The star dessert from the city of Lyon has one key pink ingredient: French praline
ADVERTISEMENTFrench chef Julien Gautier shares with The Kitchen his brioche with pink pralines recipe, a traditional dessert from the city of Lyon that was passed on to him by his grandmother. The recipe is simple but the outcome is spectacular.
The pink praline is a Lyonnaise delicacy that can be added to several desserts: tarts, cakes, and for a Lyon-original: brioche, but it can also be eaten on its own as a premium caramelised nut. The French praline, different to its Belgian twin, is a combination of top quality roasted almonds and caramelised sugar coloured in pink.
Brioche with pink pralines
- 400 g of flour
- 10 g of salt
- 50 g sugar
- 250 g butter
- 5 eggs
- 25 ml milk
- 17g of powdered yeast
- 300 g French pink pralines
- 50 g flaked almonds
Serves: about 15 small brioches.
Cooking time: 30 min prep + 4 hours for rising the brioche
Method
- Set a pot onto a low heat and warm the milk with the powdered yeast until lukewarm. Important! Lukewarm, not hot.
- Take another bowl and with the help of a mixer (or by hand) mix the butter, flour, salt and sugar. Once well incorporated, add the milk with the yeast to the mixture.
- Now add your eggs, one by one, and continue to mix until well combined.
- Knead your mixture for 10 minutes. That means to work it with your hands: push it away from you with the palm of your hand, fold it in itself and pull it back, repeat. Kneading helps to develop a strong gluten net, which is great for the texture we're looking for.
- After 10 minutes of kneading, leave the dough to rise for 2-3 hours at room temperature (about 25°C).
- Once the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 170°C.
- Take your dough and knead it once or twice, this will push the air out of the dough. Now add the pralines and almonds, mix.
- Empty the dough into small moulds and bake at 170°C for 10 minutes.
- Enjoy, at any time of the day.
Pair it with: A red Beaujolais such as Fleurie, or raspberry juice for a non-alcoholic pairing.
About Chef Julien Gautier
Chef Julien Gautier grew up between his mother's kitchen and his grandfather's vegetable garden, before offering his talents as a pastry chef from the sixth grade.
Fast forward to today, Gautier runs the kitchen at both Le Bouchon Sully, a well-known restaurant that honours the city of Lyon’s traditional specialities and M Restaurant, the establishment where Chef Mathieu Viannay obtained his first Michelin star in 2005.
