Beer Brioche

Brioche is sliced, toasted and dipped in a sweetened beer batter then fried in butter until golden and crispy. The not so simple gourmet dessert is served with beer ice cream and caramelized pears for a rare and unique gourmet dessert that beer lovers are sure to adore. This recipe by Chef Antoine Westermann is an excellent balance of bitterness and sweetness that make an adventurous dish for a splendid culinary experience.

Brioche is a uniquely French treat pastry that is rich and dense with a heavy crumb and golden flaky crust. It is made with egg, butter, and cream and has a yeasty flavor that pairs excellently with beer. You can get brioche in the bakery or the French pastry shop. Select freshly baked brioche if possible for a better quality and more delicious dessert. In this recipe, the toasted brioche is covered in a batter of beer, eggs, and sugar and then fried in melted butter until crunchy and golden. The rich sweet bread develops a nice crispy crust that is creamy and tender inside and wonderfully melts in the mouth. Eaten with the glazed pears and the beer ice cream, the dish is absolutely divine.

There are a wide variety of beers and some are better for making dessert than others. For this recipe, it is best to use dark or stout beer, which tends to have more malt and tastes like caramel, complementing the pastry, peaches, and the cream. You can also choose sweeter varieties of beer since it only makes sense to use it for dessert. Complex, full-flavored rich beer is perfect for making ice cream. The bitterness of the beer is tempered with the sweetness of the sugar and the luscious cream. Other kinds of beer that work well for his recipe are Belgian style Tripel, which is creamy and smooth, or fruity lambics, which is sweet and pairs well with the peaches.

Ingredients

14 tablespoons flour

5 ¼ teaspoons granulated sugar

01/2 tablespoon baking powder

YEAST?

1 cup beer

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

5 ½ tablespoons butter

For the beer ice cream:

4 egg yolks

1 cup cream

For the termination:

3/4 cup beer

1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar

2 eggs

For the pears with syrup:

2 fresh pears

2 cups water

1 vanilla pod

juice from 1/2 lemon

juice from ½ an orange

1 ½ tablespoons butter

5 ½ tablespoons + 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

1. The beer ice cream should be prepared in advance to give it time to freeze. In a mixing bowl, place the yolks, add sugar and whip them together until smooth and creamy. In a saucepan, put 50% beer and 50% cream and heat on the stove. Pour the beer and cream mixture in with the yolk and sugar mixture beating constantly and mixing it all together well.

2. Pour mixture in the saucepan and heat on the stove at low temperatures, stirring gently with a spatula. Make sure that it does not boil to prevent the egg yolks and cream from curdling. To check if the cream is ready, lift the spatula and blow on the surface and if the cream scatters like a rose blooming then it is good to go. Cool and place in the ice cream maker. Freeze.

3. Peel and slice pears in two and soak them in ice water mixed with lemon slices, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla pods. Soak for at least 20 minutes. Cut the soaked pears into thin fan-shape slices. Melt butter in pan and place the pears back side up. Sprinkle with brown sugar to caramelize.

4. Slice brioche and toast. In a bowl, beat eggs and add sugar. Add beer and mix it up well with a fork. In a saucepan, melt some butter. Dip the toasted brioche in the egg and beer mixture until fully coated. Place the soaked brioche in the saucepan and sprinkle some sugar on top of the bread. Pour on a little bit more of the egg and beer mixture. Heat until nicely browned and turn to the other side to get the same nice color.

5. Arrange the brioche on the plate. Place the glazed pears beside it. Put a bit of the brown sugar in the bottom of the plate and place a scoop of beer ice cream on top.