Pesche di Prato
from http://en.julskitchen.com/, original recipe from Cookaround.com, an Italian web site

"And now let’s celebrate with a recipe that brings me back directly to my childhood summer birthdays, a special Tuscan sweet brioche known as Pesche di Prato, literally peaches of Prato.

These so called pesche are domes of brioche, soaked in alchermes, the bright pink liqueur that gives to these sweet treat a romantic antique rose hue, a must in most traditional Tuscan pastries. The brioche domes are paired two by two, held together by a thick Italian custard, then they are covered with caster sugar, to mimic the velvety skin of one of the most delicious summer fruits. They are not difficult to make, you just need some organization.

These so called pesche are domes of brioche, soaked in alchermes, the bright pink liqueur that gives to these sweet treat a romantic antique rose hue, a must in most traditional Tuscan pastries. The brioche domes are paired two by two, held together by a thick Italian custard, then they are covered with caster sugar, to mimic the velvety skin of one of the most delicious summer fruits. They are not difficult to make, you just need some organization."

Note: Alchermes is a type of Italian liqueur which has has a sweet, spicy flavour that comes from a blend of anise flowers, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, jasmine, mace, nutmeg, orange peel, sugar, and vanilla. These ingredients are steeped in alcohol, which is then flavoured with rose water. Its most striking characteristic is its scarlet color, obtained traditionally by the addition of Kermes, a small parasitic insect from which the drink derives its name. The drink fell out of favor around the turn of the 20th century because people discovered that its colour came from insects. The color now comes from cochineal dye, which is also used to colour Campari. Several proprietary variants are commercially available, with alcoholic contents ranging from 21 to 32%. Its chief use is in coloring pastry, although a quick dessert is sometimes made by adding it to mascarpone and sugar. Alkermes was a modification of an 8th-century tonic confectio alchermes. The tonic included raw silk, apple juice, ground pearls, musk, ambergris, gold leaf, rose water, cinnamon, sugar and honey. In pre-modern medicine, it was ranked among the best cardiacs, and was frequently used for the palpitation of the heart, or syncope, sometimes for smallpox and measles and a general restorative.

Make the brioche:
500 g of strong flour
150 of sugar
160 of butter, cold and diced
20 of fresh brewer's yeast
30 of honey
5 eggs
3 g of salt
Grated zest of one organic lemon
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

To make the custard:
300 g of whole milk
200 of cream
140 of sugar (70 g in the milk and 70 g into the flour)
Zest of one organic lemon
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
25 g of flour
25 of rice starch
6 egg yolks

To make the syrup:
2 cups of water
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 cups of alchermes (substitutes Curaçao, Grand Marnier. For colour, add some Grenadine.)

Make the brioche dough:

Put all the ingredients except the butter in a stand mixer bowl and knead until you get a smooth dough. Add the butter and knead until completely blended. The dough will be quite soft.

Let the dough rise for two hours in a warm place, as inside the oven with the light on. The dough should triple.

After the needed time to let them rise, form small balls of dough, using a spoon to make it easier and dusting your hands with flour. You'll have about thirty balls. Put them well separated in a pan greased with butter or lined with parchment paper and after a couple of minutes flatten them slightly with your hands.

Let the dough rise again for two hours, it should triple again.

Heat oven to 200°C and bake the brioches for about 15 minutes, until honey-coloured.

Make the custard:

Warm in a saucepan the cream and the milk with the lemon zest, vanilla extract and 70 g of sugar and bring to the boiling point, then remove form the heat.

In another saucepan mix the flour, the rice starch and the remaining sugar. Pour in a spoonful of milk and stir with a whisk. Add the eggs, whisk again, then add the rest of the hot milk.

Put back the saucepan on the low flame and whisk constantly until thickened. Put it in a water bath of water and ice so that it will cool down quickly.

Make the syrup:

Heat the water and sugar, when the sugar is completely dissolved add the alchermes and remove from the heat.

Make the peaches:

Make a well in each brioche on the flat side, using a teaspoon, then dip them in the syrup and fill each brioche with custard. Be generous!

Combine the brioches, two by two, to form a peach, then roll them in granulated sugar and decorate them with a leaf of fresh mint or lemon balm.

About 15 peaches