[774.] Small Brioche.— Take the same dough as in foregoing recipe and roll it into small round balls the size of an egg; make a small opening in center of each with a wet finger; put a small ball of dough the size of a hazel nut into each one and set the brioche into a buttered pan; let them rise to double their size; brush over with the yolk of egg diluted with a little cold water and bake in a hot oven; when done brush them over with melted butter.
[775.] Baba.— ¾ pound flour, ½ pound butter, 5 eggs, 2 ounces sugar, the finely chopped peel of ½ lemon, ¼ teaspoonful salt, 1 yeast cake dissolved in ¼ cup warm milk, 2 ounces well washed and dried currants, 1½ ounces seedless raisins, 1½ ounces finely cut citron and a little finely cut candied orange peel; mix yeast, milk and ½ cup flour together and set it in a warm place to rise; stir the butter to a cream, add the sugar and next the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring a few minutes between each addition; next add the yeast which was set in a warm place to rise, then the flour and fruit; beat the whole thoroughly with the right hand for 15 minutes; cover with a clean cloth and let it rise to double its size; press it down and let it rise again; then put it into a well buttered form with a tube in center, which should be ¾ full; let it rise till form is full; paste with the white of egg a strip of buttered paper around the top edge of form and bake the cake about 1 hour; when done turn the cake out of form and set it for a few minutes in the oven to dry; in the meantime put ½ cup sugar with ¾ cup Madeira wine over the fire; let it get hot and pour all over the baba; serve either hot or cold on a napkin. Small babas are made of the same dough and baked in small deep forms, otherwise treated the same as above. Instead of Madeira any other kind of wine may be used; also vanilla or pineapple syrup.
[776.] Savarin Cake.— 1 cup lukewarm cream or milk, 2 yeast cake, 3 ounces butter, 4 eggs, ¼ teaspoonful salt, ½ gill Cognac, 2 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar and 10 ounces sifted flour; dissolve the yeast in half the milk and mix it with half the sifted flour into a smooth batter; cover and set it in a warm place to rise, which will take about ½ hour; in the meantime stir butter and sugar to a cream and add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring a few minutes between each addition; next add alternately the remaining milk, brandy, flour and lastly the batter which has been set in a warm place to rise; beat the whole with the right hand for 15 minutes; then cover with a napkin and let it rise in a warm place; butter a round mould which holds about 1½ to 2 quarts and dust with flour; turn the mould upside down, so the loose flour may fall out; when the dough is very light mix it with 2 ounces finely cut almonds and carefully fill it into the mould; set again in a warm place to rise to double its size; bake in a medium hot oven for ½ hour; to ascertain whether the cake is done or not thrust one end of a knitting needle into center of cake; if the needle comes out clean it is done; if any dough adheres to it the cake must be baked a few minutes longer; as soon as the cake is done turn it onto a round wire grate or sieve and prepare the following glaze:—Place a saucepan with 1 cup sugar and ½ pint cold water over the fire and boil 5 minutes; add 1 glass Jamaica rum, Cognac, sherry wine, kirsch or any other kind of liquor; set the cake with the grate or sieve onto a dish and pour the syrup evenly all over it; pour the syrup which drops from the cake onto the dish back to saucepan again, boil it up and pour over the cake; lift the grate on one side and slide the cake onto a dessert dish; the top may be decorated with preserved cherries or other fruit. The savarin is served as dessert, either hot or cold. Small savarins are baked in small, deep forms and dipped in hot syrup when done.
[777.] Soleil.— 1 pound sifted flour, 10 ounces butter, 2 ounces sugar, the grated rind of 1 lemon, ¼ pound sweet almonds, 2 yeast cake, 8 eggs, a pinch of salt and ½ cup cream; dissolve the yeast in a little warm milk; take 1 cup sifted flour and mix it with the yeast into a soft dough; lay this in a bowl with a little warm cream and set it in a warm place to rise to double its size; sift the remaining flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and make a hollow in center; put in by degrees the well beaten eggs and butter and mix and beat the whole with the hands for 15 minutes; pound the almonds with 2 eggs and press them through a sieve; add them with the yeast dough to the above mixture and mix the whole thoroughly together; dust over some flour and set in a warm place to rise to double its size; then fill it into a paper-lined form, which should be ½ filled, and set it to rise till form is nearly full; take a large tin plate and cover the bottom with salt; onto this set the pan with cake and bake in a medium hot oven about 40 minutes; try the cake with a larding or knitting needle; when done remove it from the oven, turn onto a sieve and pour hot vanilla syrup all over it; when cold boil 1 cup sugar with ½ cup water till it forms a thread between 2 fingers; remove from the fire, add 1 tablespoonful raspberry syrup and stir till nearly cold; pour it over the cake and set in oven for 2 minutes; remove instantly and lay a slice of pineapple in center of cake; cut the pineapple into 4 parts without altering its form and lay long strips of citron around it to imitate the sun.
