Traditional Hungarian dessert recipes - Culinary Hungary

Walnut crescent cookies

Barath Agnes — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 13:08:31 +0000

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Christmas Walnut Crescent Cookies – Hókifli

These Hungarian Christmas walnut crescent cookies have a sweet, nutty filling inside a flakey, rich pastry! Heavily sprinkled with icing sugar mixed with vanilla flavored sugar. While they are traditionally made at Christmastime, they are outstanding any time of year! A perfect Christmas dessert, easy to make, and they can be made ahead of the festivities and stored in a tin. The dough is eggless, this walnut crescent cookies recipe does not use any eggs.

Every year, me and my daughter would would make walnut crescents as part of our annual Christmas baking repertoire, along with Hungarian Beigli and Gerbeaud cake.

The dough has only 5 ingredients, so ease to prepare. If you do not like walnuts, then you can prepare this dessert with ground poppy seed filling as well.

Can I make the walnut crescent cookies in advance?

Absolutely! They keep very well for days or even over a week so can be made ahead of the festivities and stored in a tin, keep them in a cool, dry place.
Also, the walnut crescents make a perfect Christmas gift, pack them in a nice box either store-bought or homemade, add a tag and you are done!

How to make powdered sugar in just 30 seconds?

I teach you how to make powdered sugar at home! It is so simple with the sugar of your choice, once you learn this, no need to buy it any more. In addition, since you are making yours fresh, you can skip the corn starch when you make it at home.

You just need a spice grinder, and you can prinkle the freshest powdered sugar in your dessert. My Mom gave me this grinder, it is a popular brand in Hungary but not available in North America. The Secura Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder at Amazon is easily available for anyone, you can even grind your own coffee and different spices.

https://youtu.be/8kdW5939xH4

Christmas Walnut Crescent Cookies - Hókifli

These Christmas walnut cookies have a sweet, nutty filling inside a flakey, rich pastry! Heavily sprinkled with icing sugar mixed with vanilla flavored sugar. While they are traditionally made at Christmastime, they are outstanding any time of year.

Total Time 1 30

Servings 25 pieces

Equipment

Large bowl
Medium bowls
Saucepan
Food processor
Measuring cup
Measuring spoon
Zester
Rolling Pin
Parchment paper
Baking tin
Plastic wrap

Ingredients

For the dough

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour 200 grams
8 3/4 tbsp butter 125 grams
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 - 3/4 cup sour cream
1 pinch salt

For the walnut filling

1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup finely ground walnuts
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Topping

1 cup powdered sugar mixed with vanilla flavored sugar

Instructions

For the dough

In a big bowl, mix the flour, the pinch of salt with the cubed butter using your hands until crumbly.
Add one teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 cup of sour cream and knead until it comes together in a nice soft dough. Add more sour cream if needed. If your dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Cover with plastic wrap and and let the dough rest for 20 minutes

For the walnut filling

Ins a saucepan, bring 1/4 cup of milk to a boil, add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, 1 cup of ground walnuts and the zest of half a lemon, mix well.
Turn the heat off and let it cool completely.
It will get thicker as it cools.

To create the crescents

Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Line a baking tin with parchment paper.
On a floured surface, roll the dough out until 1/8 inch thick (3 mm).
Cut out circles using a 7 cm (2.8”) cookie cutter.
Place one teaspoon of nut filling on each circle.
Gently roll it up and stretch the rolls into crescent shapes.
Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake them until they begin to get a little color, it takes around 25 minutes, but it depends on your oven. It can take a bit less or more time.
Take them out and one by one immediately roll the hot cookies into powdered sugar-vanilla flavored sugar mixture.

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The post Walnut crescent cookies appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Beigli – Christmas Poppy Seed and Walnut Roll Cake

culinaryhungary — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 19:35:13 +0000

This post may contain affiliate links.

Hungarian Beigli – Christmas poppy seed and walnut roll cake

Christmas tables would not be complete without poppy seed or walnut beigli. It is often called walnut roll or poppy seed roll, both fillings are traditional and most of the time served together.
These days bakers make beiglis with new fillings, such as chesnuts, cherries, prunes or chocolate.

There is an old belief among Hungarians that poppy seeds, just like lentils, bring good luck to the house, so when consumed for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, people believed it would bring them prosperity in the new year, also, walnuts keep trouble away.

