Plum linzer tart

If we talk about plum season in August, the first thing what I remember is that plum linzer tart which springs from one of our old family cake recipe book with purple cover included 800 salt and sweet recipes. When I was small we opened it many times with mum, we always wrote remarks on the margin next to recipes with our experiences and modifications or with just a simple comment that it's "very delicious" or "don't try it again"! 

A few years ago I borrowed this book from mum and for sure this will be also the first one what I'll put in my luggage when I move to Stockholm. It contains several salt and sweet, basic and special, easy and difficult recipes from all over the world but especially from the Hungarian kitchen.

Since we are in the thick of the plum season, I bought half kilo plum at the fruiterer on the way home yesterday. My day was quite stressful at work yesterday so I was looking forward to arrive home and start to bake which means entertainment for me in the end of the day.

This was my and my colleague's brekfast today.The result was perfect as always, my colleagues seemed satisfied. :)

Ingredients:

For the dough:
30 dkg flour (15 dkg spelt + 15 dkg all purpose flour)
12 dkg butter or marge
5 dkg sugar
10 g vanilla sugar
1/2 lemon's zest
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon rum flavour

For the filling:
50 dkg plum
1/2 lemon's zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon castorsugar

+ semolina

1. Knead the short pastry as usual. In a big bowl crumb the flour with the butter, add the castor sugar, vanilla sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest and rum, mix the ingredients and knead the pastry by hand very quickly. Put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill.

2. While the dough chills in the fridge, wash the plums, cut into 4-8 pieces (depend on their size), sprinkle with the cinnamon, castorsugar, lemon zest and mix with a wooden spoon.

3. After 30 minutes preheat the oven to 200°C and as preparing a 26-28 cm round and 2cm deep pie plate, oil properly in order the pastry not to get stuck in it. Cut off a third of the pastry and set aside while you roll out the rest. Roll the dough to 26-28 cm round shape, leaving a slight overhang. Roll it up to the rolling pin and place the dough in the pie plate.

4. Sprinkle some semolina on the bottom of the tart (so the dough won't get soaked by the plum) and pile the plum on the pastry-lined pie plate. Roll the remaining third of pastry to a rectangular shape, with a knife or a pizza cutter cut 1 cm wide pastry stripes and place on the plum in lattice shape.

5. Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 15 minutes with 200°C, then turn to 180°C and bake for another 15 minutes. If the bottom is not baked yet but the top is golden brown, cover the tart with aluminium foil and bake until ready.

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Turkish Fried Zucchini Salad - Gazientep style (Kızarmıs Kabak Pıyazı)

And here is another Turkish appetizer for the hot summer days. It can be prepared as appetizer, meze or as a light lunch.

Where is Gazientep and what is its cuisine famous for? 

Gazientep is a city in south-east Turkey and one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city's local dishes are many and very various which is the result of besides the history, the geography. The Gazientep kitchen includes a lot of meat, yoghurt, vegetables, red pepper, garlic, baked goods. The city is also famous for its special cooking techniques and utensils and also for the spices they use. Such as saffron (hasbir), tarragon (tarhın) stb.

The area's popular dishes which are counted here:

- lahmacun (a.k.a Turkish pizza, a thin dough topped with minced meat, generally lamb or beef. It's sprinkled with lemon juice, wrapped up with lettuce)

- çiğ köfte (meatball made with raw meat)

- zerde (Turkish dessert, sort of sweet pudding made from rice and coloured with saffron)

- firik pilav

- sarma and dolma (stuffed vegetables, stuffed cabbage and grape leave) 

Ingredients:
small zucchini(s) 
olive oil
boiled egg(s)
tomato(s)
red pepper flakes (if you like hot, you can use chili flakes as well)
salt, pepper to taste

Put a saucepan of water to boil on medium heat. When it boils, place the eggs in it and after reboiling cook them for 10-12 minutes.