[778.] Compiegne.— 1 pound sifted flour, 10 ounces butter, 4 whole eggs, the yolks of 4, 2 tablespoonfuls sugar, ½ cup cream, ¼ teaspoonful salt and 2 yeast cake; dissolve the yeast in ½ cup warm milk, add a few spoonfuls of the flour and mix it into a batter; set this in a warm place to rise; in the meantime stir the butter to a cream and add the sugar, salt and eggs by degrees; next the yeast and sifted flour; beat the whole with your hand for 15 minutes; then add the cream, which should be whipped to a stiff froth; butter a large, deep tin form and cover the bottom with a round piece of buttered paper; fill in the cake mixture, which should fill the form ¾ full, paste a piece of paper around top edge of form and let it rise till form is nearly full; bake in a moderate oven; serve either hot or cold. Small compiegnes are baked in small forms and dipped in sugar syrup mixed with wine or liquor.
[779.] Damp Nudels.— 3 cups sifted flour, 1 tablespoonful sugar, ¼ teaspoonful salt, ½ tablespoonful butter, the yolks of 2 eggs, 2 yeast cake and 1 cup warm milk; put flour into a bowl and make a hollow in the center; mix the yeast with ½ cup warm milk, put it into the hollow of flour and mix with a little of the flour to a thick batter; sprinkle a little of the flour over and cover and set in a warm place to rise, which will take about ¾ hour; then add salt, sugar, the yolks and butter, which has been melted in the remaining ½ cup milk; mix the whole into a soft dough and set it in a warm place; when it has risen to double its height cut pieces off with a tablespoon and form them with your hands into round balls; set these onto a floured board covered with a napkin and let them rise to double their size; then brush them over with melted butter; put 1 cup milk, ½ tablespoonful butter and 1 tablespoonful sugar in a pan which is large enough to hold the nudels without touching each other and can be covered tightly; put the pan on top of stove and as soon as the milk boils put in the nudels, cover tightly and let them boil slowly; when the milk has boiled away and the nudels begin to fry in the butter (which can be heard and smelt) draw them to side of stove and let them remain for a few minutes; transfer them to a deep dish and serve with vanilla or snow sauce; the above will make 20 nudels and will take about ½ hour to cook. Note.—If the nudels are not all wanted for dessert the remaining ones can be baked in the oven and served for tea as a substitute for biscuits.
[ FRUIT DUMPLINGS.]
(TO BE SERVED AS DESSERT.)
[780.] Baked Apple Dumplings, No. 1.— 1 cup butter, 4 cups sifted flour, ½ teaspoonful salt, the yolks of 3 eggs and ½ cup cold water; put the flour and salt onto a paste board, make a hollow in center and put in the yolks and butter; work this into a stiff paste, adding the water by degrees; roll it out ½ inch in thickness and then fold it up so that 3 layers lay on top of one another; lay the paste onto a plate and let it stand in a cool place or on ice for 1 hour; pare 9 greening or pippin apples and remove the cores without breaking the fruit; next roll out the paste very thin and cut it in 9 squares; put an apple in center of each square and put into each apple 1 teaspoonful apple jelly; bring the corners of the square together, brush the tips with a little white of egg and press them lightly together; set the dumplings into a long tin pan and bake until apples are done; if the oven is too hot cover them with paper; in serving put 1 dumpling for each person onto a tea plate, pour a few spoonfuls cherry wine or lemon sauce around it and put 1 spoonful hard sauce on top of each apple; or they may be served without sauce and dusted with sugar. Baked apple dumplings may be made of pie crust the same way.
[781.] Baked Apple Dumplings, No. 2.— 2 cups sifted flour, ¼ pound lard, 3 ounces butter, ½ teaspoonful salt, the yolk of 1 egg and ½ cup ice water; put the flour and ½ the lard and salt into a bowl and chop the lard fine with a knife; beat the yolk and ice water till it foams, add to the flour and mix it with the knife into a smooth, stiff paste; roll it out on a board into a square, put the remaining lard and butter in the center, inclose it with the paste and set for ½ hour on ice or in a cool place; then roll it out 3 times as long as wide, fold together so that 3 layers lay over one another and let it rest for 15 minutes; roll and fold it twice more; then roll it out to ⅛ of an inch in thickness, cut into square pieces and set in the center of each square a peeled and cored tart apple; bring the 4 corners of square together on top, brush the dumplings over with beaten eggs and bake till a light brown and done; serve with hard and wine or lemon sauce. These quantities will make 5 dumplings.
[782.] Baked Apple Dumplings, No. 3.— 1 pint flour, ½ teaspoonful salt, ½ cup cold water and ¾ cup lard; mix flour, salt and water to a paste and work it for a little while on a board; roll it out into a square piece 1 inch in thickness; also shape the lard into a square piece, but smaller than the paste; fold the paste over the lard and set it for a little while in a cool place; then roll it out ½ inch in thickness and fold together so that it is 3 double; roll and fold it twice more; then roll it out ⅛ of an inch in thickness, cut into squares and finish the same as in foregoing recipe.