You can make your beigli on your own or buy it from your favorite bakery. The best to pre-order to make sure your Christmas table will not miss this fantastic cake.

How to make Hungarian beigli?

The dough is made of flour, sugar, egg, milk, butter, lard and yeast. The dough can be flavored with lemon or orange zest, I always falvor with lemon zest, it makes the dough so much tastier.

The poppy seed filling contains ground poppy seeds, raisins, milk, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla flavoring. In Hungary we prefer adding vanilla sugar, but you can use extarct too.

For the walnut filling I always add some apricot jam, which is one of the most popular jams used in Hungarian cuisine, is substituted for sugar. The walnut roll filling contains raisins, milk, lemon and orange zest, finely ground and coarsly chopped walnuts. This filling is also spiced with cinnamon and vanilla.

The filling is spread over the dough, which is then rolled up lenghtwise, ensuring that the rolls remain firm.

How to give the beigli surface that shiny, marbled look?

I always get the quieston on how to give the surface that shiny, marbled look? What is the secret? The secret is the egg wash, separate the egg, set the egg whites aside. Gently whisk the egg yolk and brush the top of the rolls. Let them sit until yolk dries, it will take about half an hour or so.

After the egg yolk has dried, brush on the egg white, let it dry in a cool place, if possible not in the fridge.You can leave them overnight and bake the next day. if you follow these instructions, the top of your beigli should look perfect.

How to make powdered sugar in just 30 seconds?

https://youtu.be/8kdW5939xH4

How to grind poppy seeds?

When I prepare a poppy seeds filling, I always use my coffee grinder, just like when I make powdered sugar. It takes smaller amounts of poppy seeds and grinds them into powder pretty quickly. Add sugar to the poppy seeds, it helps keep the poppy seed from sticking to the inner walls. You need 1 cup of powder for the filling anyway, so just grind the poppy seeds and sugar together.

Another option is that you soak the poppy seeds in water for about 30 minutes, then you can use your food processor to grind them.

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Hungarian Beigli - Christmas poppy seed and walnut roll cake

Hungarian Beigli is a traditional walnut and poppy seed roll which is served in many Hungarian families at Christmas as a special treat. The Christmas meal table would be incomplete without these rolls.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Hungarian beigli, poppy seed roll, walnut roll

Total Time 2 30

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

For the dough

17.6 ounces all purpose flour 500 grams
3.5 ounces unsalted butter 100 grams
3.5 ounces pork lard 100 grams
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar 50 grams
2 eggs
0.5 ounces fresh yeast 15 grams
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 pinch of salt

For the walnut filling

2 cups walnuts finely ground, 200 grams
1 handful walnuts coarsly chopped
1/2 cup milk whole
1 cup powdered sugar 100 grams
1 pinch ground cinnamon
2 tbsp raisins optional
2 tbsp apricot jam
1 coffeespoon lemon zest
1 cofeespoon orange zest

For the poppy seed filling

8.5 ounces poppy seeds ground, 250 grams
1/2 cup milk whole
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp raisins optional
1 coffeespoon lemon zest

Other

1 egg for eggwash

Instructions

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in the lukewarm milk, then add the yeast, wait a few minutes until blooms.
Mix the flour with the butter and lard by hand. The mixture will be quite crumbly.
Add 2 whole eggs, the powdered sugar, pinch of salt, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and the yeast/milk mixture. Knead thoroughly. Add more flour if necessary.
Divide the dough into 4 balls, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, you have time to make the walnut and poppy seed filling.
Walnut filling: In a pan heat the milk with the sugar, bring it to a boil. Take the pan off the heat, add the ground and coarsely chopped walnuts, the raisins, the lemon and orange zest, the cinnamon and the apricot jam. Mix well and let it cool completely.
Poppy seed filling: In a pan heat the milk with the sugar, bring it to a boil. Take the pan off the heat, add the ground poppy seeds, the raisins and the lemon zest. Mix well and let it cool completely.
Heat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Line a pan with parchment paper.
On a floured surface roll out each piece of the dough into a rectangle measuring about 12×14 inches (30×35 cm).
Spread the walnut or poppy seed filling on the dough while leaving approx. 1/2 inch empty edges on each side, and roll up lengthwise. Make sure it is not too tight and not too losse. Carefully transfer the rolls onto the baking sheet.
Egg wash: Separate the egg, set the egg whites aside. Gently whisk the egg yolk and brush the top of the 4 rolls. Let them sit in the yolk dries, it will take about half an hour or so. After the egg yolk has dried, brush on the egg white, let it dry in a cool place, if possible not in the fridge.You can leave them overnight and bake the next day.
Prick on the top with a skewer, making sure it goes all the way through. It allows vapor to escape, that could cause the pastry to split.
Bake the rolls for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Keep the rolls in a cool and dry place and slice them only before serving.

