It’s the Sort of Torta You Crave, DOBOS!

The wait is over! I’ve finally decided to make none other than József C. Dobos’ namesake cake: DOBOS TORTA.

A novice baker at heart, I’m far from the talents of many experienced ‘pâtissiers’ but I love a good challenge. Already having made ‘zserbó szelet’ and ‘beigli’, this next baking feat is yet another ‘magyar recept’ – Hungarian recipe – for good eats.

First thing’s first, why have I waited so long to make ‘Dobos torta’? Excellent question! Well, here’s the tea: the melting of sugar to create caramel, which is a requirement for this recipe, is scary – plain and simple! The mere possibility of burning sugar beyond recognition and ruining a pot in the process or risk getting burned by molten sugar is daunting enough that I have forgone the attempt to make this very appealing chocolate buttercream layered cake for years – until now, that is!

Do-bossing it up – in the kitchen – the moment has arrived: it’s DOBOS making time! Getting started, I scour online recipes but with plenty of choices abound and variations to the traditional Hungarian torte along the way, my advice is: find directions that suit your baking style or needs.

Successfully following the “Dobos Torta” recipe found on the Petit Chef’s website, the making of this Hungarian edible treasure is somewhat tedious, definitely time-consuming and yields an “oh-so-worth-it” delicious finale. Similar to my previous baking adventures in which I followed Hungarian recipes, Magyar desserts are undoubtedly flavourful and among European’s finest, but they take time to prepare.

Having no regrets, the making of ‘Dobos torta’ is nothing short of an epic showstopper. Sensuously teasing to the palate, this lovely six layered sponge is not only abundant in nutty hazelnut and intoxicating cocoa-induced velvety frosting, but the ‘pièce de résistance’ is the “not-so-scary” caramel topping, which is easy to declare – post-triumph – given that it is surprisingly more manageable to create than I had first anticipated.

Grateful for yet another mission sweetly accomplished, all I have to say is: I’ve never had to use so many eggs and bowls for a dessert! Humour aside, the outcome upon all the effort invested to bake, assemble and decorate the semi-complex ‘Dobos torta’ can be a truly a gratifying experience for self-taught bakers – like myself – and equally for those who are lucky enough to indulge in a piece or two of this luscious cake. Taking a page out of history to bake up tradition, praises to the late chef, József C. Dobos, whose sponge cake ‘recept’ is a winner in my household – “Köszönöm szépen, thank you very much!”

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Roll With It!

Lately, I’m in the mood for Hungarian pastry. Next on my list of desserts to try is none other than a popular sweet bread roll also known as ‘beigli’. Attempting a first baking feat of the ‘beigli’ kind – ‘chez moi’ – it’s decided: I will make and bake both the poppy seed and walnut-filled varieties because why not?

Options abound, I have my eyes set on a particular recipe courtesy of zserbo.com where there’s plenty of Hungarian dishes to be explored and made. Being the avid baker that I am, there’s no hesitation to forgo the appetizers or mains, and to head straight for the desserts. “Take me to the sweet side!”

Traditionally made and shared for Christmas, beigli can be found in homes and shops abound over the holidays. But, why wait? Clearly in the spirit of good eats, now, I follow the steps and begin to prepare this time-consuming but highly successful recipe. To help, rest assured that you have all the necessary ingredients in advance. From here, heed the recipe’s instructions and await a worthwhile finale – breakfast, afternoon snack, and midnight treat all rolled up in one.

A crowd pleaser ‘chez-moi’, this crumbly dense pastry is stable enough to keep the abundant fillings encased while evoking a buttery rich shortbread-like consistency. Furthermore, the addition of lemon and orange zests brighten the otherwise strong nutty flavours of both the poppy seeds and ground walnuts. Despite my efforts, having used at least two different machines – a grinder and food processor – the only challenge I came across was not being able to pulverize the poppy seeds into a smooth paste. In light of this seedy issue, however, I still managed to turn out wonderfully delicious logs of swirled success. All in all, beigli is a sight to be indulged with the eyes and appetite – just be sure to check your smile post-indulging.

