[ezcol_2third]
[/ezcol_2third] [ezcol_1third_end]
AFTER 10 months of not being able to leave… not a country, not even a state/province, but a particular CITY due to personal circumstances, at a certain point, the “think tank” starts to resemble more like a warm puddle in the middle of a barren desert. Nowadays I seek recipe-inspirations like a stinking camel seeks for water, only minus the ability to regurgitate. Don’t get me wrong. All paranoid recipe-bloggers, me included, respects a well-stocked recipe-reservoir like doomsday-preppers hold high regards for canned beans. It’s almost a co-dependant relationship and my list is about a mile long.
I guess… a closet full of recipes and nothing to cook, best puts it.
But ironically, as the painstakingly studied and tested recipes often end in heartbreaks, some of the best things I’ve cooked here are incidental occurrences on a whim. Which brings us to today’s: So random I don’t even know what to call it. Yah. I don’t know what to call it because it came from a peripheral glance over the last 30 seconds of a TV-show that I don’t even know the name of, which (I think) pulled some golden-browned butter/sugar toast out of a skillet and served with soft cheese. The idea stayed with me not because it was as hazy as a hallucinated mirage, but because instead of the more popular way of making “creme brûlée” toasts as under the broiler, this does it more efficiently and successfully, inside a skillet.
[/ezcol_1third_end]
[ezcol_1quarter]
[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter]
[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter]
[/ezcol_1quarter][ezcol_1quarter_end]
[/ezcol_1quarter_end]
[ezcol_1quarter] [/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1half]
CARAMEL STRAWBERRIES WILL BURST… THROUGH THIS BUTTERY, SUGARY, SALTY AND CHEESY GLORY
If you have ever tried making creme brûlée toasts under a broiler, you’d know that it’s an extremely volatile and unpredictable task. Every single factor – the type of bread, the amount of sugar, the type of oven, blah blah blah – can contribute to its blackened, smokey, inedible demise. But by doing it in a skillet – letting the toasts absorb a mixture of butter and sugar until they brown, caramelize and adhere to the golden browned toasts – the outcome is a much more controllable, crunchy, and delicious surprise.
Since we are already in the zone of talking caramel, why stop here? Drawing inspiration from a traditional Chinese roadside snack, where they skewer various types of fruits, coat them with a whiffy thin layer of hot malt sugar then let hardened, I thought there’s no reason why caramel-coated strawberries would be unwelcomed between creme brûlée toasts and warm, melty brie. And once in a very long while, everything just sort of goes according to plan. The creme brûlée toasts are buttery and crunchy, with just enough heat to soften a good smear of French brie. Then the caramel strawberries will burst through their crackly, lacey jackets as pressure applies and run their juices through this buttery, sugary, salty and cheesy feast of unnamed glory.
I guess there’s still some milage left in this tank.
[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1quarter_end] [/ezcol_1quarter_end]
[ezcol_1third]
[/ezcol_1third][ezcol_1third]
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end]
[/ezcol_1third_end]
[ezcol_1half]
[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]
[/ezcol_1half_end]
Makes: 2 sandwiches or 4 open-face
I don’t know why I’m fixated on making these more of a “sandwich” when in fact, it will probably be prettier and easier to eat as an “open face” (you know, like bruschetta). So I’m leaving that option to you. For an open-face toast, you’ll maybe need to double the amount of caramel/candy strawberries depending on the size of your bread, and also the size of strawberries. I needed 6 small strawberries to fill 1 toast.
The freshly grated nutmeg is very important as it gives an “ooomph” to the flavour. Don’t be shy. You’ll want to see flakes of it through out the toasts.
Updates 2014/08/05: Thanks to a reader we now know the show that inspired this! It’s called Heartland Table with Amy Thielen. In the show she uses maple syrup instead of sugar, which I think is a even better idea! If you want to try maple syrup, substitute 3 tbsp of granulated sugar with 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
[ezcol_1half]
Ingredients:
- Caramel and strawberries:
- 1/3 cup (70 grams) of granulated sugar
- 2 tsp of water
- 12 ~ 14 small~medium size strawberries
- Small cup of ice water on the side
- 4 slices of rustic country bread
- 4 tbsp of unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 1 large chunk of good quality brie
- Fresh nutmeg for grating
To make the caramel/candy strawberries: Wash and remove the stems from the strawberries, then set aside. Have a small cup of iced water ready. Heat the sugar and water in a small pot over medium heat. Cook until the sugar has melted and turned from clear to a pale yellow then to a rich, amber color (careful not to let it turn dark brown or it’ll taste bitter). This will take approx 5 min.
Remove from the heat, then pick up a strawberry with a fork and dip it inside the caramel to coat thinly (there will be a bit of sizzle). Let excess caramel drip off, then dip the strawberry in the iced water for 5 sec for the caramel to harden. Remove the strawberry from the fork and set aside. Repeat with the rest (If the caramel starts to cool down and is too thick to work with, return it to medium heat until it has loosen up again).
To make the toasts: Melt the unsalted butter and sugar in a large flat-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat (if your skillet isn’t large enough to fit all 4 slices perfectly flat, then do it in two batches). Once the butter and sugar look evenly blended (even though you may still see sugar-granules in the mixture), place the sliced bread inside the skillet with a tongs. Swirl the bread inside the mixture for a few seconds to coat evenly, then flip and coat the other side as well. Both sides of the bread should have evenly absorbed all the butter and sugar. Cook the breads until golden browned, with caramel crust on each sides.
