dessert Archives - Culinary Hungary

Hungarian Beigli – Christmas Poppy Seed and Walnut Roll Cake

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

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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?

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

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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cook with me online from your own kitchen, or join me for a private cooking class or a market-to-table experience in Budapest.

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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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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!

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Hungarian Rigó Jancsi Cake Recipe – Rigó Jancsi Szelet

Barath Agnes — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 13:56:00 +0000

Hungarian Rigó Jancsi (Chocolate Mousse) Cake Recipe

It is a traditional Hungarian cube-shaped chocolate sponge cake and chocolate cream dessert. It gained popularity in the former Austria-Hungary and is named after Rigó Jancsi (1858–1927), a famous Hungarian Gypsy (Romani people) violinist.
It was not at all so easy to find a proper recipe, so I finally contacted one of the owners of Auguszt Cake Shop. It is one of the oldest cake shops in Budapest established in 1870. Five generations of tradition, knowledge and quality, they make delicious pastries, cakes, biscuits and ice-cream.

Preparation time: 70 mins

Ingredients:

For the sponge cake:
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
6 tablespoons of sugar
4 tablespoons of all purpose flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (20-22%)
Teaspoon of baking powder – optional. If you think you broke the beaten egg whites when stirring with the yolks and flour, then add it to make sure the the sponge cake will not be too thin.
Pinch of salt

For the chocolate mousse filling:
500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream
130 grams dark chocolate – 50-60%
Whip it powder – I always use a sachet (about one tablespoon) because my whipping cream never gets whipped without it

For the topping:
100 grams dark chocolate – 50-60%

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease and line two 20×25 cm tins with baking or wax paper.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt. It is better if you beat it it until creamy, it is not necessary to beat until stiff peaks form, because it will break easily when you fold in. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with 6 tablespoons of sugar until creamy.

Carefully pour the yolks over the beaten egg whites and fold gently. You need to make sure all of the air bubbles are encased in batter; otherwise the cake won’t rise properly. The batter will set around the air bubbles when the cake bakes in the oven, allowing it to puff, and then set properly.

Sift 4 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder over the batter and fold gently. The batter should be airy. Add the baking powder if it is not airy.

Pour the batter into the 2 separate pans and smooth evenly. Bake approximately 15 minutes set aside to cool. Remove the wax papers.

For the filling: Melt the chocolate and cool back until lukewarm. Whip the cream. Mix the melted chocolate and about ¼ of the whipped cream well. Then fold this mixture gently into the remaining whipped cream. Do not break it, keep it airy.

Spread the filling on top of the bottom sponge cake.

For the glaze: Melt 100 grams of dark chocolate and spread it on top of the sponge cake. Put it in the fridge and wait until cools down completely. Then using a long chef’s knife that you’ve heated under hot tap water and dried, score the top into 18 squares. Wipe the knife, re-warm it and dry it, then cut clean through the layer, separating the pieces. (You’ll need to wipe, warm and dry after each cut to keep the edges clean).

Place these squares on top of the filling. Put the cake in the fridge for an hour.

The post Hungarian Rigó Jancsi Cake Recipe – Rigó Jancsi Szelet appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Ribboned Carnival Doughnut – Farsangi Fánk

Barath Agnes — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 08:44:21 +0000

This post contains affiliate links.

Ribboned Carnival Doughnut – Farsangi Fánk

February is the awaited carnival season in Hungary. There is no celebration without some form of the deep fried sugary goodness of donut, it can be also regarded as a symbol of farewell winter feasts. There are lots of different types, the most popular one is called ribboned carnival doughnut named after the ribbon-like white stripe running along the sides of the doughnut. These doughnuts are made from a very soft, airy dough, which is very sensitive to cold. Therefore all the ingredients have to be lukewarm or at room temperature.

