Mean Chefs Twice Baked Brioche Food

BRIOCHE BREAKFAST BAKE WITH CRISPY BACON

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Tip about two-thirds of the blueberries into a baking dish (about 20cm x 30cm) that is quite deep. Dip each brioche piece into the egg mixture until well soaked, then arrange on top on the blueberries and pour any remaining egg mixture over the top. Scatter over the remaining blueberries. Cover with cling film and chill for 1 hr, or overnight if serving it for breakfast.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Uncover the dish and scatter over the pecans. Bake for 25 mins until the egg mixture is set and the blueberries are starting to burst. Meanwhile, line a baking tray with foil and arrange the bacon on top. When the brioche bake is ready, remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Heat the grill to high and cook the bacon for about 5 mins each side until crispy.
• Dust the brioche bake with icing sugar and top with the crispy bacon. Serve with extra maple syrup for drizzling.

FESTIVE FILLED BRIOCHE CENTREPIECE WITH BAKED CAMEMBERT

Steps:

• Day before: whisk together the eggs and milk in a jug. Put the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and spice in the bowl of a kitchen mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir to combine.
• On a medium setting, slowly pour in the egg mixture in a steady stream, continuing to stir until incorporated into a very soft, wet dough. Add the butter and increase the speed, kneading for 8-10 minutes. The dough will be ready when it clings around the dough hook. At this stage it will look more like a thick cake batter than bread dough. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
• You can also roast the garlic the day before: heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove any loose outer skins from the garlic bulbs. With a sharp knife, cut off the stem and uppermost part of the cloves. Place on the foil, drizzle over a little olive oil and season. Bring up the edges of the foil and seal to form a fairly tight parcel. Bake in the top of the oven for 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the parcel sealed until the garlic is cool enough to handle. Remove the cloves by either squeezing the bulb upwards from the base or by teasing them out with a toothpick. Mash the garlic with a fork. Wrap well (to avoid the garlic smell transferring to other foods) and refrigerate.
• On the day: line a baking tray with baking parchment. Remove the cheese from its wooden carton and put the cheese back in the fridge until later. Put the carton in the centre of the lined tray.
• Tip the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 5 large equal-sized pieces - it can help to roll the dough into an even sausage shape and mark with a knife first to get equal pieces.
• Take one piece and divide into 5 again. One at a time, roll each of these 5 pieces gently into a ball, flour your index finger and make a small, deep indent in the middle. Fill with half a teaspoon of the roasted garlic, pinching the dough over the top to seal and placing the sealed side down onto the floured surface. Cup your hand over the bun and rotate a little to get an even shape. Repeat until you have filled all 5.
• Repeat step 6 using the remaining 4 fillings.
• Arrange the buns around the wooden carton, you'll need 10 for the inner ring and 15 for the outer ring. Leave around 0.5cm between each bun, giving them room to rise. Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes or until nearly doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Remove any plastic wrapping or stickers from the cheese. With a small knife, make an incision in the top rim and remove the top layer of rind. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and place in the carton, cut side up. Brush the buns with the beaten egg and scatter with poppy seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Slide onto a serving platter. Decorate with the herbs and fresh cranberries. Serve the extra cheese alongside if using.

MEAN CHEF'S ESPRESSO FLAN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together egg and egg yolks.
• While whisking add the sugar slowly until fully dissolved.
• Add vanilla, heavy cream, milk, and salt and continue to whisk.
• In order to get rid of air bubbles in mixture, transfer to large bowl through a fine strainer.
• In the bottom of 6 (1/2 cup) ramekins (small ceramic custard cups), place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel.
• When all 6 ramekins have caramel at the bottom, brush each bottom and side with melted butter to secure flan and yet allow it to be removed easily.
• Fill each ramekin with the flan mixture, SLOWLY to avoid air bubbles, until about 2/3 full.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place almost full ramekins in shallow baking pan and then fill the pan with boiling water.
• The hot water bath will allow the flan cups to cook evenly in the oven.
• Right before placing pan in oven, top each ramekin with a tablespoon of hot espresso.
• Bake for 40 minutes.
• When removing pan from oven, allow the ramekins to remain cooling in their original water bath.
• Ramekins can be covered and refrigerated overnight if necessary.
• Before serving, place ramekins in another shallow pan of warm water to loosen the custard.
• Run a thin knife around the inside edge of cup to further loosen, place a plate on top of ramekin and flip onto plate to serve.
• For the Caramel: In preheated saucepan over medium heat, pour in water and bring to boil.
• Add sugar and stir until caramel brown (about 4 minutes).
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 2 to 3 minutes.

MEAN CHEF'S FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Pour oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan to reach halfway up the sides of the pan.
• Heat to 325 degrees F, use a deep fry thermometer to determine this.
• While the oil is heating, peel the potatoes and push through a French fry cutter to form uniform sticks.
• As you go, place the cut potatoes in a bowl of ice water to release some of the starch and to keep them from browning.
• Dry the potato strips thoroughly, this will keep the oil from splattering.
• Fry the potatoes in batches so the pan isn't crowded and the oil temperature does not plummet.
• Cook for 3 minutes until they are soft but not browned.
• Remove the potatoes with a long-handled metal strainer and drain on brown paper bags.
• Bring oil temperature up to 375 degrees F.
• Return the par-fried potatoes to the oil in batches and cook a second time for 4 minutes until golden and crispy.
• Drain on fresh brown paper bags then place in a serving bowl lined with paper towels.
• Salt and serve immediately.

HAZELNUT SQUARES

Steps:

• Combine all wet ingredients.
• Sift all dry ingredients and gradually add to wet mixture.
• Spread into a 9 inch pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minute Let cool.

MEAN CHEF'S TWICE-BAKED BRIOCHE

Steps:

• Bake a brioche loaf according to directions (can use old previously frozen brioche or croissants).
• Trim crust from all sides and top of brioche (not bottom).
• Cut loaf into thick slices (much like the shape of a thick biscotti) so that they will stand up on a sheetpan.
• For syrup: Put all ingredients into a sauce pan, boil over meduim heat for 1 minute to dissolve the sugar, cool completely and discard vanilla pod.
• Can be kept for a week refrigerated.
• For the Cream: Working at low speed in mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, almonds, and almond paste together until creamy.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix until fully blended.
• Add flour and mix for another minute.
• Fold in almond extract.
• Can be kept refrigerated for 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 325.
• Set a cooling rack over a sheetpan to be used for draining the syrup soaked pieces.
• Line another sheetpan with parchment for baking.
• One by one submerge the brioche slices into the soaking syrup, making sure that they are well moistened.
• Place each slice onto rack to drain.
• As soon as the last slice has been soaked, begin working on the first slice that you submerged.
• Spread a thin layer of the almond cream over the top and sides of each slice.
• Place the coated slices standing on the uncoated bottom on the parchment lined sheetpan.
• Press sliced almonds into cream on the top of each slice.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, untilthe cream is golden brown.
• Cool.
• Dust with powdered sugar before serving.