Recipe: Caramelized toast

make toast

This garnish would have been absolutely perfect on the peanut butter creme caramel - but by the time I remembered it, we had already eaten it.  Remember, we were shooting for a peanut butter and jam sandwich effect, and this would have brought in buttered toast into the mix (and caramel to boot).  It's really just about as simple as it sounds, but remains an unusual item, both delicious and interesting.  The caramel gives a welcome crunch to the surface, but the inside retains its chewy buttery toast character.  As for presentation, it lends itself best to breaking off abstract pieces, showing off the texture of the toast.  I've also used this to garnish a creamy cauliflower soup - shockingly good.

make caramel

You will need:

sliced bread - your choice (I used white sourdough)

butter

sugar

Method:

 - butter the bread

 - toast the bread on both sides - use a hot pan or griddle rather than a toaster

 - cook the sugar to an amber caramel

drop in the bread

 - drop the toast into the caramel and let the caramel soak in

 - turn the toast over and let the other side soak up the caramel

 - lay the toast on parchment paper and let the caramel set

 - break off pieces and use as desired

let it set