While the eggs cook, wash the zucchini, cut in round slices. Heat up a pan with some olive oil and fry the zucchini slices until both sides take a light golden colour.

When everything is ready, place the zucchini slices in the middle of a plate, cut the eggs and tomatos into slices and arrange them around the zucchinis on the plate as well. Sprinkle with some salt, pepper and red pepper (or chili) flakes. In the end pour some olive oil on everything.

Afiyet olsun!

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Lemony cottage-cheese cake with blackberry

On Friday afternoon I went to the market for some vegetables for the weekend then when I saw the fresh blackberries, my fantasy started up. I imagined that I prepare something creamy, light summerish cake for what it's not necessary to warm up the oven when it's 37 degrees outside and it fits to the blackberry.

I remembered the eternal favorite no-bake cake what my best friend's mum made when we went to grammar school and what I prepare several times every summer since then. Thank you for it Évi!!:)

I guarantee that everyone will love this light cake which is an unbelievably fresh dessert because of the lemony cottage cheese cream. 

Ingredients:

For the base:
25 dkg ground digestive biscuits
7,5 dkg butter (or marge)
2 tablespoon castor sugar

For the filling:
30 dkg cottage cheese
175 g plain yoghurt
7 dkg sugar
10 g gelatin
2 lemons

For the top:
blackberry (or any other seasonal fruits)

Make the base: Grind the digestive biscuits with a nut grinder into a big bowl or put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin. Mix with the sugar, add the melted butter and knead into a well-shapable dough adding some milk if it's needed.

Butter a 21 cm loose-bottmed tin then tip the dough into it and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Set aside until we prepare the filling.

Make the filling: Place the cottage cheese, the yoghurt, sugar and grated lemon zest in a bowl then beat with an electric mixer or with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Squeeze the juice of lemons out in a small pan, mix with the gelatin, add 2 tablespoon water and boil stirring continuously. Let it cool for a while then when it's lukewarm, admix to the cottage-cheese mixture and spoon on the biscuit base.

Cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge after approx.half an hour.

Place the fruits on it only when the filling has chilled.

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Medley of Mini sablées

In my post about the basic recipe of the French shortcust pastry, the pâte sablée I promised that I show also what was made from it. Here you are! I haven't forgot it but I was above myself not to share my experiences at the gastro weekend at first.

In the thematic book with ten different pastry chapters the author gives ideas for salty and sweet use as well after the introduction of each pastries.

The recipes connected with pâte sablée:

- Pastry baskets, fruit tarts, ice-cream tarts

- Catalan cake

- Pecan pie

- Pear clafoutis

- Mini mince pies

- Sablé with blueberry

- Medley of mini sablés (biscuits)

Ingredients:

550 g pâte sablée

Filling to taste:

home made apricot jam(or whatever you like)

1 teaspoon instant coffee

On the top:

eggwash (1 egg yolk mixing with 1 tabelspoon milk)

Mini sablé with apricot jam

Roll the pastry 2-3 mm thick on a floured surface. With optional cookie cutter (this time with wavy one) we cut normal and leaky cookies as much as we want then place them in pairs on baking paper on an oven pan. We water their tops with a wet brush.

We can fill them with jam two different way. Either we place the leaky cookie on the normal one and feel only the hole with jam, or first we grease a bit the normal cookie with some jam then place the leaky one on it.

Coffee mini sablé

From the rolled pastry we cut the desired number of cookies which we also place on the oven pan next to the others. Dissolve the coffee in one tablespoon lukewarm water then brush the cookies with this by the help of a brush. If you want to make the cookies special, you can draw several patterns with a fork on its top.

Vanilla thumbprints with apricot jam

Knead the leftover pastry, shape a roll from it then divide it into same-size pieces and form them into small balls with your hand. Plate them softly (I did with a knife's steel), compose a small crater with your forefinger in the center. The jam will get into this what we put only straight before baking.

