Mean Chef's Twice-Baked Brioche

I adopted this recipe in Aug. 2006; it originally was posted by Mean Chef, who departed this site. Mean's comments: "This recipe is used to make use of leftover brioche or croissants."

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• Syrup

• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1  cup water
• 1⁄2 cup  orange juice
• 1  vanilla bean, split and scraped

• Cream

• 4  ounces unsalted butter
• 1⁄2 cup  ground almonds
• 1⁄2 lb almond paste
• 2  large eggs, room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  almond extract

• Garnish

•  sliced almonds
•  powdered sugar

Directions

1. Bake a brioche loaf according to directions (can use old previously frozen brioche or croissants).
2. Trim crust from all sides and top of brioche (not bottom).
3. Cut loaf into thick slices (much like the shape of a thick biscotti) so that they will stand up on a sheetpan.
4. 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.
5. Can be kept for a week refrigerated.
6. For the Cream: Working at low speed in mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, almonds, and almond paste together until creamy.
7. Add eggs one at a time and mix until fully blended.
8. Add flour and mix for another minute.
9. Fold in almond extract.
10. Can be kept refrigerated for 3 days.
11. Preheat oven to 325.
12. Set a cooling rack over a sheetpan to be used for draining the syrup soaked pieces.
13. Line another sheetpan with parchment for baking.
14. One by one submerge the brioche slices into the soaking syrup, making sure that they are well moistened.
15. Place each slice onto rack to drain.
16. As soon as the last slice has been soaked, begin working on the first slice that you submerged.
17. Spread a thin layer of the almond cream over the top and sides of each slice.
18. Place the coated slices standing on the uncoated bottom on the parchment lined sheetpan.
19. Press sliced almonds into cream on the top of each slice.
20. Bake for about 20 minutes, untilthe cream is golden brown.
21. Cool.
22. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.