When my friend Jennie, who cooks and crafts over at Frolic & Detour, gifted me a jar of her homemade (and homegrown!) greengage plum-vanilla bean jam, I couldn’t wait to bake up a batch of brioche buns and get spreadin’. The sweet-tart, generously (but not overly) vanilla-y jam is beyond compare, it worked beautifully with the buttery buns!

The only problem, whenever I didn’t get to the bread quickly enough — say within a day or two — or forgot to pop the rolls in the freezer on day one, I had a bunch of dry brioche on my hands, but I still wanted to get my greengage fix. The solution is simple: bostock. This French pastry transformed those nearly desiccated, inedible slices of brioche into something special with a quick dip in an almond-scented syrup, a slick of greengage-vanilla jam — or any jam of your choosing — and a frangipane-sliced almond topping.

In the oven, the almond syrup caramelizes, creating a slightly crisp crust around each slice, the interior of which once again softens without getting mushy. As for the “frangipane” — a cheater version that simply combines canned almond paste and butter — it gets nice and crackly, creating a lovely contrast in textures. I’m partial to serving bostock for breakfast or as an afternoon snack — it’s particularly good accompanied by coffee or tea — but it’s great at any time of day, even as dessert!

Greengage Plum-Vanilla Bean Bostock

Heather Sage

Preparation Time: 30 minutes, mostly inactive

Baking Time: 15 – 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Instructions