The spirit of cookery

The latter term is said to be used by patisseurs, but we think them all quite unnecessary, and signifying nothing, as there is but one brioche, the beauty and perfection of which should be maintained unscathed and unmixed for all time to come. The brioche is one of the six remarkable cakes or cakelike productions which are compounded of a fermented BRIOCHE, PLAIN AND COMPOUND dough and a hutter-ancl-egg stirred dough, which are mixed and doubled up a great number of times to produce the greatest amount of useful sponginess. When the brioche is intended to serve as a pièce de fond, and be of large size, it should' be baked in a buttered paper case. It is best eaten hot with the early coffee, and should be broken with the fingers or a silver fork. The preparation of the dough, and the adaptation of the shape to the size, and the modes of baking the various sizes, are all evidence of the care and ingenuity which has to be bestowed upon it ; the baking, e.g., has to avoid two extreme faults — namely, that the interior shall not be underbaked, and that the exterior shall not be scorched, and not be burst in the rising. When it is intended to use the brioche as fancy bread, or sell it in definite portions, it may be moulded in diminutive shapes, in conical tins, dariole forms, or fancy shapes, such as twisted masses, rings, twisted rings like the torta of Eome, fingers, and others. For small compound fancy brioches for parties some confectioners introduce into the dough dried cherries, candied peel, pineapple, angelica, and some liqueur. Of this compound dough they make a ball as nucleus, and surround it with a shell of dough free from these ingredients. A recipe for a Brioche with Cheese has been given by Courcamps, but it is in parts somewhat obscure in consequence of the overcrowding of expressions. The result of the execution of the recipe will certainly be tasty, but, owing to the large amount of hidden fat, and the general richness of the ingredients, it will call for a vigorous digestion. Dr, Ignotus would have said that it was full of gout. Under the name of Briochines Vertes occur in French works recipes for the dumpilings brought from Saxony to France by Baron Miilbacher, a former Saxon ambassador. We have classified them as what they are, as their fancy name is misleading. Careme, in his ‘ Patissier Royal Parisien ’ (i. 34), said of the true brioche : ‘ C’est une bonne chose qu’ane brioche bien faite et mangee chaude.’ Kugelhopfe is the German counterpart of the French brioche, and passes in French culinary works under the name of coughloff à l'allemande. The best recipe is that given by Careme, who obtained it from Eugen Wolf, cook of Fürst Schwarzenberg, as producing the best Vienna make, and believed it to be an enrichment of the grand French, national pâtisserie* Variations of Kugelhopfe (also termed Kugelhopf in Austria and Bavaria) are obtained by additions. English recipes add Jordan almonds. A French Parisian Cake is essentially a Kugelhopfe with the addition of pistachios, almonds, or candied orange peel. Another compound Kugelhopfe has been called Victoria Cake, its only peculiarity being dried cherries and cinnamon. A royal cook served this cake hot as a second course remove, with hot sauce made of apricot jam diluted with lemon-juice or with German custard and wine sauce.