Hungarian Dobos Torta (cake!)

My Dobos Torta

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sisters! I am going to post two variations on a style of uniquely Hungarian cake - first the traditional Dobos Torta, and then on my next sister's birthday.... (this month on the 12th) the similar-looking nut-based Eszterházy Torta. These are both Victorian Era cakes of high class and high quality.

First of all - DO NOT DESPAIR!!!! While I was learning to bake this cake a couple years back, I found that many people found it frustrating. The reason for this is that there are seven layers to this luxurious legend, and yes, if you won't properly cool and actually WATCH your cake then it will indeed collapse. This is not a pop-in-oven-and-leave recipe. However, it is a very fast recipe, because from the time you pull out your ingredients to the time it is complete, the cake takes less than 45 minutes to complete.

Ingredients (three-parts): Try to be as accurate as possible (this is why they are in grams)

For the sponge cake:
* 6 egg yolks, 6 egg whites (separated)
* 105 grams of sugar
* 53 grams powdered sugar
* 105 grams flour
* 35 grams melted butter

For the filling cream:

* 4 eggs
* 210 grams powdered sugar
* 17 grams vanilla sugar
* 12 1/2 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
* 30 grams cocoa butter
* 35 grams melted baking chocolate (black)

For the top: 150 grams of sugar cubes

Directions:

1) Mix the sugar and yolks.
2) In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the powdered sugar until they peak stiffly.
3) Mix the two carefully without damaging the egg whites, then gently add the flour and melted butter.
4) Pour 1/5 of the batter into a properly floured 21 cm round baking pan and bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 4-5 minutes. Watch it carefully so that is does not burn - it should be golden brown. When it is done, quickly remove it and place it on a pastry sheet to cool.
REPEAT THE ABOVE STEP SIX TIMES.

5) Next we make the cream (while the six layers are cooling). Warm up the eggs a little above room temperature, and beat with the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar until they cool down.
6) In a separate bowl, mix the butter, cocoa butter and melted black chocolate.
7) Mix the two together and then, smear the chocolate on the top of four of the sponge cake layers you had cooling. Layer one on top of the other while you do this, and allow the chocolate to evenly smear down the sides of the cake as well.
8) When you have the four layers done,  dust the sides gently with powdered sugar and place the cake in the fridge right away.

9) Finally, we make the infamous top layer. My version above has a different version of this, but...

Traditional recipe: 
First, we caramelize the sugar cubes. To do this we add about 3 tablespoons of water to the sugar cubes in a saucepan, and gradually melt the sugar over low heat. After the sugar has melted, we STOP STIRRING and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes until the sugar turns a deep golden brown.
10) Take the caramel of the heat and spread it over the final sheet of sponge cake. Let the caramel set for about 3 minutes until it holds its shape (but do NOT let it cool yet), then cut the layer into the desired number of slices (traditionally 16 pieces).
11) Place the pieces on the top of the cake, and once it has cooled, cut along the lines and serve.

or 10)  Take the caramel off the heat and drip it onto baking sheets, then wait for it to cool. Peel the hardened caramel chips off the paper and use to decorate the cake with the remaining frosting.
(pictured above)

Tips:
That wasn't so bad, was it? Practice makes perfect, however, and if you don't get it right, try, try again. I used to practice by making mini cakes until I felt confident enough to make a big one.

Gerbeaud Dobos Torta

* The traditional Gerbeaud design has squirts of chocolate buttercream holding the caramelized top on an angle. You can try that if you like (see right).
* Also, the traditional Gerbeaud has six layers, not five. Only use the six-layer recipe (which is the same except for dividing the batter) if you intend to cut REALLY BIG slices.
* Do NOT allow the caramel top to harden before you cut - for obvious reasons. You will not be able to cut it once it cools.
* Do not spread, smear, or stack while creams and cakes are piping hot. This seems to be the reason why these cakes collapse - this cake, aside from the baking itself, is meant to be dealt with at room temperature and served chilled.

Lavender Cheese Cake

I'm going to post two recipes in coming weeks that use flowers for flavor. Have you ever had lavender cheesecake? How about roses? There are many flowers you can use in desserts - there's a pretty good list of them here. This recipe (a no-bake cheesecake called "Rare Cheesecake" in Japan) calls for an infusion of lavender, but if you feel like substituting the lavender with rose, chamomile, or even jasmine or hibiscus, go ahead and try! Just be sure that the flowers are grown without chemicals and are food-ready.

