Name: Orange Marmalade Bostock
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 6 min
Ingredients: 4 slices of day old brioche or challah bread; 4 tbsp maple syrup; 2 1/2 tbsp water; 1/4 cup Seville Orange marmalade; 1 cup Frangipane (see below); 1 Cara Cara orange (supremed (peeled and segmented)); 1/2 cup almond slices; 2 tbsp icing sugar; 1 stick, or 8 tbsp butter, (at room temperature); 1 cup icing sugar; 1 cup almond meal; 1 tbsp flour, (AP or gluten free cup for cup); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tsp rum or brandy; 1/4 tsp almond extract; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 egg

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I adore marmalade, if I could only have one preserves it would be this. That slightly sour, tangy sweet perfection of orange juices jelled around the peel that gets cooked down with the juices and sugars etc. I’ll take it over any other jam or preserves, even though I do like almost every jam and jelly out there.

Every year I get excited to make a few batches of marmalade, with either blood oranges, or if possible, Seville oranges. The Seville orange adds that perfect sour aspect that marmalade is known for. How do you feel about marmalade? Do you make your own? Or at least, I hope you seek out a jar of quality marmalade, it can be used in marinades, salad dressings, in baking, and of course, on toast!.

Speaking of toast, today we are going to use marmalade on Bostock. A perfect way to celebrate Citrus season and have brunch or breakfast at the same time.

What Is Bostock?

Don’t ask me why it is called Bostock. I have looked high and low on the internet to see if there is an origin for the name. In the meantime, let’s just acknowledge that it is the perfect union of French Toast and an Almond Croissant. The French (of course) take day old enriched bread, brush it in some form of simple syrup, add a layer of almond pastry cream, better known as Frangipane, and top this will sliced almonds. The covered bread slices are baked in the oven until the frangipane puffs up and turns golden brown, and the almonds are fragrant, burnished and crunchy. With the first bite, you will see why this is really the ideal way to use up day old brioche, challah, or even Texas style toast bread! Crunchy on the outside, and soft and creamy on the inside. They enjoy Bostock as a breakfast or coffee break treat, and really, it does make a superb breakfast treat.

Which Bread is Best?

Ideally, just as for French Toast, you will want to use some sort of enriched bread, homemade or from the bakery or grocery store. Brioche is the classic choice, but Challah is a close second. Day old Texas style (thick sliced) will also work. Just make sure none of these are fresh. If not, they will get soggy under all the liquid etc. The bread I am using here is a gluten free brioche recipe from Aran Goyoaga’s new book, Cannelle et Vanille Bake Simple. Seriously, the best gluten free brioche recipe I have come across, the texture is brilliant. If your bread is fresh, slice it up the evening before, and let them sit out on a baking sheet covered lightly with a tea towel.

Do I Need To Make Marmalade?

Short answer, No. Any jar of your favourite tangy marmalade will work great here. I have an old recipe for Blood Orange Rosemary Marmalade here, which is a great one if you do want to try making your own. (please don’t let my old photos put you off, I really need to update them!) But no worries, store-bought is not a lesser option.

Simple Syrup

Both sides of the bread will be brushed with a simple syrup. Instead of making up a batch, here is a super easy version which really adds a lovely depth of flavour at the same time: Combine maple syrup with a little water. This becomes an instant simple syrup, and you didn’t have to sit over a pot on the stove to melt the sugar and water together. Plus you really only need to make what you need, and whisk, it takes literally seconds!

Frangipane

The almond pastry cream is quite easy to whip up. All you will need is softened butter, icing sugar, almond meal (or ground almonds) vanilla, rum or brandy (optional but recommended) a touch of almond extract, a tablespoon of flour (gluten free cup for cup will work just fine) and an egg. Everything is whisked or whipped together with a hand held mixer, until totally creamy. This can be made in advance and stored in the fridge till needed. Make the whole batch, the leftovers freeze just fine for future Bostock opportunities.

*Here’s a quick trick if you want to make this but your butter isn’t soft. Take the stick (you need one stick) and grate it on the large holes of your box grater into a bowl. This will speed up the softening process of the butter.

You will spread the frangipane over a thin layer of marmalade on the bread slices. Spread the pastry cream right to the edges.

Topping

I’ve added segmented Cara Cara orange slices over the frangipane, and then sprinkled everything with the sliced almonds. You don’t need to use the orange slices, but they add such a lovely texture on the finished Bostock. Bake the Bostock in a 400F oven till the frangipane is puffed up and golden, the almonds are fragrant, burnished and perfectly crunchy.

Let them rest for just a moment or two, to give the bread and the frangipane time to harden up a bit so that when you pick them up they will stay put. Dust the tops with icing sugar if you feel like it, pour yourself an espresso or make some café au lait, and enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures! Eat it the way you would a croissant, hand held is just fine! They even taste fine at room temperature.

This is a great dish to serve for company or family, as after the prep work, the oven does the rest. So you can move on to making coffee, changing from your pj’s to presentable clothes, squeeze some OJ etc. Way better than standing over a stove and flipping pancakes or turning french toast. Everyone eats at the same time, and at the same temperature!

If you make more than you need of the Bostock, they can be stored in a sealed container and re-warmed in a toaster oven till warmed through. Don’t use a microwave, the Bostock will turn soggy.

Love Jen