Croûte à la Lyonnaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-inch (8 cm) round cutter
• •10-inch (25 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Wire rack
• •Digital thermometer for The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344)
• •Large round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the fruits

   Set the apricot purée prepared at the small-thread stage according to The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344) nearby, already cool and supple. Cover the currants and sultanas with the tepid water and leave them for 20 minutes, just until plump rather than waterlogged. Drain them thoroughly and blot them dry. Inspect the Malaga raisins, remove any pips, and halve them if they are very large. Drain the marrons au sirop carefully and keep them whole.

2. 2

   Smooth the chestnuts

   Combine the chestnut purée, sugar, water, vanilla seeds, and split pod in a small heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the purée is glossy, smooth, and soft enough to spread without running. Remove the pod and press the purée through a fine sieve. If it is too stiff, beat in water a teaspoon at a time; if it is loose, return it to gentle heat for a minute. Ça se rattrape. Cover the surface directly and keep it barely warm.

3. 3

   Brown the croûtes

   Cut the brioche into eight neat rounds about 3 inches (8 cm) across. Heat half the clarified butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat and brown the rounds in batches, adding the remaining butter as needed. Give each side 1 to 2 minutes, until deep butter-gold with a crisp rim and a tender center. Drain them on a wire rack, not paper, which traps moisture beneath. If the butter begins to darken bitterly, wipe out the pan, lower the heat, and continue with fresh clarified butter.

   Slightly dry brioche is the right foundation. Very fresh brioche drinks butter like a sponge and loses the firm edge a croûte needs beneath two purées.
4. 4

   Brown the almonds

   Wipe the skillet clean and add the finely splintered almonds. Toss them over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale bronze and fragrant. Tip them immediately onto a cool plate. They continue coloring in a hot pan, and the finish should taste toasted, never scorched.

5. 5

   Coat the croûtes

   Reserve ¾ cup (180 ml / 225 g) of the apricot purée prepared through The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344) for the center garnish. Spread each croûte smoothly with about 2 tablespoons of warm vanilla chestnut purée, carrying it almost to the edge. Cover the chestnut layer with the remaining apricot purée, then sprinkle with the browned almonds. If the apricot has set too firmly, warm it over barely simmering water and beat in 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) of water at a time. Do not boil it again or take it beyond small thread. That is how a glaze becomes glue.

   The apricot should lie in a thin, shining coat. A heavy layer overwhelms the chestnut and softens the brioche before it reaches the table.
6. 6

   Bind the center

   Stir the Malaga wine gradually into the reserved apricot purée from The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344), stopping when it falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon. Fold in the drained currants, sultanas, and Malaga raisins until every fruit gleams but no liquid puddles beneath them. If the mixture becomes too loose, let it stand for 5 minutes; if it still runs, lift the fruit with a slotted spoon and use only enough of the wine-apricot mixture to bind it. Arrange the whole syruped chestnuts in the center of the platter and spoon the cohered dried fruits among them.

7. 7

   Form the circle

   Arrange the eight coated croûtes in an overlapping circle around the chestnut and fruit garnish. Let the assembled dessert settle for 10 minutes so the apricot holds its gloss and the center gathers without flooding the platter. Serve the same evening, while the brioche still answers softly under the spoon and the browned edges remain crisp. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The listed time begins with the apricot purée from The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344) already prepared. Keep that cross-referenced component separate, as the classical formula does, and use a digital thermometer rather than putting fingers near concentrated sugar.
• •Buy unsweetened chestnut purée for the lower layer and whole marrons au sirop for the center. Crème de marrons is already heavily sweetened and often vanilla-flavored, so it removes your control over both texture and sweetness.
• •Malaga wine should be sweet, amber, and distinctly raisined. A sweet Muscat can stand in if Malaga is unavailable, but it gives a fresher grape perfume and loses some of the deep dried-fruit character.
• •Drain the swollen fruit with care. Water left clinging to the currants and sultanas thins the apricot binder, and a wet center creeps beneath the croûtes.
• •Assemble no more than 30 minutes before serving. The purées need a moment to settle, but an afternoon under them would turn the butter-browned brioche soft.

Advance Preparation

• •The apricot purée from The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344) may be prepared up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Let it return to room temperature before assessing its consistency.
• •The vanilla chestnut purée may be made 2 days ahead. Press covering directly against its surface, chill it, then warm it gently with a spoonful of water before spreading.
• •The brioche rounds may be cut and browned up to 4 hours ahead. Hold them uncovered at room temperature, then restore their edges for 4 to 5 minutes in a 325°F (165°C) oven before coating.
• •The almonds may be browned a day ahead and stored airtight once completely cool. Swell and drain the dried fruit on the day of service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 385g)