When all our pastry runs out, preheat the oven into 170°C. Bake the cookies approx. 6-10 minutes depend on the thickness of our tiny cookies. When they are ready take them out very carefully from the pan (i used a knife for this also because the lukewarm cookie can break very easily), place on grill and let them cool.

Be careful, because the certain cookies don't bake within the same time.

30 pieces of mini sablées were made.

It's delicious freshly as well, but next day it's best!

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Gastro experiences at the weekend - last stop: Promenade of Hungarian Flavours

The gastro weekend arrived at its last stop on 20th August. This day we celebrate the anniversary of the foundation of the Hungarian State. There are a lot of traditional programme year by year such raising of the national flag and ceremonial officer inauguration, aerial and water parade on the Danube, ceremonial holy mass and procession of the Holy Right Hand (of our King Stephen, Founder of the State) and of course at the end of the day firework.

The Promenade of Hungarian Flavours is organized on the Danube bank every year where you can find traditional Hungarian products which are famous on account of their special ingredients, preparation.

Walking around the promenade we could see bakeries with fine breads, cheese specialities, special organic products, jams, marmalades, fruits and vegetables of primary producers, suprisingly numerous fröccs stands.

What is fröccs? Fröccs a.k.a Spitzer is a very popular alcoholic drinks in Hungary. It's wine (mostly white one) mixed with soda water. We know million different kind of fröccs, depend on the rate of wine-soda.

Turning back to the choice of the Promenade of Hungarian Flavours, I was focusing on the desserts of course.

Raj Ráchel's Flodni

This was the second year when Raj Rachel and her flodni showed up at the Promenade of Hungarian Flavours. Shame on me, I need to confess that even if I live for 2 minutes from Ráchel's confectionery, Café Noé at Wesselényi street, I have never turned into it. This statement was true until 20th August. When I saw that her stand, I didn't hesitate, I enrolled in the serpentine queue in front of it and I patiently waited for my turn comes in 35 degrees. It was worth!!! She can be rightly proud of her family recipe. I expected exactly such harmony of flavours. The plum jam, walnut, apple and poppy seed created a percfect combination of flavours. Sweet but not cloying. I just understood what Ráchel talked in one of her interview about. I can feel in the flodni that she makes it with love. Furthermore, it made her more likeable for me that she was at her stand all day and served her guests personally.

I stop talking now but I send word to who hasn't tasted this superdelicious Jewish cake yet, get to Ráchel's café immediately!

Noé Café

Address: 1072 Budapest, Wesselényi utca 13.

Open: every day 10:00-19:00, except of Friday, when 10:00-17:00

The bread of Hungary

This year the bread of St Stephen's Day was the special hops-potato bread of Gere Bakery. Its consistence was perfectly traditional Hungarian, in its flavour I felt the hops...a bit bitter with beer after-taste :) 

The cake of Hungary 2012

When I heard that this year the cake of Hungary is the apple poppy-seed cake from Szabolcs County, the creation of a confectioner, Zsolt Pintér, I was sure I will love it. Because of the poppy-seed. The Zsolt Pintér used poppy-seed, apple, a hint of cinnamon and vanilla cream for the cake. The poppy-seed with the relishable, sourish apple and soft vanilla cream was great combination.

The sugar-free cake of Hungary 2012

This year, for the first time, the sugar-free version was selected as well. The winner was an apple cake with gooseberry, made by László Zila. Unfortunately this cake was finished before I had a chance to take a photo about it.

I support the initiation of Foundation of One Drop Attention that they can show that is possible to prepare delicious cakes for the people with diabetes without processed flour or sugar and additives as well.

I like both of the cakes but I prefered the apple poppy-seed cake, on the one hand because of the poppy-seed, on the other hand because it was lighter and less sweet.

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Gastro experiences at the weekend - 3. station: Szeráj Turkish Restaurant

Szeráj!

