Ingredients
For the olive oil croutons
3 cups Italian-style bread, torn roughly into 1-inch pieces
½ cup olive oil
For the black pepper caramel sauce
1⁄3 cup water
2⁄3 cup sugar
2⁄3 cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns, ground coarsely
For the apples
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound Braeburn apples (or any sweet/tart heirloom apple), peeled, cored, cut into ½-inch dice
3 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only (parsley is an ok substitute)
¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
1. To make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the bread into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Mix well until thoroughly coated. Spread croutons onto baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes; rotate pan and bake until golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. To make the caramel sauce: Put water and sugar in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.
3. To make the apples: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter; when it has melted and stopped foaming, add apple chunks. Brown the apples on all sides and remove from the pan immediately so they maintain some crispness. Stir in the oregano leaves.
4. In a bowl or mixer, whisk the cream until soft peaks form.
5. To serve, put each component in a bowl by itself, and allow guests to create their own desserts. Alternatively, for individual servings, start with apple chunks on bottom, top with whipped cream, decorate with croutons and serve with caramel sauce on the side.
Notes
I love to serve this dessert when entertaining at home and put the apples, cream, crumbs and caramel in separate bowls, allowing guests to dig in themselves. The divine flavors, as well as the sharing among friends, reminds me of my two-day adventure at MAD.