When my Honey Girl was home for her long winter break, we went to Rustica, our favorite bakery in Minneapolis. If you’re ever in Minnesota, it’s a must-stop, the kind of place that makes you wake up, shake a bit, and utter your equivalent of Jenkies. This is a bakery with some serious magic; the pastry is so good that it could stand toe to toe with many Parisian pâtisseries. I have some vivid taste memories from a trip to Paris last spring, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating. I was at Rustica again tonight, without her and missing her, and remembering the bostock we shared the last time we were there. 
Since it was a Tuesday, the day they make loaves of brioche, I decided to buy one and to recreate bostock at home. A little chat with the counter girl revealed that Rustica soaks slices of stale brioche in a simple syrup flavored with orange flower water and bakes them, then tops them with frangipane and bakes them a second time. The bostock my Honey Girl and I had was quite dry, in fact it was dry all the way through, drier than a homemade biscotti. We loved dunking it into our coffees, but we mused together that if we ever made our own version at home, we would soak, top, and bake just once in the hopes of a creamy-on-the-inside-toasty-on-the-outside bostock. Straight from the oven this morning, oh my goodness it’s good. The interior is almost custardy and it’s faintly perfumed by the orange flower water and vanilla bean. The golden frangipane is rich. And the brioche, well, what toasts better than butter-rich brioche? Here is my version. I only wish my Honey Girl were here to share it with me.
Bostock Tips
If you would like to make this in the morning, the night before set out a loaf of brioche so that it will become stale. Then make the simple syrup and refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, slice the brioche, make the frangipane, and assemble and bake the bostock. It took me about 25 minutes from start to finish.
Bostock
Ingredients:
1 recipe orange flower water simple syrup (recipe below)
1 recipe frangipane (recipe below)
thick slices of stale brioche, as many as you would like to serve
a little butter for the pan
Method:
- Butter a sheet pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Dunk the slices of brioche in the simple syrup and squeeze out the excess.
- Spread the brioche with a nice layer of the frangipane.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Serve warm, perhaps with a dusting of powdered sugar and some toasted sliced almonds.
Orange Flower Water Simple Syrup
Yield: enough for perhaps a dozen slices of brioche
Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
a dribble of orange flower water to taste
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Method:
- Bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla bean and the orange flower water.
- Cool to room temperature.
The remaining syrup may be stored in the refrigerator. Use it to flavor drinks, perhaps an orange flower water iced tea or a margarita made with orange liqueur, lime juice, the syrup, and tequila.
Frangipane
Yield: enough for perhaps a dozen slices of brioche
Ingredients:
7 ounces fresh, soft almond paste
½ c. unsalted butter, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
1 egg
¼ c. all purpose flour
Method:
- Place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and mix until well combined and smooth.
The remaining frangipane may be stored in the refrigerator. Use it in a tart or Danish pastry.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
How fun to click on “jenkies.”
I’ve never tasted something like this.
Looks delicious.
Also, I still haven’t been to Rustica. Heading there in near future!
I was browsing through your recipes and clicking the ones which I had no clue how to pronounce or what they were. I imagined bostock to be along the lines a hearty, beef stew, but this is way lovelier!
I’m in Georgia at the moment, and it’s way to warm (in my books) to make this for breakfast, but I absolutely cannot wait until fall when I’m back in New York again to give this a try.