December 17, 2012

Rosettes

In preparation for my annual Christmas lunch with my nieces on Thursday, I made a double batch of rosettes today.  Between mixing the batter and frying the rosettes, Rob and I went to Ingebretsen's on Lake Street to buy a couple different irons for my rosette iron handles.  I'd thought I would be able to buy them at the Nordic Ware factory store in St. Louis Park but they don't sell the individual heads—it was a really good idea before going to the store.   I called Ingebretsen's and they have them for about $5 on up, depending, I suppose, on the size and complexity of the form.  I bought a smallish Christmas tree-type form and a larger snowflake-shape form.

I have two different rosette-making products with several different forms.  Unfortunately, the irons don’t fit both handles.  Can you see the 99 on the patty shell set?  That’s the price I paid for that set (handle and three irons) 40+ years ago.  Ingebretsens has a similar set for $19.50.  Yikes.  Actually, that’s a reasonable price for the set; they sell the components individually and it is less expensive to buy the set they offer.

Okay, the rosettes..  The recipe I use is from the 1963 Betty Crocker Cooky Book.  It is a recipe I have used for lo these many years.  The recipe says it makes 18 rosettes, but it will make many more than that, depending on the size of the form.  Today I made 49 from a double recipe.  That big snowflake form makes up to about 3-1/2” across.

Rosettes

1/2 cup Gold Medal flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water or milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

confectioners' sugar

Measure flour by dipping or by sifting.  Blend dry ingredients together.  Mix remaining ingredients; stir in.  Strain mixture.  Heat rosette iron in hot fat (400°) 3" deep in small saucepa.  Tap off excess fat on absorbent paper.  Dip into batter until 2/3 covered.  Immerse in hot fat.  Fry until delicately browned.  Remove; tip upside down to drain.  Push off rosette.

Heat iron in fat again; repeat process.  If iron is too cool, batter will skip off into fat.  If iron is too hot, batter will stick.  Stir batter each time before dipping the iron in it.  Sprinkle rosettes with confectioners' sugar.  Best if made only a day or two before served.  Store rosettes in single layers in waxed paper-lined boxes. 

Makes 18.

I used half milk and half water for my liquid and a wire whisk for mixing it all together. After straining the batter through a fine-mesh strainer, I covered it and let it sit while we went on the hunt for a new form.

Back home after a bite of lunch at Maria’s Cafe, I got down to the business of frying rosettes in canola oil heated to about 375-400°.  I had some difficulty keeping the temperature spot on, but everything was fine in spite of it.  I put some newspaper on a baking sheet and cover it with paper toweling.  Dip the iron into the batter—do not let the batter come over the top or you’ll have a real dickens of a time releasing the fried rosette from the form.