According to British food historian Annie Gray, asparagus-filled breads date back to the 18th century. When “Downton Abbey” fans think of asparagus and pastry, however, their thoughts drift to season 4, when Ivy makes her first solo dish, asparagus feuillettés.
In this recipe from “The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook” (Weldon Owen, $25), which publishes Sept. 17, Gray transforms brioche dough into cups that hold custard and, of course, perky asparagus. She recommends starting the brioche the day before you plan to serve the cups. If you don’t chill it overnight, the dough is challenging to handle.
Asparagus Cups
Makes 12
For the brioche:
½ teaspoon active dry yeast
3 tablespoons lukewarm water
1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, plus more for shaping the dough
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
½ cup butter, cut into bits, plus more for the muffin cups
5 tablespoons milk
For the filling:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Black pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
48 to 60 asparagus spears
1 tablespoon butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
Directions:
In a bowl, combine the yeast, water and the 2 tablespoons flour and mix briefly to make a sponge.
Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours.
Add the remaining flour, sugar and salt to the sponge and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then continue to beat for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure all the flour is incorporated.
Meanwhile, combine the ½ cup butter and 5 tablespoons milk in a small saucepan and heat over low heat just until the butter melts. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes, then gradually beat the milk-butter mixture into the dough. Continue to beat the dough until very smooth, about 15 minutes. You can do this by hand if you are vigorous (or have a willing kitchen maid), but it’s a lot easier in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula or dough scraper to ensure the batter is in a single mass. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, set aside in a warm spot, and let the dough rise until puffed and nearly doubled in size, 3 to 4 hours.
Chill the dough overnight so the butter will harden, which will make the dough easier to handle.
The next day, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 12 standard muffin cups.
Using lightly floured hands, pinch off 2-inch pieces of dough and loosely form each piece into a ball. Place a ball into each of the prepared cups.
Bake the brioche cups until cooked through, risen, and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. A thermometer inserted into the center of a brioche should register about 200 degrees.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack.
When the brioche cups are cool enough to handle, run the blade of a small, sharp knife along their edges to release them, then let the cups cool completely on the rack. You can bake the brioche cups up to a day ahead, store them in an airtight container at room temperature, and fill them the next day.
To make the filling, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the cornstarch into the milk until dissolved, then whisk in the egg yolks, nutmeg and a little pepper, mixing well. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, just until the mixture comes to a boil. If it heats too quickly, the finished custard won’t have a velvety texture.
Once it reaches a boil, stir in the cheese, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, stirring continuously, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Trim the asparagus spears so they are 1 to 2 inches taller than the brioche cups. Steam or boil them briefly, just until crisp-tender. Drain well, then transfer the hot asparagus to a bowl and
toss with the butter to coat. Set aside to cool.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Cut a hole in the top of each brioche cup about 1 inch in diameter (larger if your spears are thick, smaller if they are thin). Using your fingers or a small spoon, hollow out the cups, making sure you leave enough crumb so the custard won’t leak out when you fill the cups.
Spoon 2 tablespoons custard into each cup and then poke 4 or 5 trimmed asparagus spears, tip up, through the hole and into the custard. The spears should stand upright, as if they are growing out of the top. Arrange the brioche cups on the prepared pan. Bake until the brioche cups are heated through and the tops of the spears are very lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot.
NOTE: Normally if you boil custard, the egg yolks will curdle and you’ll have to start again. Adding cornstarch prevents the curdling, and you can give the mixture a good boil, meaning it will thicken up nicely without splitting. You can use nearly any cheese or a different spice for the filling. Goat
cheese is good, and you could add finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes for a contemporary twist.
— Recipe from “The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook” by Annie Gray (Weldon Owen, $35)
