Saturday, April 29, 2006

Sweet Bruschetta

Derrick from Obsession with Food has developed an obsession for old bread and for this months IMBB we're to delve into those stale loaves and see what we can create.

I've gone the savoury route in the past - whipping up Fattoush with left over pita bread and Bruschetta al Pomodoro with yesterday's Ciabatta - so I thought I'd step into the sweet area. I didn't really want to make Bread and Butter pudding having had a few too many rich desserts of late, so when I saw this idea for a Sweet Bruschetta, I was sold.

The bread I'm using is called a Briont - it's a Brioche type loaf with a lovely sweet yeasty aroma and largish open grain. It has a lightly glazed crust and an egg yellow crumb.

briont ©




It's almost too pretty to eat - but that won't stop me.

sweet bruschetta ©


Bruschetta Dolce (Sweet Bruschetta)

100g strawberries, diced into small cubes
150g ricotta
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoon Frangelico
30g roughly chopped roasted hazelnuts
3 thick slices of Briont
soft butter
3 teaspoons soft brown sugar

Prepare the topping:
This will only work if you go out and find the real ricotta - the stuff found in tubs in the supermarket just won't do.

Using the back of a spoon, push the ricotta through a sieve and into a bowl- this improves the texture and makes it easier to mix. Add the icing sugar followed by the nuts and liqueur.

Since I'm using hazelnuts I'm matching it with an sympathetically flavoured liqueur, in this case Frangelico. If I was to use almonds, I'd match it with Amaretto. The choice of liqueur and nut is up to you - naturally enough, you can use orange juice instead.

Add the diced strawberries (once again, you can replace this with a fruit of your choice), stir carefully and set aside while you prepare the bread.

Assemble the dish:

For this recipe I've used Briont, but you could also use Panettone, Pandoro, Brioche, and type of egg based sweet bread. Cut the slices fairly thick - 3/4 inch thick - and dot lightly with some softened butter.

I'm using the ubiquitous Sunbeam Cafe Grill again to toast my bread - you can do this using a non-stick fry-pan over medium heat. I like to use butter as I find it enriches the bread and stops it from being overly dry when toasted.

Once the bread is toasted place it on a wire rack. Generously dollop the ricotta mixture over the slice, pushing it to the corners and ensuring an even coating - don't try to flatten the ricotta, you want it to be fairly fluffy as it sits on the toasts. Sprinkle over with sprinkle sugar and then place it under a griller to lightly caramelise the surface and gently heat the ricotta.

The filling is perfectly edible as is - you can serve it cold on the toasted briont and omit the last grilled stage.

When the sugar has caramelised, remove and dust with icing sugar before serving.

sweet bruschetta ©


This makes for a most enjoyable weekend breakfast served with a good coffee.

9 comments

  1. Great idea for a dish! Thanks for participating.

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  2. wow what delicious looking pics. fantabulous idea for a sweet bruschetta

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  3. It looks delicious! mmmmh!

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  4. Thank you Babe and Zorra!

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  5. Great idea, looks yummy!

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  6. AnonymousMay 01, 2006

    Haalo, that's a great idea! We do a lot of savory bruschettas, but haven't really gone sweet with them. Will have to try that.

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  7. AnonymousJune 23, 2008

    That looks delectable. Where do you buy your Briont loaf from in Melbourne? I think I might have seen a brioche loaf that looked something like that in David Jones. Is that what you're using? I'd always convinced myself it was too naughty to indulge in but your recipe has persuaded me to allow a little indulgence. I am a sucker for poached pears and have a friend who was pining after them just the other day.

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  8. Hi Anon - I got this bread from a store called Brioche by Philip at 208 Commercial Road, just up from Prahran Market - he used to be the baker for Paul Bocuse at Daimaru.

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