The Chef
DEBORAH SNYDER of JUdson Grill

Servings
Serves 6.

Ingredients
Fruit compote:
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
2 lemons, finely zested and juiced
3/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
2 pints strawberries, rinsed, hulled and halved
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and picked through
1 pint raspberries and/or blackberries

Cinnamon butter:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 and 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Crème fraîche yogurt:
1 pint whole-milk yogurt, drained overnight through cheesecloth
1 cup crème fraîche, whipped
2 tablespoons sugar
Large brioche loaf
1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Cooking Instructions
Compote:
Place the vanilla seeds and pod, lemon zest and juice, sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the berries, and stir until they begin to pop and release their juices, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Cinnamon butter:
Place the butter, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl, and cream together until smooth.

Crème fraîche yogurt:
Fold the yogurt, crème fraîche, and sugar together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the puddings.

Brioche:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the brioche into 18 thin slices. With a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out 18 disks. Spread each circle with cinnamon butter on one side and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Place the circles on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Assembly:
Cover one of the brioche disks with about 2 tablespoons of the compote, place 1 tablespoon of the yogurt mixture in the center, and place a second circle of brioche on top. Cover with more of the berry compote and cream, and cap with a third disk. Repeat to make five more puddings. Place the puddings on a flat platter and refrigerate for no longer than 4 hours. Serve at room temperature, surrounded on a plate by the remaining compote and yogurt.

Photo by Richard Jung.