Bostock

Two things I miss most from visiting b.patisserie in San Francisco: one is chef Brenda Leong’s delicious kouign amann – I have yet to find anything like it in Seattle.  The other is Bostock.

Bostock is toasted brioche soaked in pastry syrup, topped with almond cream(frangipane) and sliced almonds. It is quite easy to make, as long as you have day-old brioche. I didn’t have day-old brioche at hand, so I made one from scratch and waited till the next day to make bostock. I know it sounded like wasting a good loaf of freshly baked brioche. But when one wants a bostock, one must have it!

Ingredients:

Orange Pastry Syrup
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
orange juice, Grand Marnier, Cointeau or Triple Sec (to taste)
Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring syrup to a boil. Once sugar dissolves, remove from heat and cool. Add orange juice or liquer to syrup. Syrup keeps up to one month in the refrigerator.

Frangipane/Almond Cream
1 cup(8oz) butter, softened
1 cup(8oz) sugar
1 cup almond flour
5 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon rum
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Cream butter with a small amount of sugar. Add remaining sugar in two parts. Add almond flour incrementally. Once incorporated, add egg one by one. Increase mixer speed if necessary. Add lemon zest, vanilla and dark rum. Add all-purpose flour in order to tighten the dough. Raw frangipane freezes nicely.

Bostock
baked brioche loaves
pastry syrup
frangipane
almond paste, optional
raw sliced almonds
confectioner’s sugar

Instructions:

1. Trim ends off brioche. Slice brioche into 1/2 inch thick.
2. Brush brioche with orange syrup to add moisture.
3. Mix together equal parts almond paste and frangipane. Spread a thin layer on brioche. Alternatively, use only frangipane.
4. Top with sliced almonds.
5. Bake at 375F degrees on a sheet pan without parchment paper for 12-15 minutes, until the almonds are well toasted.
6. Dust with confectioner’s sugar after removing from the oven.

If you’ve made more bostock than you could consume in a day, not to worry. Store it in the refrigerator overnight and pop it into a toaster oven (or regular oven at 275-300F degrees) next day for 5 minutes. Et Voilà, just as it was freshly baked.

This morning as I was at the market getting fresh eggs, I saw that Stokesberry farm is now serving homemade chicken broth. I had a cup and felt restorative and nourishing afterwards. I went ahead and bought two pieces of chicken legs and thighs. I have been thinking of making chicken paprikash(paprikás csirke) for quite sometime. Something spicy, colorful and aromatic would do!