With this one word I could end my post here since everyone knows the Szeráj in Budapest. I believe I don't need glorify their kitchen in long blog entry because my boyfriend told me (and I don't dare to argue with him in this topic) that this is the best Turkish restaurant in Budapest. Punktum. He knows. :)

Okay, who has already been in Turkey, knows that  the real Turkish cuisine is much more various, colourful and delicious compared to the assortment of the Turkish fast food restaurant here in Hungary, but in Budapest still this stands the closest to the Turkish reality.

I have to admit that during our Turkey trip last year I hadn't eaten anything what is available in Hungary but when the hunger after Turkish food comes upon on me but I don't feel like cooking, I always go to Szeráj. Furthermore this weekend mum specifically asked me to go here. Who could and gonna say no for this? The Turkish cuisine is my favorite.

This time izgara köfte got on my plate.

Dessert couldn't be cancelled either of course. Besides the queen of desserts, the baklava I make my mum taste the şekerpare for the very first time. She was back and forth from it. Since Saturday that's her new big favorite. :) (I remark in brackets that it's very easy, quick and cheap to prepare. You can find the recipe here.)

Szeráj Turkish Restaurant 
Address: 1055 Budapest, Szent István krt. 13.
Open: every day 9:00 - 4:00

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Gastro experience at the weekend - 2. station: Iguana Mexican Restaurant

The long weekend's second important station was Budapest's most popular Mexican restaurant, the Iguana Bar&Grill. I can already be called frequenter at this place, I come with mum, my best friend here regularly and I often arrange my meetings to here with my colleagues as well. Sometimes we turn into here only for a chip&salsa, sometimes for lunch but many times we have dinner here.

Iguana is popular not only in my fellowship and among Hungarian guests but a lot of foreign tourists visit it during their stay. It's not for nothing that Iguana won the Best Meeting Point award in 2001. Since then they also bag the award for the best Mexican restaurant every year. Respect!

The restaurant is intimate in the summer and in the winter too. When it's solvable, in the summer I always choose a table outside and in the winter the gallery. The staff is friendly, helpful, in spite of the full restaurant the service is quite fast, they never give grounds for complaint.

On the menu we can find such authentic Mexican foods as quesadilla, burrito, fajita, taco, enchilada; from the drink list we can choose besides the general drinks Mexican coffee, imported beers, premium tequila (made from 100% agave) and the city's probably best margarita cocktail.

Back to the dishes, this time mum's choise was "Poblano csirke a la Mo". A tender breast of chicken is grilled and served with a guisado of roasted green chili, white wine, and cream. Comes with grilled veggies and rice. The chicken was perfectly spicy, the veggies were crunchy, the cream was simply silky and heavenly.

 

In regard to the big heat I ordered a light "Fajita chicken salad". Marinated in fresh garlic, lime and cilantro, with a touch of jalapeno pepper, then sautéed with onions, this chicken breast is just oh-so spicy. Served on a bed of fresh iceberg lettuce with rucola and tomato. The chicken was seasoned according to my taste, the salad was nicely vinegary, super effect.

Iguana Bar & Grill
Address: 1054 Budapest, Zoltán utca 16.
Open: every day 11:30-1:00
Phone: +36 1 331 4352

Tipp: It's worth to reserve a table in the evenings on weekdays, but at the weekends it's obligatory!

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Gastro experiences at the weekend - 1. station: Shalimar Restaurant

My long weekend was very stirring but supergood, I'm full of gastro and cultural experiences. As I mentioned before my mum came to Budapest to spend the long weekend with me. Since the day of my moving nears, it seems, this was our last weekend together therefore we decided that we visit every place what we want to see, visit, try for years or rather we go to those restaurants what we were talking about for donkey's years but haven't tried together yet.

1. station: Shalimar

That's the way how we finally got to Budapest's best and oldest Indian restaurant, the Shalimar last Friday. I was here for the first time last year, after we returned from India. Since I have benchmark between the real and "Hungarian" Indian restaurants, I can state surely that the Shalimar is the best Indian resturant in Budapest nowadays.