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Gerbeaud’s Zserbó Cake

Is it Gerbeaud or Zserbó? Both are correct! Venturing for a new dessert recipe, I have my eyes on the making of a scrumptious Hungarian treat – Zserbó Cake. Created by a Swiss pâtissier for Hungarian patrons, Emil Gerbeaud’s inventive shortcrust stacked tart-like pastry is popular for good reason: ‘nagyon finom’, it’s delicious.

Named after the originator himself, Gerbeaud Cake is seemingly more of a buttery rich layered jam-filled cookie in texture than a soft moist cake, but that’s in my humble opinion. Cake or cookie, it doesn’t really matter. After all, a piece of this tall and generously layered sheet cookie-cake yields fresh and nutty flavours from its use of apricot jam and ground walnuts.

Already good, ‘as-is’, Zserbó gets better after it’s baked. Filling any kitchen with tantalizingly sweet aromas of palatable pleasantries, the making of these multiple sheets of buttery yeast dough offer a stable foundation for the ultimate layer that is rich chocolate glaze. Some use cocoa powder, but I’m going all in. Chocophile at heart, my take encompasses a 2:1 ratio of dark to milk chocolates that is first melted – over a double-boiler, of course – and additionally lavished with knobs of luxurious butter for a silky and glossy finish to coat the final top shortcrust layer.

Wasting no time, I get baking, making and indulging. It’s seriously ‘that good’. With recipes abound, variations are noted but I ultimately used and tweaked one that worked for me. Hoping for a happy baking expedition, why not bring the Budapest’s renowned Café Gerbeaud home with the creation of your own cookie-cake ‘chez-toi’? From ‘bon voyage’ to ‘bon appétit’ – without the travel and jet lag – Zserbó Cake is an edible souvenir to be relished.

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Peachy Keen Frangipane Tart

Who doesn’t like fruit desserts? Obviously the French do, and who could blame them – can you say, ‘tarte tatin’, ‘galette’, and ‘clafoutis’, to name a few? Yes, indeed, and let’s not forget one more: sweet and creamy, say it is so, buttery almond ‘frangipane’ tart.

‘Berry’ interested in yet another baking adventure, this summer beckons a frangipane tart using summer’s best of seasonal fruits. Following Food and Wine Magazine’s take on a raspberry frangipane recipe, I choose to forgo the ruby jewels – this time – and swap them for peaches. Easy to follow, instructions are pretty straightforward. But to my fellow baking enthusiasts, take note: the ingredient list for the shell forgets – perhaps, ‘accidentally’ – to indicate the need for one egg yolk though, to be fair, it does outline this particular ‘necessity’ in the phrased steps. Averting any and all confusion, now you know!

As for the peaches, I suppose I could blanch and peel some fresh stone fruit. Wanting to enjoy the remaining days of summer, however, why bother? Honestly, I use a can of – conveniently sweet – already peeled and halved canned peaches, leaving me to slice and tastefully arrange these beauties in a neat row and spiral floral display. Before embellishing the tart with fruit, here’s a helpful heads up: the rich almond mixture may spill over the shell – and that’s not uncommon – but, frangipane is too good to waste. Clearly wanting to avoid loss of golden almond cream, you can choose to spread the filling over the blind-baked ‘pâte sucrée’ – sugar pastry – first, and then proceed to arrange the fruit. Truth be told, that’s what I did, and I yielded a fully intact tart with barely any spillage of frangipane. So, yes, I did ignore the recipe’s suggested order of fruit then batter process, but it worked for me – sorry not sorry, Food and Wine Magazine!

F.Y.I.: if you also find yourself with an abundance of fruit from the farmer’s market – or love to bake and share, like ‘moi’ – you can definitely double up on the recipe items to make two tarts. In this case, I use twice the amount of wet and dry ingredients in addition to two large tins of canned peaches – one can will suffice per tart – as well as two tart pans. Worth a mention, I used square and round pans with the removable bottoms, but found the round nonstick pan to release the completely baked and cooled pastry more easily than the ‘stickler’ square. Evidently, the baking struggle is real and lesson learned: instructed to do so or not, always line with parchment – done and done!

