Within the little city of Haute-Rives, dwelling to the astounding Palais Ideale, a palace constructed from pebbles by a postman (it’s a complete different story you possibly can examine in The Good Life France Journal – completely at no cost), I popped into the stunning little bakery throughout the highway.
There in entrance of me had been an assortment of desserts, pastries and bread. In France they name window buying leche-vitrine. It actually interprets as window-licking. Standing on the window of the boulangerie (under) I completely obtained the idea.
The store offered scrumptious desserts and had a number of specialities resembling a pogne – a doughy cake which is crammed with praluline, a pink praline combine and a model of it known as a Saint-Genix brioche cake. Like many desserts in France, there’s a story to be informed.
Saint-Genix cake
The Saint-Genix brioche is made in honour of Saint Agathe. Born in Italy within the 3rd century AD, she had robust Christian beliefs and when a Roman Consul tried to have his depraved means together with her, she rejected him. Angered, he kidnapped and tortured her and tried to get her to resign her religion, even chopping off one in every of her breasts. However a miracle happened, it grew again. The Roman consul ordered her to be executed, an act which was adopted by an earthquake – it killed the Roman Consul and the executioner.
Anyway , some 1300 years later, the individuals of Sicily determined to undertake Saint Agathe as their patron saint. Yearly on her birthday, 5th February, they made spherical desserts in her honour. The cake’s recognition unfold to France and the French brioche recipe in use right this moment was created by a 19th century pastry prepare dinner from Saint-Genix in Savoie. He flavoured the brioche with orange blossom water and crammed it with praluline. His clients beloved it and now its made in a number of areas.
You’ve obtained to like a bizarre cake story haven’t you!
Recipe for Brioche de Saint Genix
Elements
1 sachet of dried yeast
350g robust flour
2 eggs if utilizing robust flour
75g butter minimize into small items
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 dessertspoons sugar
175ml of chilly milk
200g Pink Praline
50g of crystallised sugar
egg for glazing
Tips on how to make a Brioche de Saint Genix
Heat the milk and add the yeast, then the butter, eggs and sugar. Combine within the flour and knead the combination till the dough has a pliable elastic sort consistency. Go away the dough in a big bowl to relaxation in a single day within the fridge.
The next day knead the dough once more after which roll the dough out and switch and fold it a number of instances.
Reserve some praline for the highest and flippantly crush the remaining and incorporate the praline into the dough. Then form the dough right into a spherical loaf.
Go away to rise in a heat place for round two hours.
Brush the brioche with egg wash after which sprinkle the pralines and sugar on prime.
Bake at 190C for about half-hour till a deep brown color and hollow-sounding beneath.
Tips on how to make pink praline
250 g (8.8 oz) Toasted entire almonds (or hazelnuts)*
450 g (2 ¼ cups) white granulated sugar
120 ml (4 fl oz) Water: use chilly water or water at room temperature.
Orange flower water (or rose flower) – non-compulsory
Pink meals colouring
* To toast almonds, bake them on a tray in a preheated oven at 300 F/150 C for quarter-hour.
Pink meals color: the purple color is a signature of pink praline. Add meals colouring as wanted (it’s normally sufficient so as to add about 7 drops of purple meals colouring to every cooking step).
Technique
In a big frying pan, place one-third of the sugar (¾ cup/150 g), pour one-third of the water (1.35 fl oz/2.7 tbsp/40 ml) and add a number of drops of purple meals color.
Stir the sugar combination nicely with a wood spoon and convey it to a boil. As soon as massive bubbles begin forming, add the almonds.
Decrease to a medium warmth, add orange flower water and maintain stirring continually.
The purple sugar syrup will start to crystallize – maintain stirring till all of the nuts are coated within the syrup.
Pour the combo onto a parchment coated baking tray and let cool then place in a clear pan.
Save the remaining, pink-coloured caramelized sugar.
In a small saucepan, place one-third of the sugar (¾ cup/150 g), one-third of water (1.35 fl oz/2.7 tbsp/40 ml), the reserved pink sugar, and some drops of purple meals colouring and warmth.
Deliver to a boil and prepare dinner till the combination reaches the temperature of 255 levels F/124 levels C (use a sugar thermometer).
Pour the syrup over the nuts, stirring continually till nicely coated then tip onto parchment coated tray, taking care to separate the person almonds.
Repeat once more as for steps one and two with remaining elements however test the color – you could not want extra meals colouring at this stage.
Let the nuts dry out earlier than storing then in a tightly closed jar or field in a cool dry place.
By Janine Marsh, Editor of www.thegoodlifefrance, creator of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream, My 4 Seasons in France: A Yr of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Dwelling the Dream in Rural France all accessible as book, print & audio, on Amazon in every single place & all good bookshops on-line.
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