Panettone French Toast With Caramelized Aples

The night before, cut the rounded dome off the panettone and set aside. Cut the rest of the loaf into 1-inch slices horizontally. Cut each slice into four quarters. Set aside on a baking sheet to dry.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Beat together the eggs and milk until light. Pour into a shallow bowl. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. Melt some butter over a large skillet on medium-low heat, adding as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until lightly browned on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary, and ensuring the bread is cooked through. As each batch is cooked, place on a warmed tray in the oven while you continue to cook the rest of the French toast. Serve warm with your choice of topping.

For the apple topping:

Peel, core and dice the apples. In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and heat until sizzling. Add the apple, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very tender and the mixture thickens and browns, about 15 minutes. Add a little water if mixture begins to burn. Serve warm on top of French toast.