SC - Re: Rosquillas

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

Ian Gourdon <agincort at raex.com> wrote:

>The redacted recipe as passed to me by Ceinwen:

>Rosquillas:
[snip]
>Perhaps someone has the original...
>Ian Gourdon

This seems to be the redaction I sent to the list last year, except that
orange extract has been substituted for orange-flower water.  I am very
impressed by any cook who is willing to make rosquillas in feast quantities.
I believe the redaction is in the Florilegium, but here's a copy, with the
translation of the original recipe, and more detailed cooking instructions:


I've been doing some more baking.  Below is a period Spanish recipe  (and my
redaction) for rosquillas.  The name means "little rings".   Modern
rosquillas are generally leavened with baking powder, fried, and  glazed. 
(I understand that in the Spanish-language version of "The  Simpsons",
Homer's constant cry is, "Oooh.... rosquillas!").  Period  rosquillas are
sweet egg-leavened rings, which are boiled, then baked.   One of my friends
commented, "I like them, but they're confusing.  They  look like bagels and
taste like biscotti!"


Source: Diego Granado, _Libro del Arte de Cozina_, Spanish, 1599
Translation and redaction: Lady Brighid ni Chiarain (Robin Carroll-Mann)

PARA HAZER ROSQUILLAS -- To make rosquillas (little rings)

For forty egg yolks, a pound of ground sugar, and as much white wine  as
will fit in the shell of an egg, and a little anise, and a little cinnamon, 
and a little cow’s butter, and a little orange flower water. Knead 
everything with fine flour, and cast in what should be necessary to  conform
to the quantity of eggs.  Knead with a light hand, so that you  do not break
the dough, which should not be very hard, nor very soft, but  well
pummelled, and being good, make the rosquillas the size that you  wish. 
Have on the fire a kettle of water, and when it begins to boil, cast  the
rosquillas within, in such a manner that they do not go one on top of 
another, and cast them in until they ascend.  Upon ascending they are 
cooked.  Put them in some kneading troughs, and being cooled, remove  them
and send them to the oven to cook, which should be quite  temperate.


Rosquillas

20 egg yolks (medium or large)
1/2 pound sugar (1-1/4 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon white wine
2 tablespoons orange-flower water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground anise
5 to 5-1/4 cups all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Fill a large, wide pot with water, at least 4-5 
inches deep, and bring it to a boil.  Adjust the heat so the water is at a 
constant simmer.

Beat the egg yolks lightly in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer equipped  with
a dough hook.  Stir in the sugar, butter, wine, orange-flower water,  and
the spices.  Add 3 cups of the flour and mix well.  Gradually add  flour,
kneading continually, until you have a dough of medium firmness.   It will
be sticky, and it will *not* form a ball on the dough-hook or clean  the
sides of the bowl.  It will more closely resemble a sugar-cookie  dough than
a bread dough.  Add just enough flour to make a dough that  can be handled
and shaped.  Knead well, about 8-10 minutes.  The  dough will be fairly
smooth.

Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a flat surface.  Cover with a damp 
cloth so it does not dry out.  Roll a piece of dough into a ball about 1-
1/2 inches in diameter.  Flatten the ball slightly, and with your thumb  and
forefinger, pinch a hole in the center of the disc.  Enlarge the hole  and
shape the dough until you have a doughnut-like ring, about 2-1/2  inches in
diameter and 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.

When you have shaped several rosquillas, drop them, one at a time,  into the
simmering water.  (You did get the pot of water ready, didn't  you?)  They
will sink like stones to the bottom of the pot.  Watch out for  scalding-hot
splashes, and make sure that the rosquillas do not settle  on top of each
other.  They will begin to expand slightly, and to become  whiter and
wrinkled.  In about 4-5 minutes, the rosquillas will suddenly  float to the
surface of the water.  As each one rises, remove it gently  with a slotted
spoon or a skimmer, and place on a rack to cook and dry.  Continue shaping
and simmering rosquillas until all the dough is used  up.

When the rosquillas are cool to the touch, place them on an ungreased 
cookie sheet, and bake 20-25 minutes at 350 F until lightly browned.   Cool
on racks.  Makes about 2-1/2 dozen.

Notes:

My redaction is half of the original recipe, as it makes a quantity that is 
convenient for a home kitchen.  A quarter-recipe also works well.  I  made
two test batches using my KitchenAid mixer.  One batch, which I 
hand-kneaded for 10 minutes, did not turn out well.  They took twice as 
long to rise in the water, and then they drifted up languidly.  After 
baking, they were unpleasantly dense.  A long period of hand-kneading  would
probably solve that problem.

I decided to conduct an egg size experiment.  After separating out the 
yolks from 10 medium eggs, I weighed them.  The yolks varied in size,  but
the total came to 165 grams (5-3/4 oz.) in weight.  I then started  weighing
the yolks of large eggs, on the assumption that I would need  fewer of them.
These also varied in size, but 10 large yolks came to  166 grams.  I do not
know how the yolks from larger or smaller eggs  would compare.

The anise and cinnamon flavors blended subtlely and pleasantly.  Even  my
anise-hating husband pronounced the rosquillas acceptable.  I could  not
detect the flavor of the orange-flower water, even when I increased  the
quantity to 2 tablespoons.  I suspect it could be omitted if  unavailable,
without much noticeable change.

The rosquillas are good for dipping in tea or coffee.  They would probably 
keep for at least several days in an air-tight container.