Cakes In General
Description
This section is from the book "The Modern Cook: A Practical Guide to the Culinary Art in All Its Branches", by Charles Elme Francatelli. Also available from Amazon: The Modern Cook: A Practical Guide to the Culinary Art in All Its Branches.
Cakes In General
Comprising Brioche Paste.
Baba, or Polish Cake.
Compie'gne Cake.
Parisian Cake.
Savarin.
Finger, or Naples Biscuit.
Plum Cake.
Plain Seed Cake.
Brussels Biscuits, or Busks.
Flemish Ganffres.
French Ganffres.
Almond Ganffres.
Small Nougats, d la Chantilly.
Genoese Cakes, with Almonds.
Madeleines,
Spanish Cake (Petite-choux).
Duchess Loaves.
Petite-choux, with Caramel.
Profitrolles.
Mecca Loaves.
Queen's Cakes.
Venetian do.
Swedish Macaroons.
Brown-Bread Biscuits.
Orange do.
Peach do.
Apricot do.
Chocolate Glacis.
Varieties of other Glacis.
Russian do.
Albert do.
Victoria do.
1269. Brioche Paste
Ingredients: - One pound of flour, ten ounces of butter, half an ounce of German yeast, a tea-spoonful each of salt and sugar, and about seven eggs.
Put one-fourth part of the flour on the slab, spread it out to form a well, then place the yeast in the centre, and proceed to dissolve it with a little tepid water; when this is effected, add sufficient water to mix the whole into a rather soft paste; knead this into the form of a round ball, put it into a stewpan capable of containing three times its quantity, score it round the sides with a knife, put the lid on and set it to rise in a rather warm place; in winter it may be put in the skreen, but in hot weather the fermentation will proceed more satisfactorily if it is merely placed on the kitchen table, or in some such place of moderate warmth. This part of the operation is termed setting the sponge. Next, put the remainder of the flour on the slab, and spread it out in the centre to form the well; then place the salt and sugar, and a tea-spoonful of water to dissolve these, after which the butter must be added; break in six eggs, and work the whole together with the hands until well mixed, first working it between the hands, and then robbing it with both fists held flat on the slab, and moving them to and fro, so as to thoroughly reduce any remaining lumps in the paste. By the time the paste is mixed, the sponge will probably have risen sufficiently ; to be perfect, it must rise to three times its original size; when spread out on the paste prepared to receive it, it should present the appearance of a sponge, from which it takes its name.
Both the above should be then immediately, gently, but thoroughly mixed. A napkin must be spread in a wooden bowl, or a basin, some flower shaken over it, and the brioche -paste lifted into it; then shake a little flour over the paste, and after throwing the ends of the napkin over all, set the bowl containing the paste in a cool place, free from any current of air.
It is usual to make this kind of paste late in the evening previously to the day on which it is required for use. The first thing on the following morning, the brioche-paste must be turned off the napkin on to the slab; then shake some flour under and over it, and fold the paste over half a dozen times, pressing it down with the knuckles each time; put the paste back again into the bowl in the same way as before; and about three hours afterwards, knead it again in a similar manner, previously to its being baked.
If the paste, when finished, appears to be full of small globules of air, and is perfectly elastic to the touch, it is certain to be well made, and, when baked, will be both light and of a bright clear color.
If the paste is intended to be made into one brioche only, take five-sixths of it, mould this into the form of a round ball or cushion, and place it in a plain mould or paper-case* (previously spread with butter) with the smooth surface uppermost; press it down in the case with the knuckles, and, after moulding the remaining piece of paste in a similar manner, first, wet the surface of the other part over with the paste-brush dipped in water, and then, after inserting the pointed end of this into the centre of that portion of the brioche which has been already placed in the case, press the head down upon it with the back of the hand ; egg the brioche over with a paste-brush, score the sides slightly, in a slanting direction, place it on a baking-sheet and put it in the oven (at moderate heat). As soon as the brioche begins to rise, and has acquired a slight degree of color, let it be covered over with a sheet of paper : about two hours will suffice to bake a large brioche of double the quantity of paste described in this article.
Note. - Brioches may be varied in their form, when intended to be served as fancy bread, for breakfast, etc.; in which case they should be moulded in the shape of twists, fingers, rings, etc. When served on the refreshment table, at routs, public breakfasts, balls, etc, dried cherries, citron, candied orange or lemon-peel, pine-apple or angelica, steeped in some kind of liqueur, may be introduced; in either of these cases, previously to mixing in the fruit, part of the paste must be reserved, which, after being rolled out, must be used to enclose the other part of the brioche. This precaution is necessary to prevent the fruit from protruding through the paste, as it becomes calcined by the heat of the oven, and gives an unsightly appearance to the sponge. "When fruit has been mixed in a brioche, it should be (when baked) glazed with fine sugar by the salamander.
* The ease is thus made. For a large brioche, intended to be sensed as a second-course remove, take a large sheet of Bristol-board, and cut a band from this, measuring about two feet long by eight inches broad; the two ends should be sewed together with strong thread, and some small bands of paper, smeared over with flour-and-water paste, should be stuck over the sewing to make it more secure. This hoop should then be placed upon a circular piece of the pasteboard, cut to fit its circumference, and both these must be securely fastened together by placing small strips of paper (pasted over) all round the angle of the bottom part of the case; these must be placed close together and crosswise, with one end fastened under the case, while the other is lapped round the angle and fastened at the side. These strips of paper, after becoming very dry, should receive another row over them, to make the case stronger.
Gruyere or Parmesan cheese, in equal proportions, are sometimes introduced in a brioche for a second-course remove; the first should be cut up in dice, the latter grated. As in the above cases, this kind of brioche must be enclosed in a portion of the paste reserved for that purpose.
Continue to:
My Books