If you want to taste numerous food for friendly price, I can highly recommend the restaurant's business lunch on working days between 12 and 16. I know that not everyone can settle to have one hour lunch time but if you once got here during lunch time, you will be satisfied sure enough.

Traditionally the lunch menu is served as thali. They serve the 3 different kind of main dishes on a big metal tray in small metal pots, plus a raita (yoghurt salad), a dessert. Besides these you can find rice and naan, Indian tandoori bread.

You can always choose between 2 kinds of menu, vegetarian and non-vegetarian (with chicken). The menus contain two same type of main dish, generally "Dal makhani a la Shalimar" which is the speciality of the restaurant's chef, made from assorted lentils in a smooth gravy with cream and a dash of fenugreek. This is my big favorite. The second main dish is always variable, this time "Punjabi ehhole" chickpeas tempered with  whole spices and cooked Punjabi style. The third main dish can be - depends on which menu we order - "Shahi paneer" paneer cooked in an opulent tomato and cream gravy with fenugreek, or "Chicken curry" diced chicken breast simmered with a fine balance of spices and herbs. The dessert is always "Gulab jamun" which are fried milk balls in a syrup with a hint of rosewater and cardamom.

And one more thing which is very important: the waitor, waitress always asks how hot do you want your dishes. Keep on your mind that an Indian chef's taste buds are not the same as ours therefore who generally can't stand the hot, ask without hot spices because the mild also comes off quite hot. I who can stand the hot flavours compared to the average, always order my food mildly hot but I also sweat a bit from it. :)

Shalimar Indian Restaurant

Address: 1072 Budapest, Dob utca 50.

Open: every day 11:30-16:00 and 18:00-23:30

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Pâte sablée - French sweet shortcrust pastry

For the long weekend my mum visited me and besides our other programmes, we - as always - prepared some desserts. We didn't know at the very beginning what exactly it will be but something from my new book, Pastry: Savory and Sweet by Michael Roux. Something sweet, something easy and small.

I opened the book, looked through the more and more delicious sweet-salty recipes then finally I chose a French sweet shortcrust pastry, the pâte sablée. Honestly my dough needed a little bit more flour than the original recipe says but after adding some extra flour the result was perfect, with perfect smell and perfect texture.

Maybe I haven't mentioned yet but my favorite ingredient of cakes, cookies is the lemon zest. Generally I put in almost every kind of desserts what it fits to and doesn't vary too much from. That's what I missed little bit also from this pastry so next time I will grate some lemon zest in the dough and put a small package of vanilla sugar as well.

Let's see first this basic but well-variable recipe then in my next post I will share what I have used this pastry for.

Ingredients:

250 g plain flour
200 g slightly softened butter (cut into small pieces)
100 g powdered sugar (sifted)
a pinch of salt
2 egg yolks

Heap the flour on a clean work surface (or as I did, measure it in a big bowl), mix with the powdered sugar and salt. Add the soft butter and crumble it with the flour, add the egg yolks and start kneading. (The original recipe says: "Heap the flour on a work surface and make a well in the centre. Put the butter, powdered sugar and salt in the well. With your fingertips, mix and cream the butter with the sugar and salt, then add the egg yolks and work them in delicately with your fingertips." I personally believe the dough will be also perfect if you use the palm of your hands, not only your fingers. :))

Knead the dough with your hands properly until you get a solid dough (not too soft, not too hard).

When it is ready you can form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling and refrigate until ready to use. You can keep it in refrigator for one week or in freezer for 3 weeks but the best is if you use immediately.

If you prepare your pâte sablée in advance, don't forget to take out from the refrigator on time before using because it takes around 1-2 hours until it softens again and is ready to use.

