Caramelized Apple Bread Pudding

Caramelized Apple Bread Pudding

3 apples, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 oz. butter
1/2 cup sugar

6 egg yolks
2 eggs
1 quart heavy cream
2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1 loaf Challah, cut into 1” squares

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large sauté pan for 1 minute. Add the butter, immediately followed by the apples. Shake the pan and sauté the apples for about 5 minutes, lowering the heat if the apples become too brown. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar and heat until the sugar cooks into a light brown caramel (about 2 minutes).

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, cream, milk, sugar, brandy, vanilla extract and the seeds scraped from the bean to form a custard base. Add the bread cubes and toss to combine. Set the mixture aside until the bread cubes are soaked with the custard base, about 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into a greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Place the dish on a half sheet pan. Wrap the top of the baking dish with foil and place the pan in the oven.
Bake the bread pudding covered for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes. 

Serve warm or room temperature with whipped cream, creme anglaise, raspberry sauce and/or caramel sauce