[Sca-cooks] Fattigman cookies - OOP

[Jeff Gedney]

>    Fattiga riddare (translates litterally from swedish as "poor
>    knights"!) are made like this:

Not the same at all.
Here is the recipe.
It is really simple and adding a little extra cardamom if fabulous, especially
if it is freshly ground and really aromatic.

FATTIGMAN (Poor Man) COOKIES
8 egg yolks, beaten
3-6 tbsp. light cream
1 1/2 tbsp. Ground cardamom,
4 tbsp. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar for dusting
Oil for deep frying

Mix together first 5 ingredients in order given, to form a dough. you may need
more or less flour. The dough should be about like a good pastry dough in
consistency. Put it in the fridge overnight with plastic wrap to cover. It can
stay there three days, no more.

Roll out small amounts of dough on lightly floured surface until it's about
1/8th of an inch thick.
Cut into long diamonds (about 4 inches long and 1 inch wide)
Put the scraps back in the fridge to rest with the remainder of dough. ( let
scraps rest at least 10 mins between rollings. )
Cut a 1 inch slit in the middle of each diamond along the long axis
GENTLY pull one point of diamond through the slit and back out again is it is
flat with a sort of double rope in the middle where it twists about.
Fry in deep fat (375 degrees F.) until just golden (not crisp).
Drain on paper towels or brown paper bags.
Repeat until dough is used up.
Dust with powdered sugar while still warm.

Brandu's Notes on the recipe:

1) Leaving the dough overnight in the fridge before you rollout improves the
rolling process immensely.

2) When I get a pasta machine, I might try that.

3) Get a fattigman cutter from Maid of Scandinavia or some place. The process of
cutting is really tedious without one. you can see one here:
 http://www.maidofscandinavia.com/Cat/Set3/pr30lg.htm
Otherwise use a wavy pastrycutter if you have one.
The pinked edge looks nicer, and the cookies have a better "lift".

4) Err on the side of "a little more cardamom" - definitely

5) 1/8 inch is just right. Thicker than 3/16 that and these get a little heavy
and tough. Thinner than 1/8 and they come apart in handling.

6) They do not pack and ship well, they are fragile.

According to my Scandinavian cookbook, they are called "Poor Man's Cookies"
("FattigMan Bakkels") because in the Norwegian countryside farms, they often
have more butter and cream and eggs than they know what to do with, and so these
are "commoners cookies".


Brandu

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Going back to school is like riding a bike ...

After fumbling with the pedals, getting saddle
sores from a too-small seat, and struggling
uphill, you realize why you got a car in the
first place.

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