French Toast with Roasted Apples

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/3 vanilla bean
• split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• pod reserved for another use
• 4 (1-inch-thick) slices brioche
• preferably day-old
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• plus more for the pan
• 2 Golden Delicious apples
• peeled
• cored
• and cut into eighths
• Creme Anglaise (page 251)
• optional
• Caramel Sauce (page 251)
• optional
• Confectioners sugar

Instructions

1. Whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, egg, yolk, and vanilla bean seeds until the sugar dissolves.
2. Arrange the brioche slices in a single layer in a shallow baking dish.
3. Pour the milk-egg mixture over the bread, submerging the bread.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the bread is completely soaked and almost too soft to handle, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
5. When youre almost ready to serve, preheat the oven to 400F.
6. Generously butter a small rimmed baking sheet.
7. Arrange the apples in a single layer.
8. Dot the apples with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
9. Roast until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
11. When the butter foams, use both hands to very carefully transfer the soaked brioche slices to the pan.
12. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then carefully flip.
13. Transfer to the oven and bake alongside the apples until golden brown and puffed, about 5 minutes.
14. Serve the French toast with the apples and the creme anglaise and caramel, if desired.
15. Dust with confectioners sugar.