Remove from the skillet, and while hot, apply a generous layer of brie on top. Pile the candy strawberries on top and grate a good amount of fresh nutmeg on top. Serve immediately.
[/ezcol_1half]
[ezcol_1half_end]
[/ezcol_1half_end]
[ezcol_1third]
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third]
[/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end]
[/ezcol_1third_end]
SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW RECIPE NOTICES:
32 responses to “CARAMEL STRAWBERRY, BRIE, BUTTER/SUGAR TOASTS”
Toffee fruits are the test of my Chinese childhood. I have simply forgot how good they are until you brought it up in this recipe. OH boy am I keen to try this!
Mercy me. Totally making this…soon, very soon.
Um, so these look and sound incredible. Caramel strawberries? Between those and the creme brulee style toasts and gooey brie…oh my goodness. Also, totally feel ya on the recipe reservoir. I have a list a mile long!
This is too beautiful and beyond art. Has to be on my must have to right now to do list!
I”m not big on brie cheese..is there another cheese that can be used, or is it possible to use mascarpone? These sound delicious and I’d love to try it, but am curious about the cheese….
Norma, yes of course! Mascarpone oh my! It will be a lighter version but still nice. The Brie does bring a bit of saltiness to the party, so I guess you could sprinkle a bit of sea salt on the mascarpone to make up?
I bet some good quality goat’s cheese would be fantastic for this too. Try something like Chevre, and make sure you allow it come to room temperature before spreading.
Oh my goodness this looks amazing!!! Love toast and this flavor combination looks unbelievably delicious!!
Beautiful pictures! How do you get them to look sooo good???
ANNE, oh thank you! I’m actually always 60% happy with the pix only so thanks for the vote of confidence :)
60 %???? Usually???? 你还在说,你不擅长拍照????
I take 2000 pics and end up liking 0 of them. And then I have to reshoot because I like none of the pics… Its especially a problem with croissants.
And how did you get the spam comment thingy? Love it. For once I can actually get it right and not be marked a spammer!! (because the other ones, a computer can’t read it, and i can barely read it…)
Feel free to email me all your secrets. ;)
It’s a plugin called CAPTCHA! It’s free and totally cool. I agree, better than most of the fuzzy pictures.
My actual first ver-batim thoughts on seeing this were “WTF” and “Gahhhhhhhhhhh”. This looks like, hands down, the best bad-day sammich ever. Brie, strawberries, and caramel toast nommmm.
Now this is MY kinda grilled cheese, Mandy.. If you had a food cart and made only these, you’d be a millionaire.
I think I know what show you’re talking about! There was an episode of Heartland Table with Amy Thielen where she made maple toast with soft cheese. Same idea as yours, but using maple syrup and butter for the toast. I’ll have to try it with caramel strawberries and nutmeg because this looks AMAZING.
DEVI: OH yes yes! Thank you!!! Wow, maple syrup. That’s a great idea! I’m gonna put it in updates. Thanks!!!
Mandy, you have me at “caramel strawberry” :)
I don’t think I can read another one of your posts without telling how awesome I think they all are. Your frequent mix of Chinese and French flavors is literally my idea of perfection.
Caramel strawberries, oh this looks so delicious!!!!
This excite me so, so, much. SO YUMMY!!!
So I’ve been a lurker on your blog for a whiles now, but this is actually something I can (vegetarian!) and OMG! It looks SOOOOOOO incredible (and I dont even know if that’s enough ‘OOO’s to express how incredibly tasty this looks. Brie and strawberries…yum!!!
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d without
a doubt donate to this superb blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking
and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and
will share this website with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
To speak the truth, I think the combination of fruit and cheese is just weird. But your pictures look too damn delicious! I never successfully caramel anything in my kitchen… But this one is just too good not to try.
I can not begin to explain how delicious this dish looks! OMG.
Good lord this looks tasty! Wow!
ILY for this! Don’t have any fruits now but will try the candied butter toast! Oh Yum!!
Looks so yummy and so easy to make (and easier to eat it in one bite)!
http://beautyfollower.blogspot.gr
this looks amazing! perfect brunch idea. i love brie but some people don’t, so how about cream cheese? i’ve made french toast with cream cheese and preserves sandwiched between two pieces of french toast and it came out fantastic.
Elaine: Yeah sure! Or as someone else suggested, using a milder cheese like mascarpone?
When I saw Caramel Strawberries, I was instantly intrigued.
What a unique and fun spin on a french toast style/sandwich dish and I love your comment above about using marscapone in place of the brie. I’m hoping to think of a way to make this and incorporate a “little slice of fall” into it. Any recommendations?
Sara-Jane, Woooh, how does fig sound? sliced in half and dipped into caramel? Or, perhaps, soft persimmon?
Want this
Bloody brilliant. Made the caramel strawberries first to use in another dish, and I still find them very tricky to get right. I would suggest doubling the recipe amount for the caramel, and pouring the sugar straight out after it reaches an amber colour. You can always microwave it if it gets too cool (which will happen). I like throwing the strawberries in the caramel, taking it out with a fork, and throwing it into the ice bath. I do it quickly so I leave the strawberries in the ice bath, taking them out batches at a time, because the sugar hardens so quickly.
The brie. The nutmeg. The strawberries. THE BREAD.
Oh my God. You must try the bread.