Brioche

Brioche is a delectable French bread. But unlike most French breads, it's extremely rich, a little sweet, and very "pastry-like". This is due to the high butter and egg content. It's absolutely heavenly, and my bread of choice for making bread pudding or french toast...although it tastes great plain. You can find it sold at any bakery and most grocery stores. I most often just buy it, but I took on the challenge of making it from scratch. It's not difficult, but it is a fairly long process because you have to let the dough rise multiple times before you can bake it. I've always loved working with dough, so the process wasn't a chore to me. I also believe that anything made at home with your own hands is rewarding and therapeutic. That's a feeling that you can't buy. If you don't care about those aspects, I don't see an advantage to homemade brioche versus store bought. I usually find homemade goods far superior, but in this case the taste/texture is essentially the same. However, you can't tell people that you slaved away and made it yourself :) Like any other bread, it freezes really well. I have half the loaf frozen in my freezer right now so I can use it for weekend French toast.

On another note, I finally checked out Eventide Restaurant in Clarendon this past weekend. The ambiance, food, and service were all very impressive. I had an excellent homemade pappardelle with crab meat, shrimp, mussels, and pancetta. The chef also gave us a complimentary treat of mini risotto fritters. The restaurant has a lounge menu/bar on the main floor, main dining upstairs, and a fabulous rooftop with lite "cold food" dining and a full bar. It's a great use of space and surprisingly large. They said the rooftop should remain open for a couple more weeks if the weather cooperates, so check it out while you can.

Btw, summer seems to be hanging around this week :)

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