From Babette's Feast · 1987 · Reconstructed
Savarin au Rhum with Figs
Serve when
Bring it in as the guests — flushed, forgiving, singing a little — begin reaching for one another's hands; by now the meal has thawed them completely.
Before you start
The dough needs its rise, then a bake, then a full syrup soak — build it earlier in the day and let it sit soaking; all that's left at serve time is filling it with cream and fruit.
Cook-along start: before the movie
In the movie
Theatrical
- ~01:26:00 The dessert course near the end of the feast — a rum-soaked savarin ring with figs and candied fruit, carried out as the once-severe congregation, fully thawed, forgives old grievances around the table.
By the sweet course the transformation is complete. The community that sat down determined to feel nothing is now laughing, confessing, forgiving decades-old quarrels. Babette has spent her entire fortune — ten thousand francs, a lottery win — on a single dinner, and asked for nothing back. The dessert makes her case — and the artist's: "Throughout the world sounds one long cry from the heart of the artist: Give me the chance to do my very best."
Ingredients
- For the syrup:
Method
- Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Beat in the eggs and warm milk to a soft, sticky dough, then beat in the soft butter until glossy. Beat well for 5 minutes.
- Spoon into a buttered savarin (ring) mold, filling halfway. Cover and let rise to the rim, about 45 minutes.
- Bake at 375°F for 20–25 minutes until golden and springy. Cool briefly, then turn out.
- Make the syrup: simmer sugar and water until dissolved, off the heat stir in the rum. Set the warm savarin in a dish and ladle the hot syrup over until fully soaked and glistening. Prick the cake all over with a skewer first — the syrup soaks through evenly instead of pooling at the base.
- Fill the center with whipped cream, arrange the figs and candied fruit over and around, and serve — with the last of the Champagne.
Beyond the recipe
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