If you love classic French Pastries, this small-batch Bostock recipe is a must-try. Made with buttery brioche, fragrant apricot jam, and a rich almond frangipane topping, these bakery-style slices are crisp on the outside and soft in the center. Perfect for a special breakfast, brunch, or afternoon coffee break.
This recipe is one of those hidden gems that deserves a place in every baker's repertoire. A small batch recipe this is an indulgent French treat made with day old brioche that is simple to make, wonderfully elegant, and ideal when you're craving something a little bit special without baking a full batch.
- 4 thick slices of brioche bread
- Apricot jam, warmed for spreading
- Frangipane topping (see below)
- 1 TBS sliced/flaked almonds
- icing sugar to dust
- 1/2 cup (55g) ground almonds
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with some baking paper. (This will help prevent the bread from sticking.)
- Make the frangipane topping by mixing the soft butter, almonds, sugar, egg yolk and almond extract together until evenly mixed. (It should be smooth with no visible streaks of butter.)
- Place your cut slices of bread on the baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top of each slice with the apricot jam. (Don't be over zealous with the jam. You want enough that you will be able to taste it, but you don't want so much that the topping slides off when the jam heats.)
- Divide the frangipane topping between the four slices and spread it across the bread evenly. Sprinkle some flaked almonds over each one. (A small offset spatula does this wonderfully.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes. It should be puffy and golden brown on top and the bottom crisp. ( The bottom turns a lovely golden brown.)
- Sprinkle evenly with icing sugar and serve. (This is even good cold. Just saying.)
Bostock (Small Batch)
Thick slices of brioche, topped with sweet apricot jam and a lush frangipane topping. Baked until the almond topping sets and the crust and bottom turn golden brown. Delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices of brioche bread
- Apricot jam, warmed for spreading
- Frangipane topping (see below)
- 1 TBS sliced/flaked almonds
- icing sugar to dust
- 1/2 cup (55g) ground almonds
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (57g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with some baking paper.
- Make the frangipane topping by mixing the soft butter, almonds, sugar, egg yolk and almond extract together until evenly mixed.
- Place your cut slices of bread on the baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top of each slice with the apricot jam.
- Divide the frangipane topping between the four slices and spread it across the bread evenly. Sprinkle some flaked almonds over each one.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes. It should be puffy and golden brown on top and the bottom crisp.
- Sprinkle evenly with icing sugar and serve.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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Hey all and welcome to my Meals of the Week post. Every Sunday I like to share with you, my beautiful readers, all of the deliciousness that I (and my daughter at the moment) have enjoyed as our main meals over the past seven days.
Hooray for the cooler weather and for comfort food season! I have really been enjoying getting back into it. Comfort food season is my favorite time of year.
These are only my/our main meals and do not cover the other meals we have, like lunch or breakfast, which tend to be very simple affairs. If I do a large breakfast at all it will be more often than not served as a supper as a big breakfast and early morning don't work well for me.
I am also a senior on a fixed budget so I try to keep my food within that budget and to make my pennies stretch as far as I can. These past few years I have been downsizing most of what I cook. It just makes sense. I also try to eat fairly healthy which is a definite challenge in the present economy.
I also refuse to eat from cans and frozen dinners. I want to try to cook everything that I can for myself. From scratch, using honest and simple ingredients. If I can't pronounce it, I don't want to be eating it!
On the occasions that I have not eaten at home (Sunday dinner at my sister's and Wednesday family dinner out) I have provided like recipes to replace what we have enjoyed.
In any case, here they are, all of the tasty meals we have enjoyed over the past week. I hope that you will be inspired to not only cook for yourself, but to cook some of these tasty repasts! I promise you that you won't be sorry.
SUNDAY, November 1st - Sunday Dinner at my Sister's
Last Sunday we were finally able to go to my sisters for a family meal. We had not gone in over a month I guess. My sister had cooked a roast chicken in the airfryer which we enjoyed with a combination of roasted vegetables and stuffing. It was some good.
In it's place I am sharing my recipe for Grandmother's Roast Chicken & Gravy. Family dinners and meals prepared for us lovingly by our grandmothers and other family members are truly sacred things, that nothing else can ever come up to, and this is one heck of a roast chicken recipe. This roast chicken recipe is really a good one. It differs only slightly from my usual one. I do normally use lemon and thyme for my roast chickens, and plenty of butter, but I have also used garlic in the past. The end result of this recipe, made using simple ingredients, is a chicken that's delicious, tender, and moist, with a beautiful, well-flavoured gravy that the whole family will enjoy. What you choose to serve on the side of it is up to you. You can be as conventional or unconventional as you like.
MONDAY, November 2nd - Cottage Pie with Potato Cobbles
On Monday I made Eileen and I a small version of this lovely cottage pie. Most people confuse cottage pie with shepherd's pie. I did too before I moved over to the U.K. The two are not the same thing. Cottage Pie is made with beef. Shepherd's Pie with lamb. But other than that, they are pretty similar.
This version is a bit different than the usual version and combines a lush beef filling topped with cooked vegetables and a layer of butter brushed potato cobbles/sliced cooked potatoes. A smattering of cheese goes over top. This is really delicious. I cut the recipe down to make only two servings. We enjoyed this simply with a salad on the side. You might want to add some crusty bread to help mop up all those tasty juices!
TUESDAY, November 3rd. - Sheet Pan Apricot Chicken and veggies
On Tuesday I made Eileen and I a simple sheet pan chicken dinner. Apricot Chicken and veggies. The chicken is seasoned simply and roasted with a pan of veggies Until the chicken is close to getting done. A simple apricot and grainy mustard glaze is spooned over the chicken at that point and then the sheet pan goes back into the oven until the chicken is sweetly glazed and juicy with a crisp and sticky skin and the veggies are roasted to perfection.
