In a saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 eggs, the zest of 1 lemon, and a pinch of salt, and stir the mixture over very low heat until the butter is just melted. Cool the mixture and add it to the sponge. Add 4 cups flour, working it in with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth. Add 3 more cups flour and continue to work the dough until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. The dough must be light and not too stiff. Add a little milk if it is too stiff, or flour if it seems too soft. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and roll it out 1/2 inch thick, handling it as little as possible. Cut the rolled dough into an even number of rounds, each 2 inches in diameter.
The best filling is rose hip conserve, which should be used unthinned. Or thin 1 cup apricot jam with 1/4 cup apricot brandy. Place 1 teaspoon filling on each of half the rounds and cover them with the remaining rounds. Press the edges down very gently and cut through the two rounds together with a slightly smaller cutter, to seal the edges. Lay the filled rounds on a floured cloth, cover them with a warm cloth, and let them rise for 1 hour, or until they double in bulk.
Fry the Krapfen in deep hot fat (375° F.) until they are golden, about 10 minutes. Turn them and fry them until they are golden on the other side, from 6 to 8 minutes. Makes 24 to 28 Krapfen.
Spritzkrapfen (Puffed Doughnuts)
In a large skillet (do not use an enamel pan), bring to a boil 1 1/8 cups milk, 1/2 cup butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and a pinch of salt, and let the mixture boil until the butter is just melted. Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 1/4 cups sifted flour all at once, mixing it in quickly. Return the pan to the heat and cook the dough, stirring constantly, for 5 to 8 minutes. The dough must cook even after it leaves the sides of the pan. Turn the dough into a bowl, let it cool slightly, and beat in 6 eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly.
Using the largest fluted tube of a pastry bag, pipe the dough in rounds or figure eights onto well-greased heavy paper. Carefully turn the paper over and drop it into deep hot fat (370° P.). The piped Krapfen will loosen and the paper can be removed. Fry the Krapfen for 6 to 8 minutes. They will turn themselves over as soon as one side is done. Skim them from the fat with a Slotted spoon, sprinkle them with powdered sugar, and serve them hot, with warm vanilla sauce. Makes 18 Spritzkrapfen.
Vanilla Sauce
With a wooden spoon cream 1/3 cup sugar well with 2 or 3 egg yolks. Stir in 1 teaspoon flour. Scald 1 1/2 cups milk with a small piece of vanilla bean and add the milk little by little to the egg yolk mixture, stirring well. Return the mixture to the pan and cook it over very low heat, stirring constantly, until it almost reaches the boiling point. Remove the vanilla bean and strain the sauce. Cool it, stirring it vigorously at first and then occasionally, to prevent a crust from forming.
Keneval Gold Nudeln (Golden Noodle Nest)
Mix to a smooth paste 4 cups flour, 1/4 cup milk, 8 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt. If the eggs are small, it may be necessary to add a little more milk. Divide the dough in half and roll it out very thin. Let the two pieces dry for 15 minutes. Cut one piece into “noodles” 8 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Cut the other piece into “noodles” 8 inches long and 1/8 inch wide. Boil the wider strips in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes and drain them well Fry the thinner strips in deep hot fat (375° F.) for about 10 minutes, or until they are golden, and drain them well, Shake the boiled strips with 3 tablespoons butter, arrange a layer of them on a serving platter, and sprinkle them with sugar and hazelnuts, chopped and browned with butter in a very slow oven (250° P.). Arrange a layer of fried strips on the nuts and sprinkle them with more sugar and nuts. Repeat the layers, to form a mound, until all the strips are used, sprinkling each layer with additional sugar and nuts. Use about 3/4 cup each of sugar and nuts. In the top of a double boiler, over gently boiling water, beat together 1/2 cup each of white wine and sugar, 3 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons melted butter, and a squeeze of lemon juice until the sauce is foamy. This will take about 5 minutes with an electric beater. Pour the sauce over the strips on the serving platter, and serve at once. Serves 8.
Schlosserbuben(Prune Fritters)
Gradually stir 2 cups white wine into 2 cups flour, add a pinch of salt, and set the batter aside. Drain 1 pound cooked prunes, about 36. The prunes should not be too soft. Substitute a blanched almond for each prune pit and skewer each prune with a wooden pick to secure the almond. Dip the prunes in the wine batter. Fry them at once in deep hot fat (370° F.) until they are golden brown. Drain the prunes on absorbent paper and roll them in a mixture of 1/2 cup each of grated sweet chocolate and sugar. Serve the prunes on the picks,
Karneval Pudding (Chestnut Pudding)
Cut crosses on the flat sides of 1 pound chestnuts and heat the nuts in a moderate oven (350° F.) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges of the shells have rolled back and are brittle. Peel the nuts and boil them with 1/2 cup sugar in water to cover until they are soft, about 20 minutes. Pull off any remaining inner shells and rice the chestnuts, setting aside 1/2 cup riced chestnuts for later use. Stir into the chestnuts 6 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 4 egg yolks, and 2 tablespoons cocoa. Add 1/3 cup flour and fold in 4 stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered pudding mold, cover the mold, and steam the pudding in a covered kettle of boiling water 3/4 hour. The water should reach halfway up the mold. Unmold the pudding and pour over it a mixture of 1/2 cup apricot jam heated with 1/2 cup heavy rum. Sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup riced chestnuts over the pudding.
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