Babas Au Calvado with Glazed Apple Rings

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE BABAS
FOR THE SYRUP
FOR THE GLAZE
Make the babas:
Butter eight 1/3-cup ring molds. In the bowl of an electric mixer
proof the yeast with the sugar in the milk for 5 minutes, or until
the mixture is foamy. Stir in 1/4 cup of the flour, stir the mixture
until it is smooth, and let the sponge rise, covered, in a warm place
for 20 minutes, or until it is double in bulk. In a small bowl whisk
together lightly the egg and the salt. To the yeast mixture add the
remaining 1/2 cup flour in 2 batches alternately with the egg
mixture, beating well after each addition. Beat in the butter, 1
piece at a time, beating well after each addition, and the cinnamon
and beat the dough, scraping down the side of the bowl, for 3
minutes. (The dough will be very soft.) Divide the dough among the
prepared ring molds set in a jelly-roll pan, let the babas rise,
uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until they are just even with the tops
of the molds, and bake even with the tops of the molds, and bake them
in the middle of preheated 375F. oven for 15 minutes, or until they
are golden. Transf er the babas in the molds to a rack set over
another jelly-roll pan and let them cool for 10 minutes, or until
they are only warm.
Make the syrup while the babas are cooling:
In a small saucepan combine the sugar and the water, bring the
mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and simmer
the syrup for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the
Calvados.
Make the glaze:
In a small saucepan combine the jelly, the Calvados, and the sugar,
bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Run a thin, sharp knife around the center and side of each mold and
invert the babas onto the rack. Reserve 1/2 cup of the syrup in a
measuring cup, spoon the remaining syrup, heated to warm, over the
babas, reusing the syrup that drips into the pan, until it is all
absorbed, and let the babas stand for 15 minutes. The babas may be
prepared up to this point 1 day in advance, kept on the rack set over
the jelly-roll pan, and covered with foil.
Brush the glaze, heated to warm, carefully over the babas. The babas
may be glazed 1 hour in advance.
Reserve 6 to 8 small apple rings. Arrange the remaining apple rings
decoratively in overlapping rings on each of 6 to 8 plates, top them
with the babas, and garnish each baba with a spoonful of the creeme
fraiche. Fold the reserved apple rings in half and roll the halves
into cones to resemble flower buds. Garnish each baba with an
apple-ring "bud" and drizzle some of the reserved syrup around it.
Serves 6 to 8.
Gourmet October 1992
Converted by MC_Buster.
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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