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The post Hungarian Beigli – Christmas Poppy Seed and Walnut Roll Cake appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian plum dumplings (Szilvásgombóc) recipe

culinaryhungary — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:41:32 +0000

This post contains affiliate links.

Hungarian Plum Dumplings – Szilvásgombóc

Hungarian plum dumplings are made with mashed potatoes, the dough is the same as when you make gnocchi. Simple, tasty ingredients, they can be eaten as dessert, a meatless main dish o rside dish. A family favourit and children’s delight. Potato dumplings stuffed with plum, cinnamon, sugar and rolled in breadcrumbs.

Plum dumplings are common throughout Central and Eastern Europe. I grew up eating plum dumplings every late summer and fall, a fantastic autumn recipe that goes well with the whole family.

These dumplings are made by small plums into a potato-based dough. Then they are simmered in water and covered in buttery breadcrumbs.

These Hungarian plum dumplings look lovely when cut in half.

Hungarian plum dumplings - Szilvásgombóc

HungarianPlum Dumplings are made with mashed potatoes, the dough is the same aswhen you make gnocchi. Simple, tastyingredients, they can be eaten as dessert o rside dish. A family favorite and children’s delight. Potato dumplings stuffedwith plum, cinnamon, sugar and rolled in breadcrumbs.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Plum dumplings

Total Time 1 30

Equipment

Cutting board
Large bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Large and medium pot
Peeler
Chef's knife
Wooden spoon
Slotted spoon
Rolling Pin

Ingredients

1.7 pounds of potatoes 800 grams
2.5 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of fine breadcrumbs
3 tbsp of unsalted butter
Salt
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
30 small damson plum, stoned
1 whole egg

Instructions

Peel, cube and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Mash the potatoes while still warm, mash really well with no chunks left. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and let it cool completely.
Meanwhile, toast the bread crumbs in about 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat, stirring constantly, until crunchy and golden brown. Put aside.
Mix the potato mass with one egg, a pinch of salt, the flour and knead the dough until smooth. The dough should be light and pliable, it might be a bit sticky but do not add more flour, otherwise you dumplings will be stone-hard.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Sprinkle the work surface well with flour before placing the ball of dough on top. Be sure to sprinkle the dough on top as well as coat the rolling pin. I sprinkle a lot of flour on the surface, it prevents the rolled dough sticking to it. Roll it out the until it’s 0,5 thick (approx. 1/4 inch). Cut the rolled dough into 6 cm (2.5 inch) squares. Place a half plum on each square and sprinkle 1 coffee spoon of cinnamon sugar in the middle of the plums. Place the other half of the plums on the candied plums. Fold and knead the dough around plums to make them into dumplings.
Add the dumplings to the boiling water in batches – not to over-crowd them – and gently simmer until they float on the top.
Remove the dumplings from the water using a slotted spoon, drain and lightly roll them in breadcrumbs browned in oil.
Sprinkle with sugary ground cinnamon. Enjoy!

Notes

When you mash the cooked potatoes, add the butter and let it cool completely before adding the flour.
30 small damson plum, stoned – if making it from a larger fruit can use a half for each dumpling.
Don’t overcrowd the pot with dumplings, cook a few ones at a time and remove them with a slotted spoon.
Use fine breadcrumbs, otherwise you can get a harsh texture in your mouth.

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The post Hungarian plum dumplings (Szilvásgombóc) recipe appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Apple Strudel – Almás rétes

Barath Agnes — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 12:28:46 +0000

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Hungarian Apple Strudel – Almás Rétes

What is strudel?

Strudel is a type of thin, flaky layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet, but savory fillings are also very popular in Hungary, my favorite is the cabbage strudel. Strudel became popular during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, however, the oldest known strudel recipe is from 1697. Strudel is part of Austrian cuisine but is also common in other Central European cuisines as well, and it one of the most beloved traditional pastries among Hungarians, apple strudel is favorite filling.

