Active time: 30 min start to finish:

Makes 4 main-course servings.

Ingredients:

6 scallions
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb salmon fillet (about 1 1/2 inches thick), skinned and bones removed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves
4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices good-quality whole-wheat bread
2 cups bite-size pieces frisée or mesclun (1 oz)

Special equipment: a well-seasoned ridged grill pan (preferably cast-iron)
Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Preparation:

Heat grill pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Meanwhile, toss scallions with 2 teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Pat salmon dry and coat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper.

Cook scallions in grill pan, turning occasionally, until soft and slightly charred, about 6 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to cool.

Add salmon to grill pan and cook, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 12 minutes total. Transfer with a metal spatula to a plate and cool slightly, then gently flake.

While salmon is grilling, finely chop scallions and stir into mayonnaise with celery, lemon juice, and mint. Season with salt and pepper.

Toast bread and spread lightly with some of scallion mayonnaise. Divide salmon among toasts and top with dollops of scallion mayonnaise and pieces of frisée.

Gourmet, May 2003

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, toasted, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease twelve muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

Sift first 4 ingredients into large bowl.

Combine bananas, sugars, butter, milk and egg in medium bowl.

Mix into dry ingredients.

Fold in half of nuts.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

Sprinkle tops of muffins with remaining macadamia nuts.

Bake until muffins are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove muffins from tins immediately

Transfer muffins to rack and cool.

Notes: I’m afraid I made some alterations (below) to make these more of an everyday treat. Even so they were wonderful- not greasy, fluffy but filling, and sticky on top. I’d have no doubt that the real versions are divine!! 1)white flour = 1 cup white and 1/2 cup whole wheat 2)1/2 stick of butter = 1/4 stick cup butter & 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 3)white and brown sugars = 1/2 cup light brown sugar 4)1/4 cup milk = 1/4 cup fat-free yogurt 5)1 cup mac nuts = 1/4 cup pecans & 1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks 6)Nutmeg = 1 tsp vanilla extract, as I dislike nutmeg and wanted some extra sweetness 7)Add 1/4 tsp baking powder for an extra lift. If you’re going for the full-out version I’d definitely recommend devising a sweet and crunchy topping too! If you don’t care for the nuts, the possibilities are endless. Add chocolate chips, coconut etc or add nothing at all!

Bon Appétit, June 1991

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Batter:
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch ground cinnamon

Caramel Apples:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/2 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large croissants, halved lengthwise
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Ground cinnamon, for dusting

Procedure:

Make the batter for the French toast by whisking together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until evenly blended. Cover and refrigerate.

Pay close attention while you make the caramel apples - put the sugar in a large dry skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Be careful; the sugar is really hot at this point. Still stirring, add the butter, which will foam a little. Once the sugar and butter become a caramel sauce, fold in the apple wedges. Now, because the apples are cooler than the sugar, the sugar may start to seize and harden, but don’t freak out — keep stirring, once the apples warm up the caramel will smooth out again. When the caramel sauce starts to form around the apples, pour in the maple syrup. Give it a stir and simmer for about 10 minutes until the apples are fork tender. Pull them off the heat and keep warm until you are ready to serve.

For the French toast itself, warm the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. You probably will only be able to fit a couple of croissants in the pan at once, so prepare these in batches. Take a croissant half and quickly dredge it in the batter. The key word here is quickly; the croissants are very soft and will disintegrate if soaked in the batter. Lay the croissants in the pan, cut-side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip them over with a spatula and brown the other side.

The presentation is like a caramel apple sandwich - take the bottom half of the croissant and put it on a plate, spoon some of the caramel apples on top of that, and cover with the top 1/2 of the croissant. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon and serve.