R House's Guava French Toast

Welcome to another tasty edition of Chefs Share! Each month, we share a home chef-friendly recipe from one of Miami’s culinary stars. If you’ve never worked in a professional kitchen before, don’t worry – these recipes don’t require any formal experience and the ingredients can be found at your local specialty store or supermarket.

This month’s dish comes to us from Rocco Carulli, executive chef and owner of R House (305.576.0201) at 2727 NW Second Ave. in Wynwood.

Born in New Jersey and raised by immigrant parents from Southern Italy, food was always the heart of his household. And after earning a degree in accounting, Carulli realized he didn’t have a passion for numbers and enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in New York to pursue his true love. After stints in New York, Massachusetts and San Francisco, he landed in South Florida at WISH Café on South Beach.

In 2012, with the Wynwood renaissance in full swing, Carulli signed and sealed the deal for R House. Now on the heels of its 10-year anniversary, the Wynwood eatery is best known for its Latin-inspired plates, lively atmosphere and extravagant drag performances. In fact, you’ll find Carulli with his team at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s annual Drag Brunch, happening Sunday, Feb. 25, at the Miami Beach Bandshell.

In the meantime, try making his decadent guava French toast at home. So yummy! As always, before you get started, make sure to read the entire recipe to avoid any surprises along the way.

CHEF CARULLI’S GUAVA FRENCH TOAST

Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS

·     32 ounces pure maple syrup

·     2 cinnamon sticks

·     16 ounces guava cream

·     1 bag unsweetened coconut

·     12 ounces cream cheese

·     1/4 cup heavy cream

·     1/4 cup guava marmalade

·     1 1/2 teaspoons red dragon fruit purée, optional for color

·     One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

·     Two 12-ounce cans evaporated milk

·     2 cups whole milk

·     10 eggs

·     1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

·     1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

·     1 tablespoon oil or butter

·     1 loaf challah bread, cut into 1 1/2 ″-wide slices (about 8 slices)

·     1 cup pineapple, diced small

·     1 cup papaya, diced small

PREPARATION

·     Bring maple syrup and cinnamon sticks to a simmer and cook 10 minutes; add guava cream and simmer another 10 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool. You’ll reheat it later to serve warm.

·     Place coconut on parchment paper-lined sheet pan; toast in 350º F oven, 325º F if using a convection oven. Stir every few minutes until light and evenly golden brown, about 10 minutes – coconut burns easily so keep an eye on it! Remove from oven and set aside.

·     In large bowl, whip cream cheese until soft and fluffy; slowly add heavy cream and whip mixture again once it’s well incorporated. Add guava marmalade and dragon fruit and mix again until well incorporated and the cream becomes evenly pink; set aside and keep cool.

·     In large bowl whisk together sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla extract until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

·     Preheat oven to 325º F or 300º F if using convection oven; heat flat-top griddle or large nonstick sauté pan over low to medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon oil to the pan; if using butter be careful not to let it get too brown. Soak bread slices in batter and allow it to soak in on both sides.

·     Lightly brown bread in pan then gently flip and brown other side; bread will be very soft and may break if not handled carefully.

·     Transfer cooked bread to parchment paper-lined sheet pan, place in oven and bake 10-15 minutes, until bread is fluffy and cooked through.

·     Cut bread diagonally and place pieces on two serving platters, eight pieces per platter.

·     Top each piece of French toast with a dollop of guava cream cheese; sprinkle slices with pineapple and papaya, pour guava syrup evenly over assembled platters and sprinkle with toasted coconut to serve.

Irene Moore is a Miami-based writer and certified sommelier whose vivid descriptions take readers through culinary cultures around the world. Her feature articles have appeared in print publications, travel guidebooks and websites in the U.S. and Europe.