Bostock...Yumm!

Well what do you do with left over brioche a day later? Dorie Greenspan recommends making bostock. Bostock is basically 1/2 - 3/4" thick slices of stale brioche with 3 Tbs of almond creme spread on top and then baked in the oven till golden brown and puffed.

Though I changed her recipe a tad, wow did it smell and taste wonderful. The recipe called for blanched almonds. I only had slivered almonds and therefore couldn't blanch them myself since they were already cut. The skins gave it a more "rustic" look. I liked that. If you are looking for a perfectly smooth look, then buy them blanched or buy whole and blanch them yourself. I believe they sell sliced blanched in the stores. I also used vanilla paste instead of extract which added more texture with vanilla seeds. But I always think that the flavor is worth the change in color and look.

ALMOND CREAM INGREDIENTS
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
3/4 stick (6 Tbs) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 ground blanched almonds 2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1 large egg
2 tsp dark rum or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

I used the food processor method and used 1 tsp vanilla paste AND 1 tsp rum emulsion. I was out of dark rum, thanks to the rum raisin icecream I made...well worth it by the way, and did not have any rum extract on hand...which is fine too because this rum emulsion is much much better! What are emulsions? Emulsions are water-based,  alcohol-free alternatives to extracts.  Instead of using alcohol, the flavor is micro encapsulated in natural stabilizers and suspended in water.  The encapsulation enables the flavor to not lose its integrity when exposed to high heat.

TO MAKE THE CREAM USING A FOOD PROCESSOR:  Put the butter & sugar in the food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and satiny. Add the ground almonds and continue to process until well blended. Add the flour and cornstarch and process to blend, then add the egg. Process for about 15 seconds more, or until the almond cream is homogenous. Add the rum and/or vanilla and pulse to just blend.

TO MAKE THE CREAM USING A MIXER OR BY HAND: You can use a hand or stand mixer (fit the mixer with the whisk attachment), or you can blend the cream in a bowl with a rubber spatula. Blend the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the almonds, beating to incorporate them completely. Blend in flour and cornstarch, then add the egg, beating until the cream is homogenous. Stir in the rum and/or vanilla.

Scrape the almond cream into a container and use it immediately, or refrigerate it until firm (about 2 hours).

Now just cut 1/2" - 3/4" inch slices of your brioche. Spread the bread with about 3 Tbs of the cream, leaving a little border bare (as you can see, I forgot this part but it worked out fine), and scatter over some sliced almonds, blanched or not. Put the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, and bake in a 350 degree-F oven until the almond cream is puffed and golden brown, 10 - 15 minutes. Serve the bostock warm or at room temperature.

I had left over almond cream and after reading, other suggestions for it are: smoothing over th bottom of a crust, then topped with fruit, used intead of pastry cream to fill Brioche Raisin Snails or simply spoon into a ramekin capped with berries and baked like a tart. Almond cream puffs and develops a light crust. Inside, it remains soft and creamy and deeply flavored by the almonds.

I think I'll try the ramekin and berries and let you you know how it is!

Brioche Raisin Snails

With the 2nd half of the brioche recipe, I decided to make these. They sounded marvelous and as fast as they were eaten, I guess they were! This recipe is yet another by Dorie Greenspan.

These are the Sun-Maid raisins I used in my snails.
They are fabulous. A variety of colors and flavors.



FOR THE RAISIN SNAILS
1 cup moist, plump raisins (I used Sun-Maid Mixed Plump)
3 Tbls dark rum
1 1/2 tsp sugar
Scant 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I used fresh ground in a mill)
1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche Loaves, chilled and ready to shape)
1/2 recipe Pastry Cream



FOR THE OPTIONAL GLAZE
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
About 1 tsp water
Drop of pure vanilla extract (I used Vanilla Paste)

GETTING READY:  Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan, cover them with hot water and let them steep for about 4 minutes, until they are plumped. Drain the raisins, return them to the saucepan and, stirring constantly, warm them over low heat. When the raisins are very hot, pull the pan from the heat and pour over the rum. The raisins and rum can be kept in a covered jar for up to 1 day.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

On a flour-dusted surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12" wide and 16" long, with a short end toward you. Spread the pastry cream across the dough, leaving a 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Scatter the raisins over the pastry cream and sprinkle the raisins and cream with the cinnamon sugar. Starting with the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it for up to 2 months. Or, if you do not want to make the full recipe, use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder.)

With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends if they're very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into rounds a scant 1 inch thick. Put the snails on the lined baking sheet(s), leaving some puff space between them.

Lightly cover the snails with wax paper and set the baking sheet(s) in a warm place until the snails have doubled in volume- they'll be puffy and soft- about 1 hr and 30 minutes.

GETTING READY TO BAKE: When the snails have almost fully risen, preheat the oven: depending on the number of baking sheets you have, either center a rack in the oven or position the racks to divide the oven into thirds & preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the wax paper, and bake the snails for about 25 minutes (rotate the sheets, if using two, from top to bottom and front to back after 15 minutes), or until they are puffed & richly browned. Using a metal spatula, transfer the snails to a cooling rack.

IF YOU WANT TO GLAZE THE SNAILS: put a piece of wax paper under the rack of warm rolls to act as a drip catcher. Put the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl, and stir in the teaspoon of water. Keep adding water drop by drop until you have an icing that falls from the tip of the spoon. Add the vanilla extract, then drizzle the icing over the hot snails.