Tender and moist pieces of chicken. A finger-lickingly stick glaze. Perfectly roasted veggies. What could ever be wrong about that? You really don't need much on the side of this. It's a full meal in and of itself.
WEDNESDAY, November 4th - Dinner out with the family
On Wednesday we were happy to go out to dinner again as a family. We went to a different place this week called DeeDee's Diner. We had heard that they were closing for the winter on the 8th and so wanted to have one last meal there before they did. We like it there. It's not dad's favourite (mostly because the waitress doesn't flirt with him.) The rest of us really like it though.
Cindy had the Haddie Bits special, Dad had their Classic Burger, Eileen had their Mushroom Melt burger and I had the fish and chips. In it's place I am sharing a simple recipe for Fish Fingers, Chips and Beans. A simple traditional supper that is a standard over in the U.K. Its a combination that I really love as well. There is nothing complicated about it and it is delicious. Simple and delicious. What more could you want?
THURSDAY, Nov. 5th - Middle Eastern Lamb Koftas
I had some ground lamb in the freezer which needed using and I was feeling a bit like having something different so I made us some Lamb Koftas. (Shh, don't tell Eileen it was lamb, she will freak.) I really love Middle Eastern Flavours and this is a perfect way to showcase them.
They are like little ground lamb meatballs, except shaped into ovals, nicely spiced. They bake in the oven simply and come out tender and juicy. Perfect for serving with a simple Tahini based sauce that I made and drizzle over top. You could eat and enjoy these in a pita bread with salad. We enjoyed them with couscous and roasted veggies. It was a delicious meal. Not a fan of lamb? You can use any ground meat to make these and it will be delicious, I promise!
FRIDAY, November 6th - Air Fryer French Bread Pizzas
We wanted something simple for our supper on Friday. I did us some French Bread Pizzas in the air fryer. I had some ciabatta rolls that needed using up and this was the perfect way to use them. Topped with garlic butter and lightly toasted and then finished off with a good pizza sauce, plenty of cheese and pepperoni.
These cook up beautifully in the air fryer and come out nice and moreishly crisp without being over the top. You can top them with whatever you like. Always delicious. We enjoyed with a simple salad on the side and were very happy with that.
SATURDAY, November 7th - Air Fryer Tacos
Yep, used my air fryer again. And why not. It is the perfect size for making meals for two people and mine also acts as a regular oven. We were both feeling tacos and so I made us this delicious version of them. I used ground turkey, but you can use any ground meat you like and enjoy. I use flour tortillas and they come out nice and crisp. I find that I am not overly fond of the corn ones these days as they are a bit too hard for me to enjoy.
With their deliciously spiced turkey filling and crispy flour tortilla shells, these went down a real treat with our favourite tacos accompaniments. Spring onions, cheese, and some lettuce this time, along with some sour cream and guacamole on the side. You could add chopped tomatoes (I didn't because Eileen doesn't like them.). You could really add any topping you enjoy. Nothing needed on the side for us.
And there you have it, my meals of the week for this, the first week of November, 2026 (How did that happen? Time is passing by so quickly!) I think we had a very delicious week, what do you think?
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
This old-fashioned Date and Walnut Pudding is the sort of dessert our grandmothers would have been proud to serve. Tender, sweet, and filled with wholesome dates and crunchy walnuts, it bakes up with a rich caramel-like sauce hiding underneath, making every spoonful an absolute delight.
Simple ingredients and a touch of kitchen magic come together to create a wonderfully comforting self-saucing pudding that's perfect for family suppers, special gatherings, or any time you're in the mood for a traditional dessert. Warm, satisfying, and deliciously nostalgic, this is home baking at its very best
- 1 cup (120g) plain, all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (195g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (160g) chopped pitted dates, packed
- 1 cup (122g) chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 cup (200g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 TBS (15g) butter
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
- Butter a 10 by 10 inch square baking pan, or a deep round dish, 9 inches in diameter. Set aside. (My dish was about 8 inches by 11 inches in size, 2 inches deep.)
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the milk and briskly mix together until smooth. (Don't worry there is no butter or oil in the batter. I haven't left it out.)
- Stir in the dates and nuts.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Heat the brown sugar, water and butter together in a saucepan until it comes to the boil again. Pour this carefully over top of the batter. (Pour it in over the back of a metal spoon to help prevent disturbing the batter.)
- Immediately place into the heated oven and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling up from underneath. (It is important to do this right away as the heat from the water/sugar mixture will start the batter cooking.)
- Serve warm with or without pouring cream, custard or ice cream.
Old-Fashioned Date & Nut Pudding
Old fashioned and economical, this has very similar flavours to Sticky Toffee Pudding. What you have here is a rich and delicious cake, generously studded with toasted walnuts and sticky dates, with a lush toffee caramel sauce on the bottom. Beautiful served warm with lashings of cream or custard.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) plain, all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (195g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (160g) chopped pitted dates, packed
- 1 cup (122g) chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 cup (200g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 TBS (15g) butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
- Butter a 10 by 10 inch square baking pan, or a deep round dish, 9 inches in diameter. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the milk and briskly mix together until smooth.
- Stir in the dates and nuts.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Heat the brown sugar, water and butter together in a saucepan until it comes to the boil again. Pour this carefully over top of the batter.
- Immediately place into the heated oven and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling up from underneath.
- Serve warm with or without pouring cream, custard or ice cream.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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