Proof 6 pkg. of dry yeast using warm water, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of flour and let froth. Make a soft well-developed dough using milk, 3/4 cup soft butter, 15 or so cups of flour, eggs, lemon rind and vanilla Let the dough rise until double in the refrigerator and then divide into 4 portions. Layer each piece of dough with half it's weight in butter using the letter-fold technique. Give it 4 turns, every half-hour, and then let rest for three hours before using. This dough is unusual in that it is made with cold ingredients. But it will rise nontheless, just slowly.
Shapes to make-
Swiss rolls, turnovers, schnecken, Danish loaves with apricot, nuts, cinnamon and sugar, chocolate croissants, cinnamon raisin
Cheese filling- 1 1/2 lb each cream cheese, ricotta. Some sugar to taste, 5 eggs, 1 cup cream of wheat, chopped raisins and lemon rind. For Swiss rolls and blechinka omit sugar and raisins and add some shredded cheddar cheese.
Puff pastry can be one of the biggest hurdles for the aspiring pastry cook and it is more helpful to watch an expert make it once than it is to read a dozen differing recipes for it. The amount of acidic liquid used here helps to keep the gluten development down so it is important to knead this dough very well. It should be just as smooth as any dough you've ever seen, soft and yet very well-developed.
Make a dough with 16 cups of flour, (keep 4 cups aside for shaping the margarine blocks and for rolling), salt, lemon juice, white wine, water and egg yolks. Let rest for an hour.
Shape 6 lbs of margarine into 4 blocks. Cut the dough into quarters and incorporate 1 block of margarine into each ball of dough. Each ball of dough is rolled into a 4-sided diamond shape, with a thick pad of dough in the middle. The block of margarine is placed on the pad and the points of the diamond are pulled over it and sealed by pinching.
The margarine should not be cold, but also not warm. Margarine is more plastic than butter and will not break into lumps after being chilled.
This whole package is then gently tapped with a rolling pin to lengthen it, and then rolled into a rectangle. The ends are brought to the middle and then the ends are brought to the middle. This is a book-fold turn and when you make succeeding turns position it in front of you with the "binding" on the left. Give the dough a total of 5 turns and then let rest for several hours before using.
Use for Napoleons, Swiss rolls, turnovers, framboise, tart shells, Pithviers.
Slowly cream butter with flour and sugar. Add lemon rind and vanilla. Add egg whites, wait till the dough comes together and then add 5 cups toasted coconut. Chill before using.
Sift flour with cloves and cinnamon. Add finely ground almonds, sugar, and 2 mashed hard cooked yolks. Add unsalted butter, two raw yolks, and vanilla extract and make a dough. Chill very well before using
Cake:
Filling:
Glaze:
Cream butter with sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour and vanilla extract. Butter and flour the underside of a 9-inch cake pan and spread batter 1/8 inch thick and bake till done, 7-9 minutes at 350. Continue till all the batter is used. You should have 7 matching layers.
For the filling, beat yolks till thick and then beat onto them a syrup cooked to 238 degrees made with 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, and 2/3 cup water. Beat until cool and then add cocoa, unsalted butter and vanilla.
For the glaze for the top, cook 2/3 cup sugar with 1/3 cup water to a caramel. Pour over the most attractive of the layers of cake and cut with a buttered knife into 16, or 12, wedges.
Melt chocolate with 1 stick unsalted butter, then beat when cool onto 8 lightly beaten yolks. Add vanilla. Beat 10 whites with a pinch of salt till they foam, then add sugar, a spoonful at a time till stiff peaks form. Mix 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then pour this mess over the rest of the whites. Sprinkle on flour and fold all together. Pour the batter into 2 prepared pans and bake at 350 till tests done. Remove from the pans and let cool.
Cream butter with almond paste. Add lemon rind, eggs and flour.