Cigarettes Russes Food

FILLING FOR RUSSIAN CIGARETTES

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, 3 tablespoons of water and corn syrup in a small saucepan or caramel pot and stir to thoroughly moisten the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Wash down the walls of the pot with a moistened pastry brush to dissolve any sugar crystals that form there. Then continue boiling until the sugar reaches the firm-ball stage, or about 245 degrees F. Meanwhile, combine the almonds and confectioners' sugar in your food processor. When the syrup is ready, turn on the food processor and pour in the syrup. Continue process until the almonds paste is completely smooth. It will be hot. Transfer the almond paste to a stainless-steel bowl, cover it with a damp kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out, and let rest to room temperature. Place the almond paste on your countertop and gradually work in the liqueur by kneading it with the heel of your hand. Add sufficient liqueur to make the almond paste soft enough to pipe from a pastry bag, but not runny. Tint the almond paste green by kneading in 1 or 2 of green food coloring.

RUSSIAN CIGARETTES

Steps:

• Place the butter in a small stainless-steel bowl and beat with a wooden spatula, warming it over low heat as needed to make it smooth, white, and creamy. Beat in the sugar. When smooth, beat in the almond and sugar powder. Beat in 1 egg white with the wooden spatula. Then beat in the remaining egg whites, 1 at a time, with a wire whisk. Whisk in the vanilla. Sift the flour over the batter and mix it in with the wooden spatula. Cover the batter airtight and refrigerate overnight or for up to 1 week. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Scoop the batter into the pastry bag, and pipe the batter in domes 1-inch wide, arranging them on the baking sheets in staggered rows and separating them by 2 to 3 inches. (Do not pipe more than 12 or 13 cookies on each baking sheet or you won't be able to roll them before they cool.) Or, spoon the batter in 1 teaspoon domes using the ice cream scoop. Let rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes before baking. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges but still pale in the center, about 4 to 7 minutes.
• While the cookies are baking, place a folded kitchen towel (a smooth, untextured towel, no terry cloth) on your countertop. One at a time, lift each cookie off the baking sheet using a metal spatula and place it upside down on the towel. Roll it around a wooden dowel or metal rod to form a cigarette. As you finish rolling the cigarette, press down firmly on the dowel to prevent the cigarette from unrolling, then slide it off the dowel onto a plate. Work quickly because if the cookies cool they will become brittle. If they do cool and start to crack as you roll them, return the baking sheet to the oven briefly to reheat them. Storage: Covered airtight in a cookie jar or tin cookie bowl for up to 1 week. Pipe the filling into both ends of the each cigarette to fill the entire length. Dip 1 end of each cigarette in the chocolate, clean off the excess on the edge of the pot, and place the cigarette on a sheet of waxed paper until the chocolate sets. Then dip the other end of each cigarette in the chocolate, clean off the excess on the edge of the pot, and return to the sheet of waxed paper until the chocolate on both ends has set. Serve on a serving platter.

CIGARETTES RUSSES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt; make a well in the center. Add melted butter, egg whites, cream, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place rack in center. Spray 2 baking sheets (do not use air-cushioned sheets or line with parchment) with vegetable-oil spray. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter onto baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, spread batter into a very thin 6-by-3 1/2-inch oval. Repeat, making 3 more ovals of batter on the sheet.
• Bake just until brown around edges, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare second baking sheet. Working quickly, use a knife or long metal spatula to transfer a cookie to a work surface; roll around a chopstick or thin wooden dowel, forming a cigarette shape; place on wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining 3 cookies. If they get too stiff, return baking sheet to oven for 30 seconds. Continue baking and shaping cookies until batter is used up.
• Combine chocolate, corn syrup, and remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a double boiler over simmering water; stir occasionally with a rubber spatula until smooth. Let cool slightly. Dip about 1 inch of each cooled cookie into chocolate. Place on a wire rack, with dipped section off the edge, to dry.