The European cookbook for American homes (from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France)

As soon as brioche begins to rise (about 15 minutes) cover with buttered paper and bake 1 hour longer. Test with broom straw; if it comes out clean the brioche is done. SMALL BRIOCHES Prepare dough as above, set aside 3 ounces of the dough and cut remainder into 12 even pieces; form these with the hand into small balls and put in a baking pan. Divide reserved dough into 12 parts and roll into pear shapes. With a spoon make a cavity in each ball and insert small ends of pear shapes. Let rise 15 minutes, glaze with beaten egg and bake 12 to 15 minutes in hot oven (450° F.). These are eaten with coffee. BRIOCHE A LA CONDE Yi cup sweet white wine 2 tablespoons butter l/i pound mixed candied fruits 1 freshly baked brioche cake 1 cup apricot jam Y2 cup water Pour wine over candied fruit and steep 1 hour. Heat jam with butter until melted. Cut brioche cross-wise through center, spread lower half with jam and replace top. Add water to fruit, heat to boiling and pour over brioche. Savoie SAVOY SPONGE CAKE (le Biscuit de Savoie) 4 egg yolks Grated rind of Yi lemon % cup granulated sugar, sifted 4 egg whites Yz cup cake flour, sifted Beat egg yolks, sugar and grated rind together, until light and creamy. Sift in flour and mix carefully. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in gently. Butter a round baking tin, lightly powder with sugar, warm slightly and half fill with batter. Bake about 50 minutes in a moderate oven (3500 F.). When done, place on cake cooler before removing from the tin. Lemon peel, in French, is called "zest" and it is cut much thinner there, so that none of the bitter white pulp adheres to detract from the pungent essence of the oily yellow skin. SPICE CAKE {Pain d'Epices) il/2 cups butter l/2 teaspoon allspice 4 cups pulverized sugar 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg 9 egg yolks, well beaten 1/2 teaspoon mace 3% cups sifted cake flour 1 teaspoon (baking) soda 9 egg whites, beaten stiff il/2 cups sour cream 1 teaspoon cinnamon !4 teaspoon salt Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolks, well beaten; beat all until light and creamy. Add flour gradually, alternating with Y2 of beaten egg whites. Add spices, then gradually beat in remainder of flour and egg whites. Dissolve soda in 1 tablespoon of boiling water, mix this with the sour cream and stir into cake mixture. Turn into a deep buttered cake tin and bake 1 hour in a moderate oven (350°F.). SMALL CAKES (Quatre-quarts) 4 eggs Powdered sugar Butter Flour Grated rind of 1 lemon Weigh eggs and take equal amounts of weight in butter, powdered sugar, and flour. Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add grated rind and egg yolks and beat until very light; continue beating and add flour. Have the egg whites beaten to a stiff froth and fold in lightly. Turn into small buttered tins and bake 30 minutes in moderate oven (35o°F.). Baked in shell-shaped molds these are the popular little French cakes that please the tourist's palate. FRUIT CAKE (Baba) 1 yeast cake 1/4 cup cream 4 tablespoons lukewarm water 1/2 cup butter 2 cups sifted flour 4 tablespoons Madeira 3 tablespoons powdered sugar l/2 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 4 tablespoons raisins 4 tablespoons currants