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Confectionery test 1.0 - Gerbeaud

Gerbeaud is one of the oldest and most famous café and confectionery in Budapest, Hungary. It serves traditional Hungarian desserts, cakes, pastries such as Dobos cake, Esterházy cake and Gerbeaud slice.

History of Gerbeaud

The Gerbeaud was started in 1858 with Henrik Kugler, the 3. child of a conferctionery dynasty. He acquired and prefected his knowledge during his travels in eleven European conutries, including Paris as well.

He opened his first café at József nádor Square (close to the Gerbeaud's current location) which was known as "the best ice-creams in Pest" soon. In 1870 the café moved to Vörösmarty Square. These years the Gerbeaud's coffee, special liqueurs, bon-bons, tortes and mignons were the most popular among Budapesters. Among its guests we can find the famous Hungarian composer, Franz Liszt as well.

In 1882 Kugler met for the first time Emil Gerbeaud in Paris during his journey. (Emil Gerbeaud was born in Geneva and also came from a confectionery family. He also travelled a lot within Europe to gain experiences.) 2 years later he invited the famous French confectioner to Budapest in order to make him business partner. 

Emil introduced a lot innovations, from the café's offerings via products till the new equipments of his bakery. The café's name became well-known and respected by the end of the century. His baked products were beautifully decorated, his sweets and bon-bons were packaged in special paper boxes by his own design. 

It is worth to look at the Gerbeaud's interior design as well which makes also special the café's atmosphere. 

After some history lessons let's see what you can taste in the legendary Gerbeaud. This summer I tasted three different kind of ice-cream sundaes with one of my best friend, who is also my regular ice-cream eater, cake-tester, Anna. 

Be careful, the Gerbeaud and Tiramisu sundaes' portions are amazingly huge. They were our lunch but replaced our dinner too. :) 

The Gerbeaud's ice-cream

As you can read on the menu, the Gerbeaud's homemade ice-creams are made from fresh ingredients - milk, cream, sugar (How can you see whether it is fresh or not?), eggs - according the traditional cooking and pasteurization process. Their ice-creams don't contain additional artifical colourings or additives.They use only the highest quality ingredients for their products such as Valrhona cocoa powder, Buorbon vanilla, fresh-brewed coffee and the fruit ice-creams are prepared from fresh fruits and fruit puree.

1. Gerbeaud sundae

2 scoops Gerbeaud cake (Valrhona!!), 3 scoops chocolate ice-cream, apricot purée flavoured with apricot pálinka and dried apricot, whipped cream, apricot foam, chocolate sauce and of course Gerbeaud bon-bon.

2. Tiramisu sundae

2 scoops Tiramisu, 1 scoop coffee ice-cream, 1 scoop vanilla ice-cream, 1 scoop banana ice-cream, coffee-amaretto caramel sauce, banana slices, vanilla foam, whipped cream and ladyfinger.

3. Somlói for two people

4 scoops Somlói sponge, 2 scoops vanilla ice-cream, 2 scoops chocolate ice-cream, 2 scoops walnut ice-cream, vanilla foam, 2 chocolate macarons, crispy walnut linzer and whipped cream.

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Hókifli - Traditional Hungarian dessert

This dessert was also made for the garden party yesterday. It was finished up already before lunch as the cheesy crescent rolls.

Hókifli is a traditional Hungarian christmas dessert.

Usually we make 2 different kinds of hókifli at home, it always depends on the occassion what we make it for and how much time we have for preparing. If you want fresh and soft hókifli next day as well, try this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 kg flour

3 egg yolks

5 dkg fresh yeast (+ some lukewarm milk)

40 dkg fat (or 68 dkg butter)

2 dl sour cream

20 dkg sugar

pinch of salt

For the filling:
jam - plum or apricot

Place the flour in a big bowl, mix with the salt and sugar then crumble the fat in it (traditionally we make it with fat, so the dough is softer but if you don't like fat, try with butter). 

