stale bread and croissants get the “ooh-la-la” treatment
This recipe has the double smarts. First to use up left over bread, croissants and wrinkly fruit and second to create a tart without the bother of making pastry. For when you butter the bread and press it outwards in and up the tin it creates a delicious crisp crust. Finally it gets zazzed up by a large slosh of Amaretto .”Voila” – something out of nothing magic.
Ingredients & Gizmos
The quantities are “approximate” – leftovers are. Here is what we had and what worked in a 23cm spring cake form. Allow for tidbits for the helper.
- Softened butter – I probably used a generous 100g
- Half a stale baguette, 3 croissants, 1 pain aux raisins
- 2 eggs
- 500- 750ml creme legere plus some Greek yogurt (I might not use the yoghurt again as a tad too acidic and prone to curdling) or milk
- 3 tbsp sugar
- Quite a lot of apricots and nectarines just past their “eat fresh” days
- Generous slug of Amaretto (optional – almond essence would also work)
- sugar for dusting
- Chopped almonds
How To
- Break the bread and croissant into chunks and butter pieces individually
- Place each piece butter side down in the tin, smearing the butter around the tin as you go so as to create a lined tin. Pack the pieces in quite tightly. Now fill with a second layer so the tin is roughly 2/3 full
- Annoint the bread ensemble with the Amaretto as if making a sherry trifle
- In a bowl loosely mix the eggs together with the cream or milk and sugar. Pour 2/3 of the custard mixture over the bread and allow it to soak it up.
- Halve the apricots and nectarines and build up a circle starting with the outer circle of apricot pieces on top of the bread. Make a second and central circle until covered.
- Pour over the remaining custard mixture
- Bake at 180C for 35-45 minutes until the fruit is softly baked and the crust is golden
- Sprinkle a little sugar over when warm and the chopped almonds
Serve warm with creme fraiche, a dreamy garden and a best mate.