Almond and Custard Pizzette

 
Ingredients

For the Brioche Dough:

70ml milk
70g butter cubed
170g stone ground flour
4g instant yeast
25g castor sugar
3 eggs
Pinch salt

For the Pastry Cream:

300ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split
3 egg yolks
50g castor sugar
20g flour
20g corn flour

For the Frangipane:

50g butter
50g castor sugar
50g ground almonds
1 egg, lightly beaten
25g stone ground flour

For the Poached Pear:

4 large pears
200g sugar
1 vanilla pod
Juice of half lemon mixed with 50ml water

For the Cinnamon Sugar:

20ml castor sugar
5ml cinnamon

For the Amaretto Ice Cream:

90g water
180g sugar
90g egg white
500ml fresh whipping cream
60ml Amaretto

For the Final Preparation:

80g flaked almonds
40g butter cubed

Method

• Almond and Custard Pizzette
• For the Brioche Dough:
• Warm the milk gently till warm, add the butter and stir till just melted.
• Sieve flour into a bowl, stir through the yeast and sugar.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour.
• Add the eggs, the milk/butter mix and pinch of salt.
• Stir to form a dough.
• Allow to prove to double its size.
• Butter and line the bases of the moulds with foil.
• Spoon 80g of dough into each mould taking care not to damage the delicate mass.
• For the Pastry Cream:
• Scald the milk with the vanilla pod.
• Beat the yolks and sugar till pale.
• Add the flour and corn flour beat till smooth.
• Pour a third of the hot milk over the egg mix whilst stirring.
• When the mix is smooth pour back into the sauce pan with the remaining milk.
• Cook till the mix thickens, do not allow to come to the boil.
• Pour into suitable storage container and cover the mix with cling film or a fine layer of castor sugar.
• For the Frangipane:
• Cream the butter, sugar and ground almonds.
• With the beater running slowly add the egg, followed by the flour.
• Allow to rest in the refrigerator.
• Roll paste into small round balls.
• For the Poached Pear:
• Peel the pears.
• Using a Parisian scoop, scoop out as many spheres as possible.
• Place the sugar, pear spheres, vanilla in the zip lock bag.
• Try squeeze out as much air from the bag as possible before zipping closed.
• Poach in a pot of gently simmering water till the fruit is tender.
• For the Cinnamon Sugar:
• Mix the two ingredients together.
• For the Amaretto Ice Cream:
• Dissolve water and sugar in heavy based saucepan over a medium heat.
• Bring to the boil and take the sugar to soft ball stage 127°C.
• Beat the egg whites to a soft peak.
• With the beater turning slowly add the sugar syrup.
• Beat till thick and glossy and near room temperature.
• Whip the cream to thick ribbon stage.
• Stir through the almond liquor.
• Fold the cream through the meringue.
• Fold into a 1 litre container.
• Final Preparation:
• Pipe 6 generous dollops of pastry cream onto each brioche disk.
• Arrange six frangipane balls onto each disk.
• Divide the flaked almonds to top each disk.
• Arrange blobs of butter on top of the disks.
• Bake for 6min at 175°C.
• Set the pizzettes on plates, arrange the poached pears and serve with a scoop of Amaretto ice cream.

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