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Pastries
Foiled Marchpane
Foiled Marchpane or Sweet Bread (Pellegrino Artusi/Olga Ragusa pastry using foil dough, with almonds and candied orange)
Originated from: Italy
Occasion: Special times
Contributed by: Taken from "Italian Cook Book" adopted from the Italian of Pellegrino Artusi by Olga Ragusa (1945)

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Ingredients

Foil Dough for pastry
Water
Fine white flour, 7 ounces
Butter, 6 ounces
A spoonful of brandy

Sweet Bread No. 334
Peeled sweet almonds, including 3 bitter almonds, 4 ounces
Sugar, 3 1/2 ounces
Butter, 1/2 ounce
Candied orange, 1/2 ounce
Egg yolk, 1



Directions

Prepare dough for foils as described in No. 94.

No. 94

The main problem about this dough is that when puffing it, it must foliate well and at the same time remain light and taut. It is somewhat difficult to prepare, but we shall try out best to succeed.

In the Winter, use warm water, but not too hot, in mixing the dough.

Add enough salt, a spoonful of brandy and a piece of butter taken from the above quantity.

Knead all this into a loaf of medium softness, working it first with the and for about half an hour, and then throwing

vehemently and repeatedly against the pastry board. Give the loaf a rectangluar shape; fold it into a canvas towel and let it rest awhile.

In the meantime, work up the butter on the board with wet hands till it has become like a fine even paste, and shape it into a loaf.

Place the butter loaf into cold water.

When the flour loaf has rested long enough, remove the butter from the water, dry it well and with a towel and cover it with flour.

Flatten the dough as much as necessary so as to enfold the butter loaf in it. Place the butter in the middle; and, streching the sides of the dough enclose it by bringing these up, with wet fingers, and forming a loaf again. Be sure that the dough covers the butter well and that no openings are left. Begin to flatten the dough with the hand; then apply the rolling pin.

While the dough is being flattened, watch that the butter does not spourt out. If this happens stop it with flour and continue to roll it till the dough is reasonably flat. Then fold the dough into three layers and again roll it into thinner sheets. Repeat the operation six times, allowing the dough to rest for ten minutes each time.

When the dough is about to be rolled for the seventh time, fold it into two layers and roll it into the desired thinness. Except for the last folding, the dough should be given a rectangular form: that is to say, three times longer than wide.

It is advisable, when possible to roll the dough on a marble board instead of a pastry board. Teh coldness of the marble as well as its smoothness facilitates the process. In the Summer, use ice to harden the butter in the dough by placing the ice in a canvas towel and laying it on the dough whenever necessary.

With this pastry dough are prepared the following: vol-au-vent. French pastry made with marmalade of fruit preserves, as well as pies, and all kinds of sweet breads. Stuffed meat cookies with minced lamb liver or sweet breads can also be made from this dough. At any rate, any pastry or cookies made with this dough should be sprayed with egg yolk on the surface only, because if sprayed on the edges the egg yolk will prevent the cookies or pies from puffing up.

When the dough has been rolled into foil, cut two round pieces as large as an ordinary plate from it but leave a large fringed boarder of dough around the plate.

On one of these spread the compound of sweet bread No. 334.

[Chop the almonds and sugar in the mortar, add the candied orange (diced), butter, egg yolk, and a tablespoon of water.

Make a well-blended mixture.]

Make the layer 1/4 inch thick, and leave a margin around it, and leave a margin around it.

Place the other piece of foiled dough over it and close the edge with your finger, wet with water.

Gild the surface of the foil crust with egg yolks and bake it in in the oven. When done, dash confectionery sugar on it.

This is sufficient for 7 to 8 servings.


Notes

This recipe (#326) was taken from "The Italian Cook Book" adapted from the Italian of Pellegrino Artusi by Olga Ragusa. It was published by S.F. Vanni in New York in 1945. For the complete copyright cook book see www.archive.org. Photo: Mary Melfi.

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