Brioche x 2

It took brioche to bring me back (after the chaotic summer that was just starting during my last post).

I swear there is nothing better for me to make, bake, eat and eat again, than brioche.

I think its the texture.  And the chewiness.  And the slight sweetness.

For the first brioche recipe, the brioche served as the base of a custard tart, topped with a sabayon and poached plums.

For the second, the brioche was twice baked, to use up those stale leftovers of brioche laying around (as if).  The stale bread is dunked in orange vanilla syrup and topped with an almond cream.  Brioche plus almond cream might just be better than brioche itself.

For the rest of the book, I will try to keep up and make up what I have missed from the Baking with Julia cooking group.  But there are no guarantees without brioche.


Rhiannon eating her favorite: honey toast.

Amaretti

These little cookies have been brought up multiple times during our nomination process at the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll, so I was excited to finally make them, plus I love almond paste when used in baking.  Let's clarify this.  I love to eat things made with almond paste.  This is the first time I have made something with almond paste.   

I decided to make this already easy recipe easier by not making my own almond paste.  As instructed in the recipe, I searched high and low for a can of paste instead of a tube, but had to settle for a tube.  To make up for this,  I wound up using a wee bit less sugar than the recipe called for.  

I think they turned out well.  Nice and chewy but a bit crispy on the edges and outside in general.   I believe they could have been a bit crispier; maybe this was due to the paste coming from a tube or maybe because they turned out a bit larger than I think they should have been.  Regardless, I am looking forward to them hardening up over the next couple of days… and eating more of them.

Rhiannon approved!