Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (217 page)

CONFIT D’ABRICOTS EN SIROP

[Apricot Filling or Sauce Using Canned Apricots]

This deliciously simple filling or sauce is made with diced canned apricots lightly caramelized in their own syrup and flavored with kirsch or lemon. Serve it with custard desserts, such as the
Pélerin
, or as a filling for tarts like the
Jalousie
, spoon it over the
apricot sherbet
, or fold in a little gelatin and walnuts or sliced almonds and use as a cake filling as suggested for the
Saint-André
.

For about 1½ cups

A 1-lb. can of peeled apricots in heavy syrup

A small, heavy saucepan

⅓ cup sugar

1 Tb lemon juice and the grated rind of ½ lemon

1 Tb kirsch or Cognac

Drain the apricot syrup into the saucepan and bring to the simmer with the sugar. When sugar has dissolved completely, boil the syrup rapidly until last drops to fall from spoon are thick and sticky (230 degrees F.). Discard seeds from apricots and cut flesh into ⅜-inch dice. Fold them into the syrup and add the lemon juice and rind. Boil slowly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in the kirsch or Cognac.

LIST OF FROSTINGS AND FILLINGS

BUTTER CREAMS—FOR EITHER FROSTINGS OR FILLINGS

Simple butter cream with confectioner’s sugar

Crème au Beurre Ménagère
, Volume I, page 681 (egg yolks beaten with confectioner’s sugar, flavoring, and butter—uncooked).

Butter cream with custard base

Crème au Beurre à l’Anglaise
(
Le Succès
), and Volume I, page 683 (cooked custard sauce with butter and flavoring beaten in).

Butter cream with egg-yolk and sugar-syrup base

Crème au Beurre au Sucre Cuit
, Volume I, pages 681–3 (boiling sugar syrup beaten into egg yolks, mixture poached over hot water, beaten until cool, then butter and flavoring beaten in).

Butter cream with Italian meringue base

Crème au Beurre à la Meringue Italienne
—
génoise
cake (boiling sugar syrup beaten into egg whites, beaten until cool, then butter and flavoring beaten in).

Orange or lemon butter-cream icing or filling

Crème au Beurre a l’Orange
, or
au Citron
, Volume I, pages 674–6 (eggs, yolks, flavoring, and butter stirred together over heat to thicken into a simple filling; more butter beaten in to turn it into a butter cream). See also another version of the filling,
Crème au Citron
; this may also be turned into a butter cream in the same way.

OTHER FROSTINGS AND FILLINGS

Soft chocolate icing

Glaçage au Chocolat
(
Le Glorieux
, Step 3), and Volume I, page 684 (melted chocolate and butter, with or without liqueur flavoring).

White meringue frosting

Meringue Italienne
—
Le Saint-Cyr
, Step 1 (boiling sugar syrup whipped into beaten egg whites).

Meringued whipped cream frosting or filling

Chantilly Meringuée
(the preceding meringue combined with whipped cream).

Fondant

(Sugar syrup boiled to the soft-ball stage, cooled, then kneaded until it turns snowy white; flavored with liqueur or chocolate.)

Apricot filling or sauce

Confit d’abricots en sirop
(diced canned apricots boiled in their own syrup, liqueur flavoring; with gelatin added as cake filling,
Le Saint-André
).

MISCELLANEOUS

Walnut brittle and caramelized walnut halves

Pralin aux Noix
—
Pralinée aux Noix
, Step 1 (walnuts stirred into caramel syrup and ground when cold; or walnuts dipped into caramel syrup and used for decorations).

Almond brittle

Pralin aux Amandes
—
Le Kilimanjaro
, Step 1 (same as
Pralin aux Noix
, but with almonds).

Baked meringue decorations

Meringue Italienne
—
Le Saint-Cyr
, Steps 1, and 2 (boiling sugar syrup whipped into beaten egg whites, formed into meringues, and baked).

COMMENT FAIRE UN CORNET EN PAPIER

[How to Make a Paper Decorating Cone]