Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [281]
Butter for greasing the pan
A pastry brush
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Beat the eggs lightly and pour all but ½ tablespoon—which you will set aside for brushing the biscuits later—into a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Turn the batter out onto a lightly floured work surface, dust your hands with flour, and work it for a few minutes into a smooth, compact mass. If you prefer, you can execute the entire step with the food processor. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and set it aside to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
3. Divide the dough in two. Dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour, and flatten the dough, one piece at a time, to a thickness of no more than ¼ inch. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter, or a glass of comparable diameter, to cut the dough into disks. Keep the trimmings.
4. Smear a baking sheet or pan with butter, and place the rounds of dough on it, keeping them about 1½ inches apart.
5. Briefly knead the trimmings into a ball, roll it out, and cut it into disks to be added to the others.
6. Brush the top of all the disks with egg, then put the sheet or pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 12 minutes.
7. Remove the biscuits from the pan, and let them cool completely on a rack. They will be even tastier a day later.
Crema—Italian Custard Cream
Crema, or crema pasticcera to use its full name, is the basic custard used as a filling in many Italian desserts, most famously, perhaps, in zuppa inglese. It is not difficult to do, if you are a patient cook. It must not boil, yet the flour must be given sufficient heat and time to dissolve without leaving any trace of graininess. When the custard is lumpy or has a doughy flavor, it means the flour has either been cooked too hurriedly or not thoroughly enough or a combination of both causes.
You can make crema directly over the flame in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, but if you are concerned about how to keep the heat under control, use a double boiler, making sure that the water in the lower half stays at a brisk boil.
About 2½ cups
4 egg yolks
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
The peel of ½ lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath
1. Put the egg yolks and sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan or in the top of a double boiler. Off heat, beat the yolks until they become pale yellow and creamy. Add the flour gradually, beating it in 1 tablespoon at a time.
2. In another saucepan bring all the milk just to the brink of a boil, when the edge begins to be ringed with little bubbles.
3. Always off heat, add the hot milk very slowly to the beaten egg yolks, stirring the entire time to avoid the formation of lumps.
4. Put the saucepan over low heat, or over the bottom part of the double boiler in which the water has been brought to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring steadfastly with a wooden spoon. Do not let the cream come to a boil, but it’s all right for an occasional bubble to break the surface. The custard cream is done when it clings to the spoon, coating it with medium density.
5. Remove from heat, place the pan with the cream into a bowl with ice water, and stir for a few minutes. Mix in the grated lemon peel, and stir a while longer until the cream cools off.
Ahead-of-time note You can make the cream a day or two in advance, if necessary. Transfer to a steel or ceramic container, press plastic wrap against the surface of the cream, and refrigerate.
Zuppa Inglese
IF THERE IS a wholly convincing explanation of why the dessert is described as inglese, English, I have never come across it, but there is no doubt why it is called a soup: It is so steeped in custard that it resembles the bread soaking in peasant soups. And like soup, it should be eaten with a spoon.
The version given here is based on the dense zuppa inglese we make in Emilia-Romagna. There the cordial used to dampen the sponge cake is alchermes mixed with rum. Alchermes, a vaguely spicy liqueur with a flowery scent, derived its red color