I am so excited to be posting installment #1 of the Dessert FourPlay project! It took me a while to decide which recipe would make the best opener, but after narrowing it down by season and deciding that I wanted to save chocolate for next week’s valentine’s day post, I decided to focus on the light and bright flavors of the citrus salad. It seemed like an appropriate starter.

For those of you who are not familiar with the book, the desserts in Dessert FourPlay are organized into sets (tastings) of four different desserts, served together for a ridiculous experience of flavor, texture, and taste. Since I’m too strapped for time to tackle four at once, I’ve decided to focus on one or two of the component desserts each week. So imagine, if you will, this salad, sitting alongside lemongrass ice cream with dehydrated grapefruit, carbonated lime curd, and crispy tangerine sticks; a citrus almond sponge cake with margarita semifreddo; and a meyer lemon tart with chocolate creme chiboust and earl grey fluid gel – and you begin to get the idea, this ain’t your grandma’s cookbook.

The very first task that I completed was baking the brioche. I’m always down for trying a new brioche recipe, and Chef Iuzzini’s proved to be a delight: light, rich, and extremely buttery. This particular recipe employs thin slices of brioche, destined to become sweet croutons.

The most difficult step in the process was procuring the calamansi puree, a task that prompted some internet research. The names “calamansi” and “kalamansi” appear to be interchangeable for this lime-like citrus fruit that is popular in the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia. I tried Kalustyans (who carries fruit puree, but not this flavor) and Dual Specialty (which does not carry any purees at all), before finally scoring at SOS Chefs, just blocks from my apartment. I was less successful in finding micro shiso (or even the alternative, red shiso), and after trying Whole Foods followed by some Asian groceries in Chinatown, I decided that I’d try to find some small mint leaves to use instead, which is what is suggested as an acceptable substitute for shiso in the Alinea cookbook. Unfortunately, even the nicest mint I could find looked like it had been severely beaten, and it smelled like nothing at all. I couldn’t bring myself to use such a sad product, and so, I forged on, without it.

I diced a very thin slice of brioche and allowed it to stale on the counter, then I tossed it with good olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a sprinkle of granulated sugar and toasted it in the oven at the same time as some black and white sesame seeds.

I let some gelatin bloom in cold water before adding it to a saucepan of simple syrup. I very carefully circulated the pan over a low flame just until the gelatin had melted, with the warning from my Pastry I  chef echoing in my head “DO NOT heat gelatin over 100 degrees, or your mousse will smell like a barn!”. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I’m just as happy never really knowing for sure.

To the gelatin solution, I added lime zest and the calamansi puree.

I had decided not to taste the calamansi until it was part of the final dessert, just so I could be surprised. It smelled amazing – like the lovechild of a lime and a tangerine, and it was all I could do to wait while the gelatin set up.

While I was waiting, I kept myself occupied by cutting supremes of blood orange and clementine.

Once the calamansi gel had set, I cut it into “noodles”.

Dessert components: blood orange and clementine supremes, toasted sesame seeds, sweet and salty brioche croutons (warning: addictive), and calamansi “noodles”. Missing components: micro shiso.

The verdict: Just WOW. It’s been kind of a dark week for me, our cat Nico is very sick, the weather has been cold and isolating, and a whole crack team (get it? crack team? Plumbers? heh) can’t seem to figure out how to fix the heat in my apartment. This dessert is like an uplifting, sunny day on a plate, an homage to citrus flavors as they are. The presentation is gorgeous, it reminds me of stained glass in natural light. The first bite was an explosion of perfect citrus, subtly sweet and tangy, accented by a hint of caramel crunch from the croutons. The best part is when the “noodles” start melting on the tounge, coating it with a sweet/tart layer to compliment the firm flesh of the citrus perfectly. Calamansi is truly unique, like a lime but sweeter, with a hint of good, solid bitterness. The leftover puree is destined to find its place in the best pisco margarita this kitchen has ever seen.

As for the leftover gelatin, I couldn’t resist the book’s suggestion to add gin “for a killer “jell-o” shot. Salute!

Interested in playing along? Click to get your copy of Dessert FourPlay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef

Back in the summer, I made a promise that I’d be blogging about bread recipes and techniques on the heels of my summer spent learning to bake artisan bread (click here, and here, and here, and here), and here I am in October, apologizing for just getting down to it now.

