So, this is yet another example of when a better camera would have been helpful. Alas. The other night, I got a hankering for
Baba au rhum, after seeing
Lidia Bastianich's aged mother devour one happily on
Lidia's Italy, a somewhat underrated program usually seen on public television. I didn't have rum, though, or limoncello (as Lidia recommends), so I just used some wonderful scotch whiskey I had cadging around. The recipe is basically a simplified, yeasty brioche, to my untrained eye - buttery, eggy, and most importantly, spongy, in order to soak in the spiked sugar syrup the breads are immersed into at the end. The babas themselves emerged perfectly out of the oven, rising above the ramekins I had put them in to give me the classic bulbed shape. I could feel the perfect texture inside. And they greedily slurped up vast amounts of syrup, growing almost once over again.
But questions abound - would it be better if they had slow risen, like I do with bread, overnight in the fridge? Should both syrup and baba be cool before baptising the babas, or just the syrup, or just the baba (I did hot syrup and cool baba, to good effect)? Should it taste of liquor or sugar?
3 comments:
Yes, it's best if they rest in the refrigerator overnight. The slower fermentation develops more flavor (just like croissant dough, brioche...). Also, you want the syrup to be hot. The baba itself doesn't have to be hot and I think that whether it should taste like liquor or sugar, depends on your taste. I personally don't like very strong liquer flavors but that's just me.
And yes, you should invest in a good/better camera.
yes, you might like to hire a "food photographer" =) I can refer you to an accomplished one if you are interested.
I didn't have rum, though, or limoncello (as Lidia recommends), so I just used some wonderful scotch whiskey I had cadging around.
It's a good thing this blog is patronized more by foodies than liquor aficionados ;-)
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