A Meal Fit for a Mom

Sundays are synonymous with brunch -- the traditional Mother's Day brunch. Instead of reserving a table at your favorite haunt, you and your mom can avoid the brunch crowds this Mother's Day if you treat her to a fabulous meal right at home. Instead of serving the traditional brunch fare of omelettes, muffins or pancakes, let mom know how much you care by going the extra mile to make something more extravagant.

For example, she will find it hard to resist this "Chocolate French Toast with Salted Apples" from "Serena, Food and Stories" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) by Serena Bass, because it tastes just like a warm chocolate croissant, but it's topped with apples sauteed in butter and sprinkled with salt for a more delectable treat.

CHOCOLATE FRENCH TOAST WITH SALTED APPLES

Serves 4

You can get everything ready the day before with this recipe. Try to get Gala apples, which are fragrant and retain their shape. When choosing a bread, go for a plain white one. That way, the recipe won't get too sweet. Look for a loaf with a fairly even crumb so the chocolate doesn't run out through any holes when it melts.

2 extra-large eggs

1/4 cup half-and-half

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 1-inch-thick slices day-old bread

4 tablespoons chocolate chips

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 Gala apples at room temperature, quartered, cored and cut into 12 wedges each

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Kosher or Maldon salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 250 F. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half and vanilla. Pour the egg wash into a shallow dish that can hold the 4 slices of bread laid flat. Using a very sharp straight-bladed knife, trim the crusts off the bread. Carefully cut a horizontal pocket in each bread slice big enough for the chocolate chips to spread out a bit, and not sit in a big lump. Fill each bread pocket with 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips and lay the bread slices in the egg wash. Let them soak for a minute, then turn them over and leave in the dish while you saute the apples.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat for three minutes, and then add the butter. When the butter has stoped sizzling, turn the heat to high, add the apples and saute until they are translucent and caramelized, about five minutes. If the heat isn't high enough, the apples will sweat and steam and will never brown at the edges. Transfer the apples to the oven in an oven-safe dish while you cook the French toast.

Heat the oil in a heavy saute pan over medium-high heat and add two slices of bread. Cook for two to three minutes per side to a crisp golden brown, adding more oil if needed.

To serve, cut the slices diagonally and set one half on the other so the melted chocolate shows. Place the apples on top and scatter with a little salt.