William Penn Life, 2009 (44. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-02-01 / 2. szám
Cakes, Tortes & Treats: Part 3 FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA. Whenever you're involved with food, there is always something going on or happening. Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Future Chefs of America dinner at the Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H. I took part in the event by giving a cooking demonstration on Saturday to all invited guests of the hotel who wanted to learn about Magyar food. My menu was Hortobágy Palacsinta filled with chicken, panbraised kohlrabi, sweet onions and kale. The demo was a success and, later that evening, I prepared appetizers for the cocktail party. A rye/ bacon baguette sliced, toasted, then topped with Liptauer cheese and a garnish of roasted red and green pepper. Even though high above the coast in north country, I learned there are more people who enjoy Hungarian food but don't get that many opportunities to enjoy it. Needless to say I made some friends and gained a few more readers of The Hungarian Kitchen, so now they can prepare their own food. My recent plans included another dinner at the Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh. I'll let you know if the weather was good and I was able to make the trip. Ronald McDonald House is moving to Children's Hospital and will double their bed capacity helping more families get medical assistance. I was going to include Kalacs in this column, but after careful thought and discussing it with my colleague Chef Vilmos, we decided against it. There is so much to learn about Kalacs it deserves a column of its own, so look for it sometime in the early spring. I continue to add to my archives on www.hungariankitchen.com. The process is taking longer than I thought. I want to make sure everything posted is accurate with correct instructions. I will keep plugging away with that project, and hopefully, by the sixth anniversary, it will be done. Once again the housekeeping is done, and its time for your trivia question: What other famous Magyar dessert was named after a gypsy violinist? (Hint: it's loaded with dark chocolate.) In the last two columns we learned about cakes and tortes. This month I am going to wind up by giving you some more recipes for cake, tortes and a few for treats. A TREAT is a food choice that satisfies the individual who selects it. A treat might be savory and tasty or sweet, sticky and gooey. It all depends upon the person choosing. I have selected some Magyar treats your family should enjoy as they are popular and very tasty. My first choice is Indianer. When I researched the name, I came across one article that said "Indianer" translates into "westerner," which would relate to the west of Hungary in the direction of France, meaning this treat was designed after French cream puffs. While the French were influential in the confectionery world with their methods of pastry making, the Hungarians, Swiss and Austrians were also creative and added their recipes making for more desserts the world could enjoy. Another source says the Indianer was created by a Hungarian pastry chef who wanted to honor an East Indian juggling act performing at a theater. During intermission the patrons were given a hollowed out cake-like dessert filled with cream and topped with chocolate. As the story goes people forgot about the juggling act but remembered the great dessert they had that night. From then on, Indianer was bom and every pastry shop in Hungary started making and selling the product. This is a versatile treat because you can switch fillings from custard to whipped cream to pastry cream to icing. The cake can be from batter, yeast dough or choux pastry. The chocolate on top can be dark, light, hard, soft and gooey or just plain powdered sugar. LANGOS is my second choice for a treat. It's very simple to make and you can flavor it sweet or savory. This product dates back to the Romans who made flatbreads called Practical Pointer When choosing a dessert, it’s always nice to find out what your guests like to eat There is nothing better than finishing a meal with a dessert all can enjoy. Try and be seasonal. If it’s summertime, use fresh fruit Autumn is for apples, and in winter you can do anything chocolate. If you don’t have the time to make fillings for your pastries, try using prepared puddings you can find in the dairy department. Chocolate or vanilla pudding in a cream puff tastes just as good as eating it from a bowl. 8 William Penn Life, February 2009
