Food fit for your Mardi Gras feasting

Press, 24 January 1986, Page 14

Food fit for your Mardi Gras feasting

Faschingskrapfen Carnival Jam Doughnuts To make about 22 doughnuts you need: loz of fresh yeast or %oz of dry yeast pinch of sugar 4 tablespoons lukewarm water %lb sifted flour y 4 teaspoon salt loz sugar 6 egg yolks, lightly beaten 6 tablespoons cream, lukewarm 1 tablespoon dark rum 1 tablespoon orange juice 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 2i/ 2 cups apricot jam i/ 2 lb lard (approximate) icing sugar Sprinkle the yeast and pinch of sugar into the

lukewarm water. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes; stir to dissolve the yeast. Set in a warm, draughtfree area for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the yeast has begun to bubble and has almost doubled in volume. Sift the flour and the salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour into it the yeast solution, sugar, egg yolks, cream, rum, orange juice and vanilla. Work until the dough is medium firm. Shape dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly buttered bowl. Dust the top lightly with flour, cover with a tea towel and put to rise in a warm place until double its bulk (45 minutes approximately). Punch the dough down,

turn out on a floured surface and roll into a circle y 4 inch thick. With a 2/ 2 inch pastry cutter, cut into as many rounds as possible, reshaping and rolling out the scraps until all the dough is used. Drop a teaspoon of jam on the centres of half the circles and . cover with remaining circles, press-' ing the edges together. Then cut the doughnuts out again using a slightly smaller cutter. Place one inch apart on a baking sheet lined with a clean cloth dusted with flour. Let the doughnuts rise for about 20 minutes, or until they rise 14 inch in the centre and look light and puffy. Heat lard in a heavy frying pan over a low heat until a light haze forms over it. Fry the doughnuts 4 or 5 at a time. They will begin to bubble and puff up and in about 2 minutes should be golden brown on the bottom.

Turn over with a slotted spoon and cook on the other side until brown. Drain on paper towels and dust with icing sugar. Hanne Lambley gives a simple recipe for

Cologne Muzen in her "Home Book of German Cookery”: 500 g (lib 2oz) plain flour 2 level teaspoons baking powder 200 g (7oz) unsalted butter 2 eggs 1 tablespoon rum 1 dessertspoon rose water (optional) 150 g (soz) sugar 3 teaspoons vanilla sugar (or add vanilla essence to taste) grated rind of y 2 lemon 50g (2oz) finely chopped almonds castor sugar Work the ingredients together as for short pastry. Roll out to Icm (»/ 2 inch) thickness and cut into diamond shapes about 3 by scm (I*4 by 2in). Fry them in deep fat until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and roll in castor sugar. Serve with hot coffee or drinking chocolate. The Larousse Gastronomique gives this recipe for “Beignets souffles.” I would think half quantities would be adequate for most families. Into a sauce with a flat bottom put one quart (one litre) of water, % cup (200 g butter, 1 y 2 tea-

spoons (lOg) salt, and 14 cup (120 g sugar and bring to the boil. Remove saucepan from the fire. Pour in 5 cups (625 g sieved flour. Mix well. Put saucepan back on fire. Dry off the paste by stirring with a wooden spoon until it comes away from the walls of the saucepan and becomes slightly oily. Remove from fire and add 12 to 14 eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously. With a spoon take up dollops of this paste the size of a walnut and drop them one at a time into hot, deep fat, but not smoking. Gradually heat the fat to cook the fritters through and to make them a light golden colour. Drain and sprinkle with fine sugar.