Ingredients:

2 cups shortbread cookie crumbs
5 tbsp butter
3 tbsp lavender (dried or fresh)
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup cream cheese (softened at about room temperature)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream

Directions:


1) Melt the butter, mix it with the cookie crumbs, and push into a cheesecake pan to form the crust. Make it as firm as possible, but not too thin (a half-centimeter should be enough).
2) Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes. You can do this while making the filling.
3) Seep the lavender in about 3 tablespoons of boiling water. If you are using fresh lavender, you may seep for 15 minutes, but if you are using dried lavender, do not seep for more than 5 minutes. Strain and set aside.
4) Whisk together the honey and cream cheese.
5) Add the lavender.
6) Beat the whipping cream until it thickens and add it to the mixture.
7) Fold the two mixtures gently together, and pour it into the now hardened crust.
8) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Tips:

* Do not seep the lavender too long, or else it will turn grey.
* You may leave small lavender beads in the cream cheese for decoration.
* Like I mentioned above, try using rose or chamomile for other flavors, too! Just be sure you're using edible flowers.

Angel Food Cake... and custard pudding!

Okay, here is a two-part recipe. Have you ever made angel food cake? Well, I did for the first time, and it turned out beautifully, as you can see in the photo on the right. But if you have ever made angel food cake, you will know that it uses only egg whites. What to do with the left over yolks? I have a simple solution, and added the recipe at the bottom.

Ingredients:

10-12 egg whites (save the yolks!!) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of castor sugar
1 cup of sifted cake flour
1 tsp Cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:

1) Mix together 3/4 cup of sugar and all the flour.
2) In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they become as frothy.
3) Add cream of tartar and salt, and beat until fully mixed.
4) Add sugar very gradually, beating the whole time. You want your mixture to be thick enough to peak gently, but not thick enough to stand peaked on its own.
5) Once it is softly peaking, add the vanilla and almond extract and beat gently once more to mix in.
6) Gently mix in the flour and sugar. Take your time - you need it evenly mixed but still fluffy.
7) Gently spoon the batter into an un-greased angel-food tube pan. Smooth it gently with a spatula and tap it a few times on the counter to release bubbles.
8) Bake for 50-60 minutes at 160 degrees celcius. The top of the cake should spring back when lightly pressed.

Cooking and serving tips:

* Do not grease your pan. I repeat: DO NOT GREASE YOUR PAN. If you do, the cake will not rise to its full fluffy potential.
* Be sure to cool the cake inside the pan. This is because the cake will set as it cools, so keeping it inverted will prevent it from collapsing.
* Turn your pan upside-down to cool for best results.
* Cakes like this are best cut with a serrated knife to avoid squishing it.
* Cake flour is much lighter than regular flour. Best not to substitute with this recipe.
* If you can't find castor sugar, you can make superfine sugar by running regular sugar in a blender or a couple minutes until it thins out.
* Ideally you should use a real tube pan for easy loading. Technically you can also use a bundt pan, but it is more difficult to remove the cake after it has cooled.


WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVER EGG YOLKS?

Oh those poor egg yolks, set aside with no hope of joining their brothers in the angel food! But not to fear - the perfect use is here. One thing that you must prepare in advance, though, are ramequins. For those of you living in Japan, you can get these cheap at 100-yen kitchen stores like Kitchen Kitchen.

Baked Egg Custard

Ingredients:

1 cup of canned evaporated milk (ideally) or whole milk
5 egg yolks (per batch, so make this twice to use them all - 4 servings per batch)
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
a pinch of ground nutmeg for decoration

Directions:

1) Combine milk and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Heat at medium until scalding. (Just before boiling point.)
2) Beat the yolks in a bowl, add sugar and vanilla.
3) Slowly pour into the hot milk, stirring constantly.
4) Pour mixture into four 1/2 cup ramequins (per batch) and place in a baking pan.
5) Fill the pan with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramequins.
6) Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake for 40-45 minutes at 160 degrees celcius.

Cooking tips:

* You can serve them hot or cold.
* If you don't add the water in the pan while baking, the custard will come out dry and burnt. Imagine you are steaming them.
* Use whole milk instead of low-fat: the custard will set much better.

Fennel Coconut Curry

I had to finish off what I had in the fridge, and it was AMAZING!  I've been sick with a cold so I've been eating a lot of soups & curries.  Awful to be sick in the summer! 

2 TB olive or canola oil
3 shallots, finely sliced
3 small carrots, peeled, cut into ~1cm pieces
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
3 slices fresh ginger or 1TB ginger powder
1 serrano pepper
1/2 TB fish sauce
1/2 TB chicken stock powder2 TB honey
2 lg tomatoes, organic & over-ripe (if possible), roughly chopped
1/3 small fennel thin sliced, fronds reserved
2 portabella caps, roughly chopped
~1 c. broccoli
1 can coconut milk, NOT LIGHT!
few kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

cook shallots in oil on med-low heat, until translucent ~2 min
add carrot, cook ~3 min
add garlic, serrano, fish sauce & chicken stock, cook another 30 sec
add honey, tomatoes, fennel, & mushrooms.  cook med ~10-20 min, until vegetables cook thoroughly.
add broccoli & 1/2 kjaffir leaves, cook ~2 min

add coconut milk, turn off heat.  season with salt & pepper to taste (if necessary)
serve  w/ rice & garnish with fennel fronds & rest of kaffir

Notes:
- I know the carrot & broccoli are added at odd times, but this is my prefeernece for how I like these two vegetables.  I hate crunchy carrot & also hate over-done broccoli. Adjust your your own preference!
- The fennel might seem odd but it turned out beautiful!
- I add coconut milk belongs at the end.  It can turn kind of oily textured when boiled.  Don't use the light stuff - it is just diluted.
- Kaffir lime leaf can be sliced easily with scissors.  I bought a plant so I can have leaves whenever I like!

