In the 1987
Gabriel Axel film Babette’s Feast, our protagonist Babette wins the lottery, and
proceeds to spend her entire winnings on one lavish French meal for her austere
Calvinist employers. I’d do that. Wouldn’t you?
Today is
Christmas Eve, and I am planning our “half feast” for tomorrow. And,
by “half feast,” I mean half of Babette’s Feast. We are skipping the
blini with caviar and the turtle soup, and heading straight for the main course
and dessert.
Markipedia’s
brother, David, and his wife, Becky, are here for the Christmas holiday and we
want to have some fun in the kitchen together. This entails Mark and brother
David reminiscing (mostly about all the dreadful pranks they played as kids),
and Becky and I gabbing while cooking and having fun.
When we saw
David and Becky at a June family reunion, and planned this Christmas visit,
they had just re-seen
Babette’s Feast. I told them Mark and I had once joined
with friends in New Hampshire to recreate her entire feast. My part of the meal
had been to make the main course –
Cailles en Sarcophages. For David and Becky,
that offering sealed the deal for our main course for this Christmas. (The
recipe for the quail in sarcophagi in my Cocoa & Lavender post:
Dinner and a Movie.)
I did a
little research on the wine Babette served with the quail, and found it was a
Pinot noir. For my wine & food pairing article for the Provence WineZine
this week, I found a Provençal Pinot to serve with ours. You can see the review
HERE.
Following the quail, I decided to serve a Baba au Rhum, just as Babette did.
When I
perused the ingredient list for our half of Babette’s meal, I realized that I,
too, would most likely be spending my imaginary lottery winnings on the meal.
Quail. A
black truffle. Madeira. Foie gras. All-butter puff pastry. A new 6-cup baba
mold (a.k.a. Kugelhopf or bundt pan). Glacé fruits for decoration.
I now know
why Babette spent all her winnings on that one meal. It was the one way she
knew how to say “thank you” to those who had both employed and cared
for her. In her mind, you cannot put a price on gratitude or kindness.
And cooking
for others is one of my favorite ways of letting people know how important they
are in my life. We were so glad that David and Becky were able to join us for
Christmas, and making this meal for them was a real treat for me.
The baba
turned out beautifully, and will be a dessert I will make often. It is – even
with the whipped cream – a light dessert. The recipe below is based on one from
Florence Fabricant (don’t you love her name?), with my usual changes, and using
Babette’s presentation.
Happy New
Year, dear friends! I look forward to sharing another year of culinary
adventures!
~ David
Baba au Rhum
1/3 cup milk,
heated to 105-110°F
1 package dry
yeast
1 3/4 cups
sifted flour, divided
6 tablespoons
softened unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
4 eggs at
room temperature
zest of 1
orange, in strips
1 cup dark rum
1 cup apricot jam
1 cup heavy
cream
2-3
tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
glacé fruits
(I used red and green cherries for Christmas)
In a large
stainless steel bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Stir in 1/4 cup flour.
Cover, and set aside in a warm place to rise until spongy – about 20 minutes.
Coat a 6-cup Kugelhopf
pan with baking spray.
Using an
electric mixer, cream the butter. Add in 2 tablespoons granulated
sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
Whisk butter
and egg mixture into the yeast sponge. Beat in remaining flour to make a thick
dough-like batter. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared mold. Set aside in a
draft-free place to rise until dough reaches the top of the mold – about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven
to 350°F. While the baba rises, combine remaining cup of sugar with 2 cups
water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add orange zest and
allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in 1/2 cup rum.
Bake baba
about 40 minutes, until nicely browned on top. Remove from oven and unmold.
Place cake in a pie plate and pour
syrup over it. Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of the cake
with the syrup that has accumulated in the pie plate. Not all the syrup will be
absorbed. Transfer cake to a wire rack placed over the pie plate to catch
drips.
Strain jam
through a mesh sieve into a small
saucepan; heat until quite warm. Brush the jam onto the cooled baba.
Mix cream,
confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla extract; whip until very stiff, then chill. Just
before serving, fill the center of the baba with whipped cream; I piped it in
from a pastry bag, but dolloping it on top is just fine. Decorate around base
with glacé fruit.
To serve,
slice the cake and drizzle with some of the remaining rum as each portion is plated.
Serves 8.
Marcelle
January 2, 2016 at 4:55 pmHi David, I haven't seen the film, Babette's Feast, but now I'm going to make it a point to find it. Cooking for my loved ones is also my favorite way to show how much they matter 🙂 Lovely post and that cake is gorgeous!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 2, 2016 at 5:08 pmMarcelle – I think you can see the entire film on YouTube! Thanks – and Happy New Year!
Sippity Sup
January 2, 2016 at 8:19 pmThat movie astounded me even before I was interested in cooking (as does your baba, baby). GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
January 3, 2016 at 12:29 amEven though I was already into cooking, Greg, the movie really opened up my eyes to what was possible. And that meal is definitely possible!
John - heneedsfood
January 2, 2016 at 8:52 pmThe last baba I had was at a bistro in Paris – talk about a massive dose of rum at lunchtime! I think I needed a nap afterwards!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 3, 2016 at 12:30 amJohn – you say that like it's a bad thing. Rum at lunch and a nap are de rigueur in Paris!
