-inch-thick slices of day-old challah (taken from the center of a large loaf)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp canola oil
Instructions
Transform your brunch into an irresistible delight with this aromatic French toast, infused with warm vanilla-cardamom notes and topped with caramelized apples and silky homemade date molasses. Your kitchen will fill with enticing scents that draw everyone inlet's get cooking!
- Date Molasses:
- Add the pitted dates and 3 1/2 cups water to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming foam, for about 15 minutes until dates soften. Mash with a wooden spoon, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan, then boil on high, stirring, for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Pan-Seared Apples:
- In a large skillet over high heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar until it begins to color. Add sliced apples, lemon juice, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks. Cook, tossing constantly, until apples caramelize and tenderize, about 5 minutes. Add apple cider and reduce to a syrupy sauce, about 5 more minutes. Keep warm.
- Yogurt Whipped Cream:
- In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream, Greek yogurt, and vanilla bean seeds to soft peaks. Refrigerate until ready.
- French Toast:
- Preheat oven to 200F with a wire rack on a baking sheet.
- Whisk eggs and yolks in a shallow dish. Stir in half-and-half, vanilla, and cardamom.
- Soak 4 challah slices 30 seconds per side in custard.
- Heat half the butter and oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium until shimmering. Cook soaked bread 3 minutes per side until deeply golden. Keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining bread, butter, and oil.
- Assembly & Serving:
- Layer French toast on plates with warm seared apples, drizzles of date molasses, and dollops of yogurt whipped cream. Repeat layers and finish with molasses. Serve immediately for peak indulgence.