How to make powdered sugar in just 30 seconds?

https://youtu.be/8kdW5939xH4

Ribboned Carnival Doughnut (Farsangi Fánk)

February is the awaited February is the awaited carnival season in Hungary. There is no celebration without some form of the deep fried sugary goodness of donut, it can be also regarded as a symbol of farewell winter feasts. carnival season in Hungary. Here is an easy to follow recipe.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword doughnut, ribboned doughnut

Total Time 2 20

Servings 18 doughnuts

Equipment

Big bowl
Small saucepan
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Sieve
Rolling Pin
Medium pot with lid
Glass or cookie cutter

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour sifted (1.1 pound, 4 cups)
1.1 ounces fresh yeast 30 grams
6 egg yolks room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
8 tbsp butter
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tbsp rum
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 pinch salt
2 cups vegetable oil sunflower, canola

Instructions

In a smaller saucepan heat 2/3 cup of milk with about 1 teaspoons of powdered sugar until lukewarm. Sprinkle the yeast in and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl mix the sifted flour, the lemon zest and the rest of the powdered sugar. Add the milk-sugar-yeast mixture, 6 egg yolks, the rum, pinch of salt followed by the melted lukewarm butter to get a soft non-sticky dough.
The rum reduces the amount of oil the dough would absorb during the frying process. Also, makes the dough lighter and tastier.
Knead thoroughly. It may be sticky first, that is normal. Keep kneading until you get a soft, airy dough. It can take up to 5-10 minutes.
Sprinkle some flower on the bottom of the bowl, place the dough in, then cover it with a dish cloth and leave it in a moderately warm place till doubles in size. It takes about an hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a floured surface. Roll it out to a thickness of half an inch.
Cut it with a medium glass or cookie cutter (around 6-7 cm / 2.5 inch in diameter), and let it settle under the dish cloth for a further 30 minutes.
Before you start frying the doughnut, press a small hollow with your thumb on each piece of pastry to create an indentation.
Place a few into the medium hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd, indentation side down, and immediately cover with a lid. Fry just until lightly browned, about 40 seconds. Remove lid and flip to fry other side just until golden, keeping lid off. If the oil is too hot they will fry too quickly and the white ribbon will not form during frying.
Lift the doughnuts onto a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any surplus oil.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, fill the hollow in each doughnut with apricot jam and serve fresh.

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The post Ribboned Carnival Doughnut – Farsangi Fánk appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Walnut Strudel Recipe (Diós Rétes)

Barath Agnes — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 17:12:39 +0000

This post contains affiliate links.

Hungarian Walnut Strudel (Diós Rétes)

Strudel is a type of 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, walnut strudel is favorite filling.

Walnut strudel is one of the easiest dessert recipes, it makes for a great autumn dessert but you can serve it any time of the year.

How to make strudel?

The traditional strudel pastry dough is very elastic. It is made from flour with a high gluten content, water, lard, vinegar, salt and egg, with no sugar added. The dough is worked vigorously, rested, and then rolled out and stretched by hand very thinly. Purists say that it should be so thin that you can read a newspaper through it. Making strudel from scratch requires special knowledge, practice and patience. It is time consuming so now I am sharing the recipe which uses store bought phyllo dough. Most common fillings are apple, cottage cheese, walnut, sour cherry, poppy seed. Hungarian walnut strudel is one of my favorite desserts, you van have it for breakfast with a nice cup of coffee.

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

How to brown butter?

Brown butter (beurre noisette) is a simple one-ingredient sauce, that’s gone through a sort of caramelization process, it’s made by heating butter until the milk solids brown. Two things are happening in the process. First, the water in the butter evaporates, second, the butter’s milk solids caramelize, flavoring the butter with their nutty richness and extending the life of the butter. Brown butter adds rich nutty and caramel notes to your baked desserts.

Place the butter in a light-colored heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. You melt butter slowly until it foams. You will definitely hear popping sounds while the water in the butter bubbles and evaporates — that is normal. The smell will change, brown butter smells deliciously nutty. The butter will go from brown to burnt quickly, so stay close to the pan when you do this and never stop stirring.

Your walnut strudel will be so much tastier if you spread it with brown butter not just simple melted butter.

The Chef & The Dish brings me straight into your kitchen for an in-depth and fun Hungarian cooking class.

