We named a dessert of red forest fruit served on a specially baked bun a forest fruit burger. As burgers are usually more associated with meat, this burger is a delicious, yet filling, dessert that is fully vegetarian. The meat versions are more associated with the food that is served in the German city of Hamburg. But this dessert is lending its name from the shape only. The bun is made of brioche dough, rich in eggs and butter. The fruit is seasonal fruit and is partially sauced. The buns are finished by a soak in vanilla cream and a dip in caramelized butter.
The art of making a forest fruit burger
Most of the work goes into making the buns and covering each half with caramelized sugar and chocolate if you like. The bun is made of brioche dough, which contains lots of butter and eggs. This causes the crumb to be very fine. The ‘forest’ fruit of berries is best fresh and therefore this dessert does best in the fall (for those of us who live in a temperate climate). But do not hesitate to experiment with different types of forest fruit such as star fruit mixed with the pulp of passion fruit and some sweet mango. Whatever you use, make sure that the fruit mixture has a certain softness and a mix of tangy and sweet tones. While the buns last a day, it is best to make them a few hours before serving for optimum taste.
The fruit can be prepared a day in advance when stored in the fridge.
Special equipment
- oven
Forest fruit burger
Ingredients
Ingredients for the brioche buns
- 9 oz (250 g) flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 oz (14 g) dried yeast
- 1 tbsp water for dissolving the yeast
- 1.5 tbsp sugar for dissolving the yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3.7 oz (100 g) soft butter
Ingredients for the fruit dressing
- 4 oz (110 g) strawberries
- 4 oz (110 g) raspberries
- 4 oz (110 g) blackberries
- 1 oz (25 g) crystal sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Ingredients for the vanilla cream and caramel butter
- 1/2 egg
- 2 oz (60 g) sugar
- 3.5 oz (100 g) full cream milk
- 3.5 oz (100g) cream (fat content 20%)
- 1 pod of vanilla
- 2 oz (60 g) butter
- 2 oz (60 g) sugar
Instructions
Making the brioche buns
- Put the flour on the counter and make in the middle a hole
- Dissolve the yeast in the tbsp water and 1.5 tbsp sugar
- Add the dissolved yeast, the eggs the sugar and the salt to the flour
- Knead the dough by hand for 2 minutes
- Thereafter add the butter in parts and knead through the dough.
- Knead for 10 minutes
- Make a ball and let it rise for 1 hr, covered by plastic wrap or a wet towel. Thereafter place the ball wrapped in the fridge. This is also a good point to keep it in the fridge and get back to baking the rolls the next day Otherwise continue after 1 h in the fridge
- Then divide into 6 balls of each 1.5 oz (40g) and let them rise for an hour at room temperature on a counter dusted with flour.
- Thereafter bake them golden brown in a pre-heated oven at 357 F (180 C) for 20 minutes
- Let them cool down at room temperature
Preparing the fruit
- Start with washing the fruit and reserving almost 2 oz of each of the strawberries, raspberries and black berries for later
- In a skillet at low fire, mix the remaining fruit with the sugar and the lemon juice for around 5 minutes until it has become a fruit sauce
- Let it cool down first and after that mix in the reserved, fresh fruit and keep the whole thing refrigerated.
Making the vanilla cream and coat the buns
- Mix the egg, sugar, milk, cream and the vanilla pod interior.
- Then when cooled down, cut the buns in half and soak each half for 5 minutes in the vanilla cream you can do this in portions
Decorating and finishing of the dessert
- Mix the sugar and butter into a cream and then heat it in a skillet, until it becomes brown and fragrant. fry each halve on one side in the caramel butter and take out and cool down.
- Then divide the halves over the plates, put the fruit on the lower halves and place the other halves on top. Serve.
Notes
Remarks
- In order to cut down on the prep time, you can shift work to a day earlier. The brioche dough, the vanilla cream and the fruit can be made a day in advance. This way on the day of having your guests, you only need to bake the buns and provide the finishing touch.
- It is wise not to bake the buns in advance. The brioche buns will get stale rather quickly.
