Drunken Stuffed Brioche

Each Sunday I pile a shelf behind my stall at the Newcastle Farmers Market with plain large brioche loaves. For the first few weeks I started doing this I didn’t sell any and I would bring the pile of loaves home and turn them into Bread and Butter Pudding or Bostock. Then finally people started buying them and now I sell out. Often I am asked by customers how I prefer to eat brioche. Really most of all I love simple brioche toast and jam but I thought I might blog a few recipes using the loaves. At first I though I would make a tiramisu inspired brioche using coffee, mascarpone and marsala, but decided to put that recipe off until next time as I had a fridge full of produce from my neighbouring stalls, and a jar of creme fraiche that I had made earlier in the week (recipe here). How could I go wrong with soaking brioche in the lovely First Harvest Noble Semillon from Mill Creek and fresh strawberries?

Ingredients

1 Brioche loaf

2 punnets of Strawberries washed and sliced

200ml of sweet wine such as a botrytis semillon

150 ml water

145 gm organic sugar

3 egg yolks

250g of creme fraiche

250g cream

1 vanilla pod

Method

Put the strawberries in a bowl and pour over the wine cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Meanwhile combine 75gm of sugar and the water heat until the sugar has dissolved then leave to cool. Cut open the brioche and carve out the centre set the inside pieces aside (or if you prefer just slice the brioche and assemble in a glass dish like a trifle). When the strawberries have finished soaking drain the liquid into the sugar syrup. Whisk the cream and creme fraiche until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and scraped vanilla seeds over a double boiler with the rest of the sugar until pale and frothy then fold through the creme fraiche and cream.

To assemble the brioche brush the inside liberally with the wine syrup and layer strawberries then cream then a layer of the set aside brioche pieces continue by brushing this layer with the syrup until the loaf is full. Wrap in plastic wrap and put into the fridge over night to soak. You should be left with some of the brioche centre you can freeze these pieces for making bread crumbs.

I have to admit I ate this for breakfast but I think it would be lovely on a picnic.

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