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 walnut strudel - Diós rétes

Strudel is a type of layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet. Most common fillings are apple, cottage cheese, walnut, sour cherry, poppy seed. Hungarian walnut strudel is one of my favorite desserts, you van have it for breakfast with a nice cup of coffee.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword Apple strudel, Hungarian dessert, Hungarian strudel, phyllo dough, walnut strudel

Total Time 45

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Food processor
Saucepans
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Chef's knife
chopping board
Pastry brush
kitchen towel
parchment paper or baking mat
Baking tin

Ingredients

4 sheets phyllo dough
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups finely ground walnuts
1 handful coarsely cups
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 handful raisins optional
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a pan brown the butter. Set aside.
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 (optional), the lemon zest and the vanilla extract. Mix well and let it cool completely.
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.
Spread the walnut 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 20 minutes or until light brown.
Remove from the oven and let it cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

The post Hungarian Walnut Strudel Recipe (Diós Rétes) appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Christmas Walnut Cookie Recipe – Hókifli

culinaryhungary — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 21:47:39 +0000

Hungarian Christmas Walnut 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! A perfect Christmas dessert, easy to make, plus, they keep very well for days or even over a week so can be made ahead of the festivities and stored in a tin. The dough is eggless.

Ingredients

400 grams (2 2/3 cups) of flour
250 grams (2.2 sticks) of butter
Zest of a lemon
200 ml (3/4 cup) of sour cream
200 grams (1 cup) of ground walnuts
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of powdered sugar for the filling
1 cup of powdered sugar mixed with vanilla sugar for dusting

Takes 2 hours,
Makes 50 cookies.

Instructions

Mix the flour, the butter and a pinch of salt by hand. The mixture will be quite crumbly.
Add the zest of half a lemon, add the sour cream step by step, knead thoroughly till combines into a smooth dough ball.
Bring 1/2 cup of milk to a boil, add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar,the ground walnuts, and the zest of half a lemon, mix well. Turn the heat off and let it cool cmpletely. It will get thicker.
Heat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Line a pan with parchment paper.
On a floured surfCut out circles using a 8-9cm (2.5”) cookie cutter. Place one teaspoon of nut filling on each circle. Gently roll it up and stretch the rolls into crescent shapes and place them on the prepared baking sheet.ace roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch (3 mm)
Bake the crescents in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until they begin to get a little color.li>
Take them out and one by one immediately roll the hot cookies into icing sugar-vanilla flavored sugar mixture.

The post Hungarian Christmas Walnut Cookie Recipe – Hókifli appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian sour cherry pie (Meggyes pite) recipe

culinaryhungary — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 14:21:11 +0000

Hungarian sour cherry pie (Meggyes pite)

is a classic Hungarian summer dessert when you can get the most delicious sour cherries. The filling is baked between two fine-textured layers of pastry.

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:

300 grams (2.5 cups) of flour
120 grams (½ cup) of margarine or butter
50 grams (½ cup) of powdered sugar
½ sachet of baking powder (6 grams or 1 teaspoon)
½ sachet of vanilla flavored sugar (5 grams or 1 teaspoon)
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon of sour cream
1 beaten 1 for brushing
zest of half a lemon
pinch of salt

For the sour cherry filling:

1200 grams (42.3 onces) of pitted cherries
200 grams (7 ounces) of powdered sugar
Juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons of finely ground walnuts

Directions:

Mix the flour and the cubed margarine or butter by hand. The mixture will be quite crumbly.

Add the whole egg, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla sugar, baking powder, sour cream, and lemon zest. Knead thoroughly. Add more flour if necessary.

Divide the dough into 2 balls, cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

Mixx the pitted sour cherries with the powdered sugar and lemon juice, let it sit and drain the juice.

Heat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Butter and flour your baking tin.

On a floured surface roll out one part of the dough to the size of the baking tin (10×6), then lay it in.

Sprinkle with half of the ground walnut. Spread the sour cherries on the dough; sprinkle it with the remaining walnuts. Roll out the top crust and place over the apples, sealing the edges and making slits in it.

Prick to allow vapor to escape, and brush with egg wash.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes, until the top is light-browned. Let it cool. Cut into squares, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.

