More apples

Another good-sounding recipe gone awry. Here's the recipe first:

Caramel Apple Strata

2 cups packed brown sugar
½ cup butter, cubed
¼ cup corn syrup
3 large apples, peeled and chopped
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice
6-8 slices day-old cinnamon bread
½ cups chopped pecans
10 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

In small saucepan combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, sugar and pie spice. Arrange half of bread slices in greased 13-in x 9-in baking dish. Spoon apples over bread; drizzle with half of caramel sauce. Sprinkle with pecans, top with remaining bread.

In large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt and vanilla. Pour over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining caramel sauce.

Remove strata from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

In a small microwave safe dish, heat reserved caramel sauce, uncovered, for ½ minutes or until heated through. Drizzle over strata.

This sounded really good; layers of caramel-y bread, apples...etc. It did not work out in theory as easy as the recipe makes it sound.

For one thing; I couldn't get the "caramel" to caramelize. Maybe it was just me. I'd never tried to make my own caramel. I cooked and stirred for 20 minutes just to see if the brown sugar would ever dissolve and become smooth; nope, never did. Argh! I drizzled it anyway.

I must not have baked it quite long enough, or something, because it was rather smooshy inside. Hubby liked it well enough, but since we only eat 2 pieces per day, (if that) it got really rubbery by the time there wasn't much left of it. I'll likely never make this again either. Maybe only if I am entertaining a big bunch of people and they will consume it all in one meal.