Bizzy Lizzy's Good Things
January 2, 2016 at 10:08 pmHappy new year to you also, David. Lovely baba! xx
Cocoa & Lavender
January 3, 2016 at 12:30 amThanks, Liz!
Paola
January 3, 2016 at 10:11 amgosh that looks so festive, perfect way to say happy new year !!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 3, 2016 at 2:51 pmThanks, Paola! I wish I could have found more types of glacé fruits to decorate. But the cherries worked for the holidays!
Ahu
January 3, 2016 at 12:10 pmBeautiful recipe and story! I agree, for us cooking for loved ones is the best gift we can give – it's part of us and the time together. I hope you + Mark have a fabulous year ahead, looking forward to many more of your wonderful posts 🙂 xoxo, ahu
Cocoa & Lavender
January 3, 2016 at 2:52 pmYes, Ahu – that is it for sure. Not just cooking, but sharing the meal and time together. Happy New Year to you, as well – and I hope we get to see you this year! xo, d
Peg Peterson
January 3, 2016 at 2:03 pmWhat a beautiful baba!l And I see you use my very favorite rum!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 3, 2016 at 2:52 pmIt is a good rum, Peg! My first time having it. Thanks, and happy New Year!
Cheri Savory Spoon
January 3, 2016 at 4:02 pmHi David, I love how you and Mark made Christmas so special for his brother and wife. Will have to watch Babette. Happy new year's!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 4, 2016 at 2:21 pmThanks, Cheri – have you not seen Babette's Feast? It is a little slow by today's standards, but still an iconic foodie movie!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
January 3, 2016 at 8:52 pmBeautiful looking Baba au Rhum, David. I know everyone had to enjoy your special half feast. Wishing you and Mark a wonderful new year.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 4, 2016 at 2:21 pmThanks, Karen – to you and yours, as well!
Unknown
January 3, 2016 at 11:59 pmYour photography is always a highlight! Wonderful post.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 4, 2016 at 2:22 pmThanks, Maggie! I love all your shots of the Seacoast – makes me nostalgic for the place.
Valentina
January 4, 2016 at 6:56 amOh I just love Babette's Feast and I'd say half of it is huge! Sounds like some fun family times in the kitchen. A beautiful dessert and I wish you and Mark a very Happy 2016! xo
Cocoa & Lavender
January 4, 2016 at 2:22 pmThanks, Valentina – yes, even though the quail are tiny, they certainly are packed with calories! No one needed seconds!
Provence WineZine
January 9, 2016 at 2:17 amYour photographs are jumping off the screen! Beautiful! I love the small bundt pan, too! Having been with you and Mark on the night of the first Babette's Feast, I can attest that it is quite an extravaganza–half a feast was probably just right (although still taking a toll on the pocket book)!But think of the memories!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 10, 2016 at 3:05 pmNow that I have that bundt pan, I think I will be seeing many more babas in my future! Someday, it would be fun to make the entire feast again!
Christina | Christina's Cucina
January 13, 2016 at 3:50 amI've never seen a large Baba! As you probably know, there are little mini moulds for them, which I have, but have yet to use! I haven't yet seen Babette's Feast either! Yikes!
Your Baba turned out perfect and I can just imagine it with some fresh cream!! Oh my! You've made me think about breaking out my moulds! 😉
Cocoa & Lavender
January 13, 2016 at 1:19 pmI am pretty sure that babas were originally big cakes, and eventually were made with small molds to be served in restaurants – a much prettier presentation! You should definitely get out you molds and make a batch!
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
January 13, 2016 at 2:34 pmWhat an amazing experience the recreate that meal! I think of the film often! I will have to consider this beautiful dessert for next Christmas (where light and amazing is essential). I do have a mini-bundt pan that I may use for some early practice–alas after I take the holiday pounds off (yes, there will be a lot of vegetables on my blog for the next couple months)…
Cocoa & Lavender
January 14, 2016 at 2:43 pmEven while taking off the holiday pounds, you will need a little treat now and then. This would be a good one!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness
January 18, 2016 at 7:27 pmBabette´s Feast must be one of my favorite movies of all times…and there was a small restaurant in Montréal that was named after that movie…be that as it may, sounds like you had an amazing time with Mark and his family with fabulous food and tons of memories to share! I think I will have to watch that movie again soon…
Cocoa & Lavender
January 19, 2016 at 3:40 amAndrea – I keep watching scenes from it on YouTube – such a delight. Especially the meal part! Do you watch in in German?
Nuts about food
January 22, 2016 at 9:02 amWhat a wonderful movie that is: the first time I saw it was as a university student on late night TV and had never heard of it… I was totally taken by it and must have gone to sleep at about 3:00am.
I love how beautiful your baba looks: I always have trouble unmolding cakes from my kugelhopf pan.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 24, 2016 at 11:22 pmI, too, have a fear of unmolding cakes. Lots of "disasters!" This cake was the easiest ever – probably because it is more bread than cake!