What Pastry is Used for Strudel?

If you are an experienced baker, you can make the dough from scratch, or you can just make it using pre-made phyllo dough.

The traditional dough is very simple to put together, the tricky part is when you have to stretch the dough to make it paper thin. You have to gently pull and stretch the dough paper-thin from the inside to the outside, working your way around the sheet of dough.

To make things simpler and to save time, this version calls for refrigerated or frozen phyllo dough, your strudel will be done in less than an hour.

What are the Best Apples to Use for Apple Strudel?

Hungarians love the use shredded apples when making apple strudel or apple pie, I prefer using tart apples, such as Granny’s Smith, Pink Lady, Jonagold.

Once you shredded the apples, add some powdered sugar, ground cinnamon and a little lemon juice. Let is sit for a couple minutes, you will experience that the apples release a nice amount of juice that you have to drain. Also, you can squeeze the juice out using your hands, just take handful of apples and, with your hands clenched, squeeze out most of the juice.

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I teamed up with “THE CHEF & THE DISH” an online kitchen to kitchen cooking experience. We bring together kitchens across the world for a live, private cooking classes via Skype. Master the best, most delicious Hungarian strudel. Book an online, 100% interactive cooking class with me, no flights required. The Cooking Class gift certificates are perfect for creating unique and memorable experiences. Gift a Hungarian strudel class to your loved ones!

Hungarian Apple Strudel

Traditional Apple Strudel Recipe is made with phyllo dough. Crisp, golden crust with delicious apple filling, easy to make, done in 1 hour. Strudel is a type of thin, flaky layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet, but savory fillings are also very popular in Hungary, my favorite is the cabbage strudel.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Apple strudel, Strudel

Total Time 1

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Pastry brush
Grater
2 Medium bowls
Paring knife
Clean kitchen towel
Measuring spoons
Parchment paper
Baking tin
1 Saucepan

Ingredients

4 sheets phyllo dough-defrosted
4 tbsp butter
5 medium tart apples
1/2 lemon juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a saucepan brown 4 tablespoons butter. Take pan of the heat and set aside
Apple Filling: Peel the apples and shred them. Add sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice. Mix well, let sit for 10-15minutes.
Then, take large handfuls of apples and, with your hands clenched, squeeze out as much liquid as you can and place the balls of squeezed apples in a bowl.
Open the box of phyllo dough and slowly and carefully unroll the package.
Take one sheet and carefully lay it down on the wet kitchen towel. Carefully and GENTLY brush the sheet with browned butter. Place a second, third and layer, brushing each one as first.
Place the apple filling evenly on the side of the dough in a row. Roll it tightly and carefully transfer the roll to the baking tin. Brush the strudel with the browned butter.
Place it into the pre-heated oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until light brown.
Remove from the oven and let it cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

The post Hungarian Apple Strudel – Almás rétes appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Cottage Cheese Filled Pasta – Túrós Derelye

Barath Agnes — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 15:30:02 +0000

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Hungarian cottage cheese filled pasta – Túrós derelye

My mother’s recipe that your family will love. These Hungarian pierogies are called “derelye”, they can be filled with plum jam or cottage cheese.
Derelye is generally rolled into buttery, toasted breadcrumbs, they can be shaped like Italian ravioli or like traditional Polish pierogies.
The common local name for this pasta is „barátfüle”, literally „monk’s ears”
As with sweet pastas, they are served warm and usually eaten in place of a main course.

This recipe makes 32-35 cottage cheese derelye.

What is the best cottage cheese to use?

Hungarian cottage cheese is a fresh, soft curd cheese, similar to farmer’s cheese or quark, dry and not liquidy at all. It is most often made with cow milk.
Do not use the watery non-homogenous cottage cheese that has a soupy texture.

How to make powdered sugar in just 30 seconds?

https://youtu.be/8kdW5939xH4

Hungarian cottage cheese filled pasta- Túrós Derelye

My mother’s recipe that yourfamily will love. These Hungarian pierogies are called derelye, they can befilled with plum jam or cottage cheese.

