Sarah Bernhardts Food

SARAH BERNHARDT CAKES (SARAH BERNHARDT-KAGER) (DANISH)

Steps:

• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease and flour it.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy; add the sugar, and beat until mixture holds soft peaks.
• Fold in the pulverized almonds, cornstarch, and almond extract.
• Spoon into 12 mounds evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet, allowing plenty of space between them.
• Bake until top is dry and cakes are a creamy color, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from sheet and cool on rack.
• Melt 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips in a small bowl over hot water.
• Melt the butter in another pan.
• Whip the egg with the lemon rind, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
• Mix the COOLED chocolate and butter together and add the egg mixture.
• When this has thickened, spread it over the base of the cakes, allowing the mixture to set.
• Melt the remaining chocolate and pour over the firm chocolate layer.
• Decorate each cake with an almond.
• Makes 12 cakes.
• The Great Scandinavian Baking Book...-- Beatrice Ojakangas.

SARAH BERNHARDT COOKIES

Steps:

• Make filling: In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Combine the sugar and the water in a small saucepan, and simmer until clear, about 5 minutes. Place egg yolks in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer bowl to the mixer stand fitted with the whisk attachment; with machine on medium, beat in hot sugar syrup. Raise speed to high, and continue beating until cool and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; gradually beat in chocolate until fully combined, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Refrigerate until firm and cold, about 1 hour (or up to 1 week).
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat (such as Silpat).
• Make cookies: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat almond paste and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add egg white, almond extract, and salt, and beat to combine.
• Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip (such as Ateco #12). Pipe 1-inch cookies onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Bake until firm and golden around edges, about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 week.)
• Place cookies flat side down on a cooling rack. Transfer filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip (such as Ateco #11), and pipe a peaked mound on top of each cookie. Transfer to freezer until very firm, about 1 hour.
• Make coating: In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Stir in the shortening. Cool until barely warm.
• Remove cookies from freezer. Working quickly so the filling doesn't melt, use a chocolate fork to hold cookie above bowl of chocolate, and spoon melted chocolate over cookie. Place, filling side up, on cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 4 days.

SARAH BERNHARDT COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and simmer until clear, about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Place egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer stand fitted with the whisk attachment; with machine on medium, beat in hot sugar syrup. Increase speed to high, and continue beating until cool and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce speed to medium, and gradually drizzle in cooled chocolate, beating until fully combined; if necessary, stop to scrape down sides of bowl. Refrigerate until firm and cold, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper; set aside
• Make the cookies: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine almond paste and sugar; beat until smooth. Add egg white, almond extract, and a pinch of salt; beat to combine. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip (Ateco #11). Pipe 1-inch cookies onto a prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each cookie.
• Bake until firm and golden around edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies may be stored at this stage in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
• Place cookies dome-side down on a cooling rack. Place filling in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip (Ateco #11), and pipe a peaked mound onto the flat side of each cookie. Transfer to freezer until very firm, about 1 hour.
• Make the coating: In a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Stir in shortening. Cool to barely warm.
• Remove cookies from freezer. Working quickly so that the filling doesn't melt, use a chocolate fork to hold cookie above bowl of chocolate, and spoon melted chocolate over cookie. Place filling-side up on cooling rack placed over a baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to serve.