Cooking Lesson #604: Sweet Almond Bostock

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? There is a new French bakery and café that opened just down the street from where I live. The ladies who own the place are from Lyon. They barely speak English but have wonderful genuine French recipes. Their French almond cream is to die for. I can tell you conversing with them strains my high school French, but I was able to capture this recipe for saving stale bread—it’s called a Bostock.
 
It is a non-discriminating recipe, whether you bake bread from scratch or source from local bakeries or the grocery store. It’s short of amazing how quickly last night’s leftover stale bread which was destined for bread crumbs and croutons is turned into something that puts French Toast for breakfast to shame. Yes, even those sad, day-old croissants that lost their flaky texture can be converted into something magnificent even, better than the original.
 
Leave it to the French to figure out how to take a breadstuff past its prime and elevate it to cult status. Likely originating in bakeries trying to get rid of second-day stale bread, this process of adding a sugar syrup and re-baking with an almond cream topping is a genius way to make almost any stale baked bread rise to perfection again!  
 
While traditionally made with thick slabs of bread like sweet brioche, the technique can be used with great success with almost any plain or sweet bread.
 
Ingredients
4 thick slices of stale bread
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water
7 ounces almond paste (not marzipan)
2 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup raw slivered almonds
Sliced fruit (optional)
1/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar (optional)
 
Directions

1. Heat an oven to 425° F.
2. Using thick-sliced bread ensures that at least one side has exposed crumb. If you are using a croissant, split it in half.
3. Arrange the bread cut side up on a sheet pan lined with parchment, foil or a silicone baking mat.
4. Make a sugar syrup with one part sugar to two parts water, heating just until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Brush the exposed side generously with the syrup until the bread is well-saturated, but not soggy.
6. Make an almond cream by blending a 7-ounce package of almond paste (be sure to buy paste and not marzipan!) with two large eggs, a generous pinch of kosher or fine sea salt, a few drops of almond extract and vanilla bean paste in a food processor.
7. Pulse until just smooth.
8. Spread some almond cream on top of each soaked piece of bread or pastry.
9. Top with sliced or slivered almonds. You can also add sliced fruit below the almonds if desired.
10. Bake for 6-12 minutes until the tops are nicely golden brown.
11. Serve warm with a bit of confectioners’ sugar if you like.

ChefSecret:  If you have a lot of bread left, prepped Bostock can be frozen uncovered in a single layer on a sheet pan and then stashed in freezer bags. Bake straight from frozen, increasing the baking time by a couple of minutes. Any leftover baked Bostock is a great addition to bread pudding.

Quip of the Day:  Baking is cheaper than therapy.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

 #Baking #SweetAlmondBostock #Almonds #Bostock #2023Recipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup                                     

                                                                                         ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

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