Derelye is generally rolled into buttery, toasted breadcrumbs, they can be shaped like Italian ravioli or like traditional Polish pierogies.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Cottage cheese derelye, Derelye, Filled pasta

Total Time 1

Servings 32 pieces

Equipment

Fork
Measuring cup
Measuring spoon
Medium pot
Bowl
Zester
Rolling Pin
Plastic wrap
Saucepan
Wooden spoon

Ingredients

For the dough

2 cups all purpose flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
1 whole egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pinch salt

For the cottage cheese filling

1 cup dry cottage cheese farmer's cheese
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium lemon zest
1 tbsp coarse semolina
1 tbsp sour cream

Coating

1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups fine breadcrumbs

Other

Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

In a big bowl, mix the flour with the cubed butter until crumbly. Add the salt, the egg and the sour cream. Knead until it comes together in a nice soft dough. Add more flour or sour cream if needed.
Wrap thedough in plastic and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
In the meantime,prepare the cottage cheese filling. Separate the egg yolk from the white. Place the cottage cheese in a bowl and crumble it or put through a sieve. Add the egg yolk, the powdered sugar, the vanilla extract, the lemon zest, the sour creamand the semolina. Mix well and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
For the coating: In a saucepanmelt the butter, add the breadcrumbs and toast until golden brown. Set aside.
On a floured board orcountertop roll the dough out int a rectangle until 1/8 inch thick (3 mm).
Place batches of cottage cheese on half of the surface leaving some spacebetween them.
Lay the blank part of th edough over the fillings. Starting from the top, using your fingertips push down the dough surrounding the cottage cheese clumps.
Cut them into squares with a pastry wheel.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop a couple dumplings gently into the water and cook for about 8-10minutes. Be careful, do not overcrowd the dumplings.
With a slotted spoon take the cooked dumplings out and coat them with the toasted breadcrumbs.
Repeat the process until all of the dumplings are done.
Serve with powdered sugar. My family also loves it with sweetened sour cream.

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To get more information or to book a virtual, interactive class please visit the Hungarian section of “THE CHEF & THE DISH”.

The post Hungarian Cottage Cheese Filled Pasta – Túrós Derelye appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Gerbeaud Balls – Zserbó golyó

Barath Agnes — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 16:40:17 +0000

Hungarian Gerbeaud Balls – Zserbó Golyó

Hungarian Gerbeaud balls are the most popular treats during the Holidays. Festive bonbons made with walnuts, apricots, chocolate & biscuits.

Gerbeaud balls were named after Emile Gerbeaud, a Swiss born Hungarian confectioner and chocolate maker. Besides many other Hungarian desserts, he invented the Gerbeaud cake, a layered cake, there are ground walnuts and apricot jam between the layers and the cake is covered by chocolate. The became so famous and popular, everybody has to taste it in Cafe Gerbeaud downtown Budapest. It is a beautiful café house and cake shop, one of the significant places in Budapest.

To make the cake is very timeconsuming, so in the last 10-15 years when life is so much faster, they created the quick version of the cake that tastes just like to original. Also, Christmas season is coming, they can be your beautiful homemade Christmas gift for your family or friends.

The main ingredients are walnuts, biscuits and apricot, in Hungary we use the most simple biscuit you can get. (78% wheat flour, sugar, palm oil, salt).

Gerbeaud Ballas - Zserbó golyók

Easy to make elegant, delicious dessert that is done only in 30minutes. Also, Christmas season is coming, they can be your beautiful homemade Christmas gift for your family or friends.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword chocolate balls, gerbeaud, zserbó

Total Time 30

Servings 20 balls

Equipment

Medium ball
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Food processor
Flat tray
Plate
Double boiler

Ingredients

1 cup ground walnuts
1 cup ground biscuits
1 cup melted dark chocolat (minimum 50%)
4 pieces dried apricots cut into small pieces
1/3 cup apricot jam plus extra if needed
1 tbsp rum extract
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil sunflower, canola

Instructions

Chop thedried apricots into very small pieces and soak them in 1 tablespoon of rumextract. Set aside.
Fine grind the walnuts and the biscuit. Mix them together in a bowl. Add the soaked apricots with the rum extract and combine. Add the apricot jam, mix well. Add as much jam step by step that creates a soft mixture, it is good when it is abit sticky. Set aside.
In a doubleboiler boil 1 cup of water. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt them in the double boiler, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and mix well.
Form the walnut/biscuit/jam mixture into walnut size balls. Place them on a plate. Star tto cover the balls with the melted chocolate using a spoon. Place the balls ona tray covered with a piece parchment paper.
Place thetray with the Gerbeaud bonbons in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

The post Gerbeaud Balls – Zserbó golyó appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Császármorzsa – Kaiserschmarrn Recipe

Barath Agnes — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 20:57:24 +0000

This post contains affiliate links.