Thai Green Curry

Mmm, homemade Thai green curry!! Like Hungarian gulyás, curry varies between households and between restaurants, and certainly you can't call this authentic. But I am in Japan, and here in the world of Asian vegetables and hungry college students, this dish has always been a hit.

Ingredients:

400-600 grams of chicken thigh
2 medium eggplants, chopped
2-4 bell peppers, chopped
200 grams of mushrooms
4-5 tablespoons of green curry paste
400 ml of canned coconut milk
chili pepper (spice)
fish sauce
lemongrass

Directions:

1) In a large saucepan, brown the chicken with the skin facing downwards without oil. Use the oil of the chicken skin to cook the opposite side.
2) Add fish sauce to taste.
3) Remove the chicken from the pan and add a dash of oil, and stir-fry the chopped vegetables. Remove vegetables when cooked.
4) Cut up the chicken to bite-sized pieces.
5) Next, fry the green curry paste over a little oil until the scent starts to spread.
6) Add chicken, chili pepper, lemongrass and vegetables.
7) After cooking for a few minutes, add the coconut milk.
8) Add a half can of water to the mixture, and bring to boil.
9) Use the fish sauce to fix the flavor to your liking, and serve over rice.

* Serves 5-7.
* Can be stored overnight - always tastes better the next day.
* Though Spanish or Thai rice is the standard accompaniment, in Japan we use the thick Japanese rice. The benefit of this is that you can form it into mini bowls and add the curry in the middle, so the sauce doesn't make the rest of the rice too soupy while eating.
* Use minimal oil.
* One added benefit - this can all be made with one large saucepan, so it's perfect for small kitchens.

Cream Cheese Mints

A friend of mine gave me this recipe, which I tried today with fabulous results. This takes less than 30 minutes and requires no baking, but can last three weeks in the fridge. A very quick and easy treat for guests, and goes superbly well with coffee.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp of cream cheese
1/2 tsp mint extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup fine granulated sugar
few drops of food coloring (optional but recommended)


Directions:

1) Beat the cream cheese until it is soft and fluffy.
2) Add the mint and food coloring. Mix thoroughly.
3) Add the sugar slowly, mixing until it gets stiff like cookie batter.
4) Make balls of the mixture with your hands, then mould into desired shape.
5) 15 minutes in the fridge and they're done!


Tips:
* If your hands get dry while forming the shapes, run them lightly under the sink before continuing. Moisture helps the sweets mould properly, but too much will make them soggy.
* Store in a tupperware in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Bacon Donut Burgers!

Not the healthiest creation, but hey - the rare meal of artery clogging gluttony is ok.  Everything in moderation, right?  Just remember to take your fish oil.  

Bacon:
This is a crucial component.  As is the cooking method.  Lay slices of bacon on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle just a little bit of brown sugar on them.  White sugar may substitute.  Bake at a low slow temperature - I never go over 300F.  Allow them to brown more than you normally would, as the sugar caramelizes and makes it get a deeper brown colour. This will take a long time, at least 20 min (possibly longer) so start this first, then continue to make the other components.

Bun:
This is the donut part.  There are many options.  You can buy a glazed donut, and cut in 1/2 horizontally to make your bun.  Otherwise, you can purchase or make any kind of refrigerated biscuit dough (with butter, shortening or lard in it).  Flatten the dough with a rolling pin or the back of your fist.  Pan fry until nice and crispy and light brown.  When hot, dip in powdered sugar or granulated sugar.

Burger:
I always buy 100% grass-fed beef, as local as possible.  I am very simple with my burgers, and just add plenty of salt & pepper to the meat, BEFORE forming the patties.  Grill or pan-fry. 


Other components, all optional:
-cheese (goat, cheddar, swiss, jack, etc)
-organic tomatoes (flavour is FAR superior to non-organic!)

-greens/lettuce (my favourite is arugula)
-carmalized onions (cook sliced onions low and slow about 30 min or more w/ olive oil until toasty brown and sweet)
-roasted red pepper, jalepeno, pickles, etc.


Mine pictured here is made with caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, cheddar cheese, organic tomato, & organic mixed greens.  The bun is a pan-fried store-bought refrigerated biscuit dough.  Delicious!!  NOT healthy, but will make you smile!!