The  change of seasons and the upcoming holidays are putting me in the mood to start making beautiful loaves again, and rather than mourning my loss of no longer having the privilege of using the FCI’s ridiculously awesome steam-injected ovens that produce the most heavenly, crispy, and downright perfect crust, I’ve set my sights on mimicking those conditions in my home oven instead.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be testing different home sourdough starters (and restarting the one in my fridge that’s been dormant since August) and tracking down some necessary equipment to bake crusty loaves, but today I decided to at least get my hands back in the dough by warming up with some mini-brioche (or brioche à tête. In French, tête  means “head”).

Contrary to popular belief among home cooks, brioche is actually very easy to make. As with all breads, there is a lot of downtime for the cook while the dough rises, but the process itself is not that hard.

When it comes time to shape your dough, divide the pieces as evenly as possible. I use a digital scale to do this (aiming for pieces that are 50 grams, give or take a few). Pat the pieces flat, then fold the piece in half and stand it up on it’s ends (if it were a book, the spine wound be facing you). Then form a “cage” around the dough piece and form it into a ball by pushing the dough in a circular motion with your thumb and gently pressing with the palm of your hand. It takes a little time to get the hang of this, but once you do you can quickly shape the balls of dough. Once you have a ball, find the smooth top part and form the head by using the flat side of your hand to separate about 1/3 of the dough away from the original ball. rock your hand back and forth until the dough is almost, but not quite, separated from the original ball.

Place the larger side of the dough piece down into your tin (I used these fluted tins, but you can use a muffin tin just as well) and press your fingers in around the seam where the head meets the rest of the dough. The aim is to tuck the head down into the bottom dough piece while still maintaining the seam. This prevents the head from popping off during the final proof or in the oven.

Once the dough is shaped, it is important to allow it to proof ( this is a term for when the dough rises) before baking. It will puff up to a little less than double it’s original size during this time, and the elasticity will relax.

Apply a light egg wash before baking, taking care to avoid the seam around the head.

There are few kitchen endeavors more satisfying than sitting down to brunch with friends and serving them buttery, tender brioche made with your own two hands. These are as adorable as they are delicious, and totally worth the time.

Brioche à Tête
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

This is a recipe where using a stand mixer with a hook attachment or the mixing function on a bread machine is absolutely necessary – even the strongest person’s arms would fall off if they tried to make this by hand!  Cooling is an important part of the bread making process – make sure that you remove the brioche from the tins five minutes after baking and allow it to cool completely on a rack.

Makes 12

2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3 large eggs
1/4 cup lukewarm whole milk
10 tablespoons butter

egg wash:

1 egg
1 egg yolk
pinch of salt

Directions

In a stand mixer with a hook attachment or bread machine (programmed for dough), mix together flour, eggs, yeast, and milk until they form a very stiff, dry dough. Add the butter, a chunk at a time, and the salt and sugar. Mix on medium  to form a smooth, shiny dough. Don’t worry; what starts out as a sticky mess becomes beautifully satiny as it kneads. This dough takes longer than most to develop, so be prepared to let the dough knead for up to 15 to 20 minutes in a stand mixer. If you’re using a bread machine, let it complete its kneading cycle, then continue as directed below.

Form the dough into a ball (it’ll be very soft), place it in a greased bowl, cover the bowl, and it let rise for 1 hour. Then refrigerate the dough for several hours, or overnight. This will slow the fermentation and chill the butter, making the dough easier to shape.

Divide the chilled dough into 12 pieces and roll the pieces into balls. Place the balls on a very lightly floured cookie sheet and allow them to rest for 30 minutes. The dough should lose some elasticity and become a bit bigger.

After 30 minutes, shape the dough pieces (full description with photos above) Place the dough into the greased pan(s) of your choice, spread evenly on a baking sheet if using individual tins, cover lightly, and let rise for 2 hours, until it’s doubled and looks very puffy.

Beat the egg and egg yolk together with the pinch of salt. Brush the tops of the brioche lightly with the egg wash (you really only need a little, make sure to wipe the excess off the brush before gently applying), avoid applying egg wash to the seams.

Place the pan(s) into a preheated 375°F oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes (tent after 10 minutes if they’re browning too quickly). Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Store in a closed paper bag for up to two days or double-wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer for up to one month.