Császármorzsa – Kaiserschmarrn

Kaiserschmarrn (Emperor’s Mess) is a specialty pancake, lightly sweetened with sugar and served with jam. The name of this dessert comes from the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph, who was very fond of this kind of fluffy shredded pancake.

The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 created the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. It lasted until the end of the 1st world war. That time Franz Joseph was the emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and the king of Hungary (1867–1916).

According to the legend the emperor and his wife were traveling the Alps and stopped by a farmer’s home for lunch. The farmer was so nervous that he threw all the fanciest ingredients he had into a pan to make a delicious pancake; worse yet, due to his nervousness and shaky hands he scrambled the pancake. Hoping to cover up the mess he then covered it with jam. Luckily, the Kaiser thought it was just delicious.

This dessert was a popular dish of the Habsburg monarchy, which over the years spread into not just the Austrian, but the Bavarian, Slovenian and Hungarian households as well.
Source: Wikipedia

How to make Hungarian császármorzsa (Kaiserschmarrn)?

The Hungarian name of Kaiserschmarrn is Császármorzsa, or better known as „smarni”and can be prepared in different ways. The basic ingredients are sugar, flour, eggs, milk and salt. in Hungary we often add semolina as well, however I prefer making it without semolina. Also, many recipe calls for raisins and rum, which I skipped this time because I do not like raisins in desserts. The recipe below is written with the raisins and rum.

What makes this pancake so fluffy? We separate the egg yolk from the white and beat the white until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the batter. Baking powder is NOT added to it.

The pan you use makes a big difference in how the Császármorzsa will fry and how easily you will be able to flip it. You must use a non-stick pan for best results.

Császármorzsa is broken up into smaller pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon while frying. It is done in 15 minutes, serve it with your favorite jam.

Császármorzsa - Kaiserschmarrn

The Hungarian name of Kaiserschmarrn is Császármorzsa, or better known as „smarni”and can be prepared in different ways. It is a specialty pancake, lightly sweetened with sugar and served with jam.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Austrian, Hungarian

Keyword Császármorzsa, Kaiserschmarrn, pancake

Total Time 15

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Mixing bowls
Electric handmixer or whisk
Spatula
Nonstick frying pan
Measuring cups
1 lid

Ingredients

2 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
2/3 cup all purpose flour
4 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 handful raisins
1 teaspoon rum extract
jam

Instructions

Soak the raisins in water mixed with the rum extract. The liquid barely covers the raisins. (skip it if you do not like raisins.)
Separate the egg whites from the yolks, put them into 2 bowls.
Beat the egg whites with an electric handmixer or whisk until stiff peaks form.
Mix the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 2/3 cup of flour, 2/3 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. First add only the half ofthe milk, stir until no lumps, and then add the rest of the milk. Gently fold in the beaten egg white, make sure you do not break it and it stays aery.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a non-stick pan. When the butter is hot, pour in the half of the batter. Sprinkle over the soaked raisins.
Cover with a lid and fry it over medium heat.
Using a spatula gently go underneath after 2 minutes and check the color of the pancake. It is time to flip using the spatula when it is golden brown. Fry this side too until golden brown.
Cut up into bigger chunks using your spatula.
Sprinkle with powdered and serve it with your favorite jam.

The post Császármorzsa – Kaiserschmarrn Recipe appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian rolled potato dumplings with poppy seeds (Mákos nudli)

Barath Agnes — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 11:12:14 +0000

Hungarian rolled potato dumplings with poppy seeds (Mákos nudli)

It is a Hungarian dish of potato-based small dumplings, they are formed from a soft dough of cooked mashed potatoes, flour, salt, butter and egg; the dumplings are boiled and rolled in ground poppy seeds. It is one of my favorite sweet dishes. My Mom always made it as a main course after a light soup for lunch, we have never had it as a dessert. We usually used the leftover dough from making plum dumplings.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Total Time 1 30