The post Hungarian sour cherry pie (Meggyes pite) recipe appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Cottage Cheese Donuts (Túrófánk) Recipe

culinaryhungary — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 08:31:26 +0000

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Hungarian Cottage Cheese Donuts – Túrófánk

Sweet tooth’s favorite delicacy is donuts! These delicious cottage cheese donuts are made without yeast, so there is no need for leavening – you can taste them in minutes! They are lightly sweet, bite-sized donuts, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

The lemon zest is a very important ingredient, it adds even more flavor and makes your donuts so delightful!! I read so many cottage cheese donut recipes and only a few recommended the lemon zest.

The donuts are crunchy outside, soft inside and very very tasty. They’re also surprisingly easy to make.

Make sure that the oil is not too hot when you put the donuts in. If it is too hot, then the outside of the donut cooks too fast and it is not fully cooked inside.

It is not good either if the oil is not hot enough, adjust the heat if the doughnuts are cooking too quickly or too slowly. You should monitor your oil carefully throughout the frying process, which is about 4-5 minutes

Hungarian cottage cheese donuts - Túrófánk

Hungarian cottage cheese donuts are very easy to make, ideal for beginners. A quick dessert recipe, it takes only 15 minutes to prepare. 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. If you use ricotta cheese, then add only 2 eggs. These delicious doughnuts are made without yeast, so there is no need for leavening – you can taste them in minutes! They are lightly sweet, bite-sized donuts, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Hungarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Medium bowl
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Frying pan
Tablespoons
Zester

Ingredients

1 cup of dry cottage cheese or farmer's cheese or ricotta
2 eggs If you use reciotta, then 1 egg
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tbsp of sugar
Few drops of vanilla extract
1 teaspon of grated lemon zest
1.5-2 cups of vegetable oil
Jam
Powdered sugar

Instructions

Place the cottage cheese in a bowl and crumble. Add 2 eggs (Only 1 if you use ricotta), the flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract and the lemon zest and stir to combine.
Heat the oil to medium temperature, I used a smaller pan with about 2 inches of oil, it was enough to give a good depth for the doughnuts.
With the help of 2 teaspoons scoop and drop little balls into the hot oil and fry each side until golden brown, it takes about 4-5 minutes.
Transfer the donuts to the paper towel and and continue to fry the rest of the dough until finished.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with apricot jam or any jam you love.

The post Hungarian Cottage Cheese Donuts (Túrófánk) Recipe appeared first on Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Poppy Seed Bread Pudding Recipe (Mákos Guba)

culinaryhungary — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 08:11:52 +0000

Hungarian poppy seed bread pudding (Mákos Guba)

is a Christmas classic in Hungary. Poppy seed is a favorite ingredient all over Central-Europe, a symbol of wealth and fertility. In Hungary, we fill everything with poppy seeds at Christmas time, but we also use them in bread, pasta and baked goods like pies, strudels, and cakes. Mákos guba is baked in the belief that the poppy seeds bring good luck and lots of money in the new year.
It is easy and quick to make and the recipe below is very simple to follow. In Hungary we use day-old, dry kifli, a crescent-shaped bread roll, but you can use any type of roll or bread.

Recipe

Ingredients for 8-10 pancakes:
5-6 pieces of 1-2 day old bread rolls – cut into ½ inch slices
800-1000 ml of lukewarm milk (3-4 cups)
6 tablespoons of ground poppy seeds
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (to mix with the poppy seeds)
2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar (mix with the milk)
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (mix with the milk)
Butter

Directions:

Heat the milk until lukewarm with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar. (You can use regular sugar and vanilla extract.)

Mix the ground poppy seeds with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.

Butter a baking pan, lay out half of your bread slices and pour half of the milk over it.

Sprinkle with half of the poppy seed-sugar mixture.

Place the remaining bread pieces in the pan – this is the second layer – pour the remaining milk over it and sprinkle with the rest of the poppy seed and sugar mixture and some more powdered sugar.

Bake in preheated oven (180°C/355°F) for 10 minutes.

The post Hungarian Poppy Seed Bread Pudding Recipe (Mákos Guba) appeared first on Culinary Hungary.