Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen_ An Indesp - Tyler Florence [25]
Banana-Pecan Pancakes with Maple-Honey Butter
45 minutes
I don’t know a man, woman, or child who doesn’t love a fluffy stack of pancakes. You can substitute anything for the pecans and the banana: strawberry and almond, blueberry and orange, honey and ricotta.
Serves 4
Maple-Honey Butter
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons honey
Banana-Pecan Pancakes
2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup pecans, toasted and finely ground (not chopped)
4 tablespoon (½ stick)unsalted butter, melted, plus more for frying
3 bananas, peeled and sliced in ¼-inch circles
In a mixing bowl, mash the softened butter with the maple syrup and honey until well blended. Chill the butter in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla together until lightly beaten. In another bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to combine. Fold in the pecans and the 4 tablespoons of melted butter; whisk to a smooth batter. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat and swirl around a little melted butter to keep the pancakes from sticking. Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour the batter into the pan. The trick to perfect round pancakes is pouring all the batter in the same spot and letting it roll out to a complete circle. Cook the pancakes on one side until they set and then lightly press the bananas into the batter. When small bubbles appear on the uncooked surface, flip the pancakes and cook until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes. Keep the pancakes warm in a low (200°F.) oven while you make the rest. Slice the maple-honey butter, layer it between the stack of pancakes, and let it melt. Who needs syrup?
Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples
Croissant French Toast
with Soft Caramel Apples
30 minutes
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.
Serves 4
Batter
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Caramel Apples
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut in ½-inch-thick wedges
½ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large croissants, split in half lengthwise
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Ground cinnamon, for dusting
Make the batter for the French toast by whisking together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until evenly blended. Cover and refrigerate.
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.
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