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Rolling Pin
Bowl
Knife
Cutting board
Large pot
Slotted spoon

Ingredients

17.6 ounces (500 grams) Potatoes
1 cup all purpose flour plus extra for kneading
1 whole egg
1 big pinch salt
3 tbsp butter unsalted
10 tbsp poppy seeds ground
4 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions

Peel and cube the potatoes, cook them in water until tender. Mash really well with no chunks left, let it cool completely.
Mix the potato mass with one egg, a pinch of salt, the flour and knead the dough until smooth. Add that much flour which makes the dough light and pliable, but not sticky.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
On a lightly-floured surface, take small portions of your dough at a time and roll them out into 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick ropes, then cut into 3-4 cm (1,5 inch) long pieces, called nudli. Roll the individual pieces gently (or vigorously, depending on their firmness) for even firmer and better shaped nudli.
Add the nudli pieces to the boiling water in batches – not to over-crowd them – and gently simmer until they float on the top, then cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove the dumplings from the water using a slotted spoon, drain and lightly roll them in melted butter so they do not stick together.
Roll them into the ground poppy seeds and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

The post Hungarian rolled potato dumplings with poppy seeds (Mákos nudli) appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Floating Island (Madártej) Recipe

culinaryhungary — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 07:21:24 +0000

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Hungarian Floating Island – Madártej

Julia Child’s favorite dessert, fluffy egg white clouds floating over a perfect crème anglaise (vanilla custard). Smooth and silky, it is the best once it is cooled and the cream settles and thickens properly.

This is a classic European dessert of French origin called “Oeufs a la neige” in French (eggs in the snow) or ” île flottante” (floating island), in Hungarian is called Madartej (Bird’s Milk). Nice and very popular among kids (and grown-up kids). It is easy to prepare, light and extremely delicious.

It is a good thing to know that it requires simple ingredients that are easily available at home – eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract or vanilla pod. This dessert is without flour.

If made right, the island should be firm and light and the milk should have a consistency of light cream and have a scent of vanilla.

How to make the perfect meringues?

First trick, do not overbeat the egg white, beat until stiff peaks form, you are done when that peak stays up once you pull the beater out of it.
When you place the egg white dumplings in the hot milk, do not overcrowd them, cook only 4 or maximum 5 at a time. The will puff up and will not have enough place if you place too many egy white clouds.

Do not boil the milk and make it too hot. If it happens, you overcook the egg whites, they will gave a light brown color, shrinks and be flat, not fluffy at all.

How to serve the Floating island dessert?

Serve chilled and beautiful serving bowls. A cold water bath is an easy way to cool down custard fast. Instead of chilling in the fridge for several hours, a cold water bath will get the custard cool to lukewarm in about 10 minutes. After that you can put it in the fridge.

When you serve, sprinkle the egg white clouds with lemon zest. Do not do it earlier because the zest colors the egg white and will not be pretty if it stays like that for hours.

Hungarian Floating Island - Madártej

Fluffy egg white clouds floating in vanilla custard. This traditional Hungarian dessert is really nice and very popular among kids (and grown-up kids). It is easy to prepare, light, and extremely delicious.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French, Hungarian

Keyword Creme anglaise, Floating island

Total Time 45

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Medium pot
Mixing bowls
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Electric whisk
Spoon
Knife
Smaller cutting board

Ingredients

6 whole eggs
1 litre whole milk
6 tbsp sugar
1 vanilla pod or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp corn starch
1 pinch salt
lemon zest when serving

Instructions

Start heating milk in a big pot. Heat until hot but not boiling.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Do not let any egg yolk get into the white. (Yolks go in a medium bowl, whites go in a large bowl.)
In a bowl beat the egg whites with a little pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. When the milk is hot, using a spoon, put 4 dollops of egg-white foam in the milk (they will look like dumplings). Cook one side for about 2 minutes, then flip to the other side, cover the pot and cook for another 2 minutes. When the egg-white foam dollops have boiled, take them out of the milk and place them in a strainer or colander.
Make sure that the milk is not too hot and not boiling. If it is too hot, you would overcook the egg white and it will shrink and be flat and thin once you take them out.
Keep cooking the dumplings until you have egg white in your bowl.
Slice the top outer layer of the vanilla pod in half lengthwise. Once you have cut through the outer layer you can open the vanilla pod to reveal the many little black seeds inside. Use a spoon or knife to scrape out the seeds, put them in the hot milk.
Beat the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla extract until thick and thecolor is light yellow. Add the cornstarch. Pour some of the hot milk into the egg yolks, stir continuously. Now pour this mixture back to the rest of the milk, put back on the heat, do not stop stirring. Do not let it boil, this prevents the eggs from scrambling. Keep stirring until you get a creamy consistency.
Turn the heat off and keep strirring for another minute.
Let it cool down, por the content into nice serving bowls.
Then place the boiled egg white foam on surface of the cream. Sprinkle with lemon zest & enjoy!

