Sugar-Crusted French Toast with Honeyed Apples

Ingredients

• 3 medium apples cored peeled halved (such as Braeburn or Golden Delicious)
• 1  cinnamon sticks 
• 6 inch egg bread loaf - crusts 
• 3 large egg yolk 
• 6 large eggs 
• 0.5 cup honey 
• 2 inch lemon zest 
• 2 inch orange zest 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.7 cup sugar 
• 6 tablespoons butter unsalted ()
• 0.5  vanilla pod split
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 3 cups water 
• 15.5 cups milk whole
• 2  star anise whole

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• whisk
• baking pan
• slotted spoon

Directions

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 minutes.
2. Add apples; cover and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer apples to bowl. Boil syrup in saucepan until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 10 minutes.
3. Add syrup to bowl with apples. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)
4. Whisk eggs, yolks, milk, 2/3 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt in 15x10x2-inch baking dish.
5. Place bread in single layer in egg mixture; spoon egg mixture over bread and let stand until soaked through, about 3 minutes.
6. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in each of 2 large nonstick skillets over medium heat.
7. Sprinkle each skillet with 2 tablespoons sugar.
8. Add 3 bread slices to each skillet; cook until deep golden on bottom, about 3 minutes.
9. Sprinkle top of bread slices with sugar, using 2 tablespoons for each skillet; turn slices over and cook until deep golden on bottom, about 3 minutes.
10. Transfer French toast to plates.
11. Place 1 apple half alongside each serving.
12. Drizzle French toast with some of syrup from apples and serve.
13. *Brown star-shaped seedpods sold at Asian markets and specialty foods stores and in the spice section of some supermarkets.