Rose's Heavenly Cakes (63 page)

Make the Crème Anglaise

Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over the glass or ceramic baking pan.

In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, scald ½ cup of the cream and the milk (heat it to the boiling point; small bubbles will appear around the periphery).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, whole eggs, yolks, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually whisk in the hot cream mixture. Whisk in the remaining ½ cup of cream. Pass the mixture through a strainer into the baking pan. Stir in the vanilla.

Soak the Brioche Cubes

Add the bread cubes to the cream in a single layer. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 12 hours. Turn the cubes over partway through to allow them to absorb the cream evenly.

Make the Caramel

Have ready a 1-cup or larger heatproof glass measure, coated with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar and water until all the sugar is moistened. Heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is bubbling. Stop stirring completely and allow it to boil undisturbed until it turns a pale amber and an instant-read thermometer registers 310°F/154°C. Immediately remove it from the heat and gently stir in the butter. Pour the caramel into the glass measure. (The cup retains the heat, keeping the caramel fluid, and can be placed in the microwave to reheat, if necessary.) Divide the caramel evenly among the prepared molds.

Preheat the Oven

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

Prepare the Pineapple

Peel, halve lengthwise, and core each quarter. Remove the "eyes."

Make the Syrup

With a small sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise in half.

In a 10-inch ovenproof sauté pan, place the sugar. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the sugar and rub them in with your fingers. Reserve the vanilla pod for future use. With a heatproof silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the golden syrup until the sugar is moistened. Heat, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is bubbling. Stop stirring and boil, swirling the pan occasionally, to a dark amber and an instant-read thermometer registers 300°F/150°C (lower than usual because of the turbinado sugar). Remove it immediately from the heat as the temperature will continue to rise, or remove it slightly before it reaches temperature and wait until it does, which will happen in seconds. Add the pineapple quarters and pineapple juice and return the pan to the heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, or until bubbling.

Roast the Pineapple

Place the sauté pan in the oven and roast, basting the pineapple with the juices every 5 minutes, until tender when pierced with a skewer. The juices will have thickened to the consistency of a sauce. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F/150°C. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pineapple to cool to room temperature. Slice the pineapple widthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into thirds. Arrange the slices in a single-layer fan pattern on top of the caramel-coated molds. Fill in the centers with cut pieces of pineapple. Reserve the remaining slices and the thickened juices to garnish the plate.

Bake the Brioche Pudding

Drain and reserve any crème anglaise that has not been absorbed by the bread cubes. There will be almost ½ cup. In a small saucepan, stir this crème over low heat until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 140° up to 160°F/60° to 70°C. Strain it into a heatproof cup or pitcher.

Fill the molds with bread cubes and press down lightly. Set the molds in the roasting pan and pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the molds. Tent the molds with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F/70°C.

Remove the puddings from the water bath and unmold immediately. Alternatively, let them cool on wire racks and refrigerate them for up to 8 hours. Reheat in a preheated 350°F/175°C oven, in a water bath, covered with aluminum foil, for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center feels hot.

Unmold the Brioche Puddings

Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the molds and the puddings, pressing against the molds, and invert the puddings onto serving plates. Drizzle with the reserved juices and crème anglaise, and garnish with roasted pineapple slices.

Plan Ahead

Start making the dough 8 hours or up to 2 days ahead.

Special Equipment

Heavy-duty mixer with dough hook attachment or bread machine    |    One 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray, oil, or butter    |    Baking stone or sheet pan

Make the Dough Starter (Sponge)

In a small bowl, combine the water, sugar, instant yeast, flour, and egg. Whisk to incorporate air until very smooth, about 3 minutes. The dough will be the consistency of a very thick batter. At first, the dough may collect inside the whisk, but just shake it out and keep whisking. If it's too thick to whisk, it means you've added too much flour and will need to add a little of the egg normally added below when mixing the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the Flour Mixture

In a small bowl, mix the flour with the sugar and yeast. Whisk in the salt.

Mixer Method: Make the Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer scrape the sponge. Sprinkle the flour mixture on top of the sponge. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it stand for 1½ to 2 hours. The sponge will bubble through the flour mixture in places. This is fine. ( To suit your time schedule, the sponge can be refrigerated after the first hour or for up to 24 hours. If you're in a rush, you can skip the waiting period entirely, but the added depth of flavor makes it worth the wait.) Attach the dough hook. Add the eggs to the sponge and beat on low speed for about 1 minute, or until the flour is moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Using a silicone spatula, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue beating for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and shiny but very soft and sticky. It will mass around the dough hook, but it will not pull away from the bowl completely. Add the butter by the tablespoon, waiting until the butter is almost completely absorbed before adding the next tablespoon. Continue beating until all the butter is incorporated.

Let the Dough Rise

Using a silicone spatula, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray, scrape the dough into a 2-quart dough-rising container or bowl, coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray or oil. The dough will weigh about 19 ounces/536 grams. (It will increase slightly in weight after rolling and folding it.) It will be very soft and elastic and will stick to your fingers unmercifully. Don't be tempted to add more flour at this point; the dough will firm considerably after chilling. Lightly coat the top of the dough with nonstick cooking spray and cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark on the side of the container approximately where double the height would be. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled, 1½ to 2 hours.

Chill the Dough

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour to firm; this will prevent the butter from separating. Gently deflate the dough by stirring it with a silicone spatula. Return it to the refrigerator for another hour so that it will be less sticky to handle.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and press or roll it into a rectangle, flouring the surface and dough as needed to keep the dough from sticking. The exact size of the rectangle is not important.

Give the dough a business letter turn (fold it in thirds), brushing off any excess flour, and again press down on it or roll it out into a rectangle. Rotate it 90 degrees so that the closed end is facing to your left. Give it a second business letter turn and round the corners. Dust it lightly on all sides with flour. Wrap it loosely but securely in plastic wrap and then place it in a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 6 hours or up to 2 days to allow the dough to ripen (develop flavor) and firm.

Bread Machine Method: Make the Dough

In a bread machine with a programmable setting and pause button, scrape the sponge. Sprinkle the flour mixture on top. Allow it to sit as with the mixer method.

When ready to mix the dough, add the eggs, mix the dough for 3 minutes, and then let it proceed to the knead cycle for about 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic. You will need to pause the machine a few times to scrape any flour or dough that collects in the corners of the container. Add the butter all at once and continue the kneading cycle until it is incorporated, about 3 minutes, pausing and scraping down the sides, if necessary.

Make the Dough Rise

For the first rise, turn off the machine and let the dough rise (with the lid closed) for 1½ to 2 hours, or until approximately doubled. Remove the container, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.