The Chef & The Dish brings me straight into your kitchen for an in-depth and fun Hungarian cooking class. For more information please click on the image below.

The post Hungarian Floating Island (Madártej) Recipe appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Sweet Vanilla-Butter Rolls – Ferdinánd Tekercs

Barath Agnes — Sat, 12 Dec 2020 13:42:47 +0000

This post contains affiliate links.

Hungarian Sweet Vanilla-Butter Rolls – Ferdinánd Tekercs

Hungarian Sweet Vanilla-Butter Rolls (Ferdinánd Tekercs) is a classic Hungarian dessert that comes from the countryside, a town called Karcag.
Soft and crispy, lots of vanilla and butter. You can have it with a cup of milk or coffee, also goes will with a thin vanilla custard.

They are made in a rondeau cake form and stick together during baking.

Brushing the top with hot sweetened cream while baking is an important step. The cream makes the pastry particularly soft and spongy, the buns are crispy outside and soft inside with a mild sweet taste and vanilla flavor.

Sweet Vanilla-Butter Rolls - Ferdinánd Tekercs

Sweet Vanilla-Butter Rolls (Ferdinánd Tekercs) is a classic Hungarian dessert that comes from the countryside, a town called Karcag. Soft and crispy, lots of vanilla and butter. You can have it with a cup of milk or coffee, also goes will with a thin vanilla custard.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Ferdinánd Tekercs, Sweet vanilla butter rolls

Total Time 2 15

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For the dough

4 cups all purpose flour 560 grams
1.5 cups whole milk
1.5 tbsp fresh yeast 30 grams
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter room temperature (30 grams)
2.5 tbsp caster sugar for the dough
1 tbsp oil
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon butter to coat the pan

For the filling

5 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 stick butter 8 tablespoons

Ingredients for the vanilla sauce

4 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
4 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp vanilla extract

To pour over while baking

2/3 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Heat the milk until lukewarm, mix in the sugar and the fresh yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Sift the flour in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, 3 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter and the milk with the sugar and yeast. Knead until the dough starts to hold together, if it is sticky, add more flour. Keep kneading until smooth and well combined. Oil a bowl, place the dough in, oil the dough too, cover with a cleasn kitchen towel, and let it rise in a lukewarm place for 50-60 minutes.
Melt 1 stick of butter and mix it with 5 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
Preheat the oven to 355 F (180 °C).
Place the dough onto an oily surface. Brush the rolling pin with some oil too. Roll out the dough into a 0.2 inch thick rectangle.
Spread the 2/3 of the butter-sugar micture onto the dough, beginning at a short end roll it up. Cut into 1.5 inch wide pieces.
Thoroughly butter a rondeau pan and place the rolls into the pan, let the rolls sit for another 15 minutes.
Pour the rest of the butter-suger pixture on the rolls and bake them for about 25 minutes.
In a saucepan, heat 2/3 cup of whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Do not boil, just make it very hot.
After 25 minutes of baking pour over the rolls with the hot cream combined with sugar and vanilla, and bake for another 5–10 minutes or until golden brown.
For the vanilla sauce:
In a medium saucepan heat 2 cups of milk.
In a medium bowl, separate egg yolks from whites. Youneed only the yolks. With an electric hand-mixer or whisk beat the egg yolkswith the sugar and the corn starch until thick and creamy.
Temper the egg mixture, pour some of the hot milk intothe egg yolks, mix well. Now pour this mixture back to the rest of the milk,put back on the heat, keep stirring. Do not let it boil, this prevents the eggsfrom scrambling. Keep stirring until you get a creamy consistency. Turn theheat off and keep stirring for another minute. Add the vanilla extract.
Serve the baked rolls with this vanilla sauce.

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