Recipe - Saffron Savarin

1/3 cup Warm milk
One fourth teaspoon Saffron threads
1 One fourth cup Sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
1 cup Softened unsalted butter
2 cup Allpurpose flour
4 teaspoon Baking powder
1 pn Salt
6 lg Eggs, separated
1 lg Egg
2 tablespoon Dark rum

SYRUP
1 cup Sugar
One half teaspoon Saffron threads
1/3 cup Dark rum
One half cup Apricot preserves, sieved
Whipped cream and candied
violets, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour two 1 1/2quart savarin
molds, shaking out excess flour.

In a small bowl combine milk and saffron and set aside 5 minutes. In a bowl
with an electric mixer beat 1 One fourth cups sugar and butter until light and
fluffy. Onto a sheet of wax paper sift together flo ur, baking powder and
salt. Add 1 cup of flour mixture to sugar mixture and beat until combined.
Add egg yolks and egg, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add
remaining flour mixture, saffron mi lk and rum and beat 1 minute more, or
until smooth.

In another bowl with an electric mixer beat whites until they hold soft
peaks. Add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold whites into batter and pour into prepared molds. Bake cakes 25
minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake 15 to 20 minutes
more, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cakes cool in molds for
10 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack s set over jellyroll pans.

Make sugar syrup: In a saucepan dissolve sugar in 1 cup water, bring
mixture to a simmer and cook 2 minutes, stirring, until clear. Add saffron
and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Spoon syrup
repeatedly over warm savarin, spooning excess syrup that drips onto
jellyroll pan over again, until savarin is completely saturated; let
savarin stand 1 hour.

Strain any remaining syrup into a small saucepan, add apricot preserves and
simmer, stirring, until smooth. Spoon glaze over savarin and chill 2 hours.
Before serving, garnish savarin with whipped cr eam and candied violets.

From Taste Show # TS4665

Recipe by: David Rosengarten Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #548 by "Master
Harper Gaellon" gaellon@inch.com on Apr 4, 1997