brioche a tête

We had a cocktail party last week, and one of our guests, brought a gift of 2 bright red little paper bags. I did not peek inside when I received them, but put them on a counter while I whirled around, talking, cooking and partying. When my friend was leaving, I thanked her for the gift and she whispered, "we brought a little treat for you two, for tomorrow morning". I looked into the bag and there were 2 little golden buns, with currants and little pieces of candied fruit. They looked like brioche! The next morning, after more cleanup from the night before, we made our cafe au laits, and then bought out the little red bags. They were delicious. I don't know if they were real brioche, but they reminded me of brioche and I decided that brioche would need to be made before the holidays were over.

There is a mystique that surrounds brioche. Most of us have not had, nor have ever seen a "real" one. I did see a "real" one in France, a long time ago. The memory and taste memory have long since faded. I think I may have had facsimiles of these glorious little buns over the years, but don't think I have actually made them for a very long time.

Brioche first appeared as a written word in 1404, and has been surrounded in controversy since then. Gourmands have argued the true origin of the bread, and which region of France it came from. Marie Antoinette famous words were actually "let them eat brioche", not cake. The bread is made from an enriched yeast dough containing eggs and butter. Raisin, currants and candied fruit can be added to the dough. It can be made in various shapes, from tall cylindrical brioche mouselline, to the short and fat brioche a tête, which has a little ball on top like a hat. (like the ones I made). A similar dough is also used in other cuisines to encase Salmon Coulibiac and Beef Wellington.

Following is an adapted recipe from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Bakers Apprentice.

Sponge

1/2 cup unbleached bread flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 cup milk, warmed to 100 deg F

Dough

5 large eggs
3 cups unbleached bread flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Optional: Raisins, currants, candied peel.

1 egg, whisked for egg wash

The sponge: stir together the flour and yeast in a mixing bowl. stir in the milk until the flour is hydrated. Cover with plastic wrap and ferment for 20 minutes, or until the sponge rises and then falls when you tap the bowl.

The Dough: add the eggs to the sponge and beat with the paddle attachment on your mixer until smooth. Stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add this mixture to sponge and egg mixture and stir on low speed for about 2 minutes. Let this mixture rest for 5 minutes so that the gluten can develop. Mix on medium speed with the paddle and mix in the softened butter 1/4 at a time. After all the butter is incorporated, mix for 6 more minutes. Mix in the optional fruit at this time. The dough will be very soft and smooth.

Transfer the dough to a bag and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of four hours.

Cut the dough into 2 ounce portions and place into greased muffin pans. If you want the "little hat" you can put an indentation in the top of the bun and then place a small nob of dough in the indentation. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and proof until doubled in size (approximately 1 - 2 hours). When proofed, brush on the egg wash and bake at 400 deg F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Food & Fun

See Party Slideshow

We belong to a dinner club where we get together 6 or so times a year and cook and share food based on a theme. We have had some great themes and some great dinners. Last night the theme was "Be your favourite Food TV Chef". My husband and I were the Restaurant Makeover Team. We prepared a dessert selection. Nigella, Alton Brown and Trish Magwood were also in attendance.

French Onion Soup Recipe courtesy Alton Brown Show: Good Eats Episode: Cable in the Classroom

10 sweet onions (like Vidalias) or a combination of sweet and red onions 3 tablespoons butter Kosher salt 2 cups white wine 10 ounces canned beef consume 10 ounces chicken broth 10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best) Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley 1 loaf country style bread Ground black pepper Splash Cognac, optional 1 cup grated Fontina or Gruyere cheeseTrim the ends off each onion then slice from end to end. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning. Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler. Cut country bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute. Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Curried Asparagus Lemon Rolls - Party Dish

• 1 loaf (500g) white bread sliced length-wise
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (50 mL)
• 1 tbsp curry paste (15 mL)
• 1 x lemon, juice and zest
• 1 bunch of asparagus, blanched

Directions:

Curried Asparagus Lemon Rolls

1. Remove crusts from bread.
2. In a bowl, combine, mayonnaise, curry paste, lemon juice and zest. Reserve
3. Spread mayonnaise mixture on each slice of bread
4. Cut 3 pieces of asparagus to fit the width of the bread and place at one end of the bread
5. Roll bread up, to create a pinwheel.
6. Wrap each roll in plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. Can be made the night before.
8. Slice each roll into 6 pieces.