10 g Stale breadcrumbs; (made
-from bread
; that is 2-4 days
; old, crust
; included)
4 lg Eggs; lightly beaten (4
To 5)
Olive oil; or a mixture of
; olive and sunflower
; oil for deep frying
1 1 3/4 liters cream milk
1 Orange; cut into wide
; strips , zest of
2 Cinnamon sticks
100 g Caster sugar
Ground cinnamon
Beat the breadcrumbs with enough of the beaten eggs to form a thick batter
of dropping consistency. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
Heat the oil to 165C/330F – at this temperature a piece of bread dropped
into the oil should fizz gently. Test the batter by cooking one
experimental dumpling. Drop a generous teaspoon of the mixture into the oil
and fry for 2-4 minutes until golden. It should puff up slightly to form a
nice, fairly neatly shaped ball or sphere. If it stays irredeemably lumpy
and over-solid, add a few more eggs to the batter to loosen it. If it
disintegrates, thicken the batter with a few more breadcrumbs.
Once the batter is right, start frying seriously, as above, dropping
teaspoons of it into the hot oil and turning the dumplings so that they
cook evenly. Never over-crowd the pan. Drain thoroughly on kitchen paper.
Put the cooked dumplings into a clean pan and add the remaining ingredients
except the ground cinnamon. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Spoon the dumplings into a bowl, pour the hot milk over them, dust with
ground cinnamon and leave to cool. Serve chilled.
Yields
8 servings