A Walnut Breakfast

The few cool days we’ve had this season have put my taste buds in an autumn mood. Warm and homey baked casseroles sending good smells through the house are a more than fair trade for less sunshine and slowly approaching cold weather (OK, maybe not cold, but at least cooler).

This sumptuous and filling breakfast takes advantage of seasonal tart apples. They meld well with the Italian triple-cream cream cheese used here, also known as mascarpone. Serve with crisply cooked bacon, steaming coffee and the Sunday paper. One bite and you’ll be thankful for cool, blustery weather and more meals like this.

You can prepare the recipe up to the baking point the night before and bake it in the morning. The French toast will be all the more tender and delicious. Make the apples while the dish is baking.

Don’t throw away that used vanilla bean. Place it in your bag of sugar for fragrant vanilla sugar. Use it in place of regular sugar in your baked goods.

Walnut Streusel French Toast With Caramelized Apples

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

WALNUT STREUSEL

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

* In small bowl, combine butter, walnuts, brown sugar, flour and cardamom until crumbly and well mixed. Set aside.

ASSEMBLY

1/2 pound mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons whipping cream

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

4 eggs

1 cup whole milk

Dash salt

8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices challah bread

6 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing

1 to 2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* Beat together by hand mascarpone, cream and 2 tablespoons sugar. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; add seeds to mixture. Stir well.

* In separate bowl whisk eggs, milk and salt. Dip 4 slices bread into egg mixture and lay in buttered 13x9-inch baking dish. Drop mascarpone mixture by spoonfuls evenly over bread without spreading. Dip remaining bread into egg mixture and place on top. Pour any remaining egg mixture over bread. Sprinkle Walnut Streusel evenly over top. Bake at 400 degrees until bread is springy and a little dry on top, and streusel is golden brown, about 18 minutes.

* While toast is baking, melt 6 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. When melted, add apple slices. Cook over medium-high heat until apples begin to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon and cook until sugar melts and apples begin to caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes. When toast is done, serve with caramelized apples.

4 servings. Each serving: 919 calories; 820 mg sodium; 377 mg cholesterol; 64 grams fat; 71 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 1.58 grams fiber.

GAME PLAN

30 minutes before: Heat oven. Make Walnut Streusel. Grease baking dish. Make mascarpone filling.

25 minutes before: Make egg mixture. Assemble French toast.

About 20 minutes before: Place French toast in oven.

10 minutes before: Make caramelized apples. Cook bacon.

Just before serving: Top French toast with apples.

INGREDIENTS

Staples

Butter

Cinnamon

Eggs

Flour

Milk

Brown sugar

Granulated sugar

Chopped Walnuts

Shopping List

Apples

Bacon

Cardamom

Challah

Mascarpone cheese

Vanilla beans