Warm the milk, crumble the fresh yeast in it with some sugar and wait for 10 minutes.

Add the egg yolks, the sour cream and the yeast to the flour and start kneading the dough with your hands. Be careful, not knead it for a long time because the fat will melt by your hands' warm. So knead the dough fast!

When it is ready, set aside and let it sit for 1 hour. 

Place the dough on a floured surface, roll to rectangular shape and about 1-2 mm thick. Place the jam in a long thin line by one edge of the dough. Pull the edge of the dough over the filling, then roll it up little bit (the filling not to leak during the baking). Cut about 5 cm pieces and place on the baking paper on an oven pan.

Preheat the oven into 200°C then bake the hókilfi golden brown. (Be careful, the hókilfi is baked very quicky, do not burn it!) When you take the oven pan out from the oven, let it cool for a while then rotate the still warm but not hot hókilfi into powdered sugar.

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Cheesy crescent rolls

Yes, yes, yes, yes!!! Absolute success!!! These cheesy cresent rolls are always big favorite among my friends, colleagues and in our family. Today I was at a garden party where the 64 fresh and soft rolls were disappeared within half an hour.

Ingredients:
70 dkg flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 dl oil
2 dl yoghurt
2 dl milk
5 dkg fresh yeast

For the filling:
25 dkg butter (room temperature)
1 tablespoon salt

For the top:
+ 1 egg
+ 20 dkg cheese

Place the flour in a big bowl, mix it with the sugar then make a hole in the middle. Pour the fluid ingredients in the hole, the yoghurt, oil, lukewarm milk then crumble the yeast in it. Mix the ingredients carefully with a spoon and let it sit for 10 minutes.

10 minutes later knead the dough with your hands and add as much flour as the dough needs until it gets soft but not sticky.

Mix the butter with the salt and divide into 4 parts.

Preheat the oven into 220°C.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Take one, put on a floured surface, roll it to a plate-sized and set aside. Take another piece of dough and roll it as well. Grease 1/4 of the butter mix on the dough and place the other (already rolled) piece on this. Divide this round shape dough into 16 equal pieces with a knife (as you slice a cake). Take one slice and  roll it up starting from its wider edge. Place on the oven pan (far enough from each other because they become twice bigger in the course of baking), grease it with some egg and strew with grated cheese.

Repeat this 3 times more.

Put the oven pan into the preheated oven and bake the rolls until the cheese on their tops gets gold.

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Today's purchase and the books which moves to Stockholm with me

My new happiness: Pastry: Savory and Sweet by Michael Roux. I have made eyes at it for a long time since I have read a lot of good reviews about it at many forums but I have procured only today. There is big happiness now! Recipe books can never be enough. I buy many for myself and I also get many as present.

When I arrived home with the next piece of my collection under my arm I have looked through which books move with me to Stockholm. Some has already been there but let's see what is still here in Budapest.

But let's switch over to Michael Roux's book. This French-born man is one of the most celebrated chefs in UK nowadays. From his bio we can see how joung he started his profession. At the age of 14 he became a patissier, he opened his first restaurant (Le Gavroche) in London in 1967. It was the first restaurant in Great Britain which gained 1, 2 then 3 Michelin stars. His well-known restaurant, the Waterside Inn was opened 5 years later. He got many awards, nominations during the years as appreciation of his work.

In this book Michael Roux covers ten popular types of dough, including short crust, brioche, puff, choux, croissant, and filo, provides step-by-step instructions and kitchen tips that ensure perfect results, everything illustrated with color photographs. When I opened the book for the first time I was smitten with the classic and contemporary recipes for finished pastry dishes (for instance: Quiche Lorraine, Classic Pizza, Apple Tart, Pecan Pie etc.) On the face of it, high quality paper was used for the book, photos and illustrations are excellent, and reading into the recipes it seems the result will be perfect.

These are the first impressions about the book but I will also share my experiences during the making of the certain pastry. 

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