Content with the overall outcome, this sweet frangipane dessert is visually stunning and tastes equally fine. The buttery pastry slightly crumbles but still manages to hold the delicate custard-like almond and segmented ‘peach body’ center of fruit, pretty well. Successfully made, I’m feeling peachy keen about this recipe. Best part is: the same shell and batter can be used with various fruits to make all sorts of short crust frangipane treats – the possibilities are endless! So, there it is! You can have summer’s best and a portion of your daily dose of essential vitamins, all thanks to ‘tarte frangipane à la pêche’.

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Persian Love Cake Demystified

What is Persian Love Cake?  New to me, is this cake originally derived from a Persian recipe?  Perhaps, it’s an edible love potion or both? Honestly, even I had to ask these questions, and I’m of Persian heritage. Seriously though, wanting to know the truth behind this Persian inspired treat, I go to the ‘one’ who knows all pertaining to Persian history and facts. The human encyclopedia, herself – ‘maman’ – my mother of course!

Raised in a Persian househeld, I can attest that my family has had our fair share of Persian desserts. Anything and everything including: cream puffs, baklava, chickpea cookies, sponge cakes and ‘bastani sonnati’, to name a few. But, ‘love cake’? Equally unheard of to my ‘source,’ this ‘trending’ cake appears to be an innovative creation that incorporates traditional ingredients commonly mirroring the flavour profiles found in custom Persian sweets. In essence, Persian Love Cake sounds delicious and looks even more visually enticing to feed one’s senses.

Currently popularized or not, this must-indulge item is a sign of the ‘foodie’ times. And, the novice baker-blogger-foodie – and Persian – in me is highly intrigued, and wants to try this cake recipe. Already familiar with and loving the floral notes of cardamom and rosewater, the addition of lemon zest, almond flour and pistachios are other ingredients that will certainly make for a tasty teatime cake. Best of all, the aforementioned ‘necessities’ for this cake venture are already staples in my Persian kitchen. Wasting no time, then, I rely on Food and Wine Magazine’s recipe for Persian Love Cake and get to work. Following simple instructions, this cake is as easy to prepare and assemble as it is to enjoy.

A true ‘beauty’ to behold, the finished cake adorned with dried edible roses and chopped pistachios is not only soft on the eyes but, too, easy on the palette. Rich in butter and almond flour, it is moist in texture, and yields a delicately nutty yet sweet flavour due to a light dousing of simple syrup. Doing things ‘my way’, however, my interpretation of simple syrup is slightly elevated due to the infusion of finely ground saffron. Indeed luxurious, who wouldn’t want a bountiful Persian floral paradise for their love cake?  Needless to say, bring on the flower power – rosewater, dried roses, crocus stems and all!

Exceeding expectations in stunning appearance and taste, I’m pleased with the overall result of this recipe by Food and Wine Magazine. Tried and true, Persian Love Cake has clearly won the heart and appetite of my entire family. As for my final verdict: the fact that I can smell the roses and eat them, too, is enough for me to fall in love with this dessert.  So, yes! Past or recent tradition, Persian Love Cake is worth making, delighting, and sharing with the ones you love.

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Quarantine Days & Chocolate Babka

Like many, this Coronavirus-induced quarantine has inspired me to bake some homemade comfort. Loving all things chocolate, I thought I would give chocolate babka a go. A mission definitely possible, it almost wasn’t so. Again, like the masses, many had the same idea in mind leaving grocery shelves void of yeast, of all things. Though it took a few visits, I’m happy to say I got my hands on a jar of this very necessary ingredient for the making of the best chocolaty bread indulgence, courtesy of Eastern European baking tradition.

Ingredients measured and ready to use, I followed Food & Wine Magazine’s recipe and straightforward instructions for a very successful outcome: two baked loaves of babka with a soft interior yet crispy outer shell embedded with a generous mixture of bittersweet and milk chocolates. Not shying away from simple pleasures, this recipe loves chocolate as much as I do and welcomes a final pouring of chocolate glaze to satisfy any sweet tooth for days. Pleasantly filling my kitchen with tantalizing aromas of heavenly baked buttery and cocoa-infused goodness, who wouldn’t want to bake during a pandemic? I know I do! And, as for those yeast hoarders: all is forgiven.

For novice bakers, I must say: making babka appears daunting at first, but don’t be intimidated. Simply familiarize yourself with the listed steps and watch Youtube demos, as necessary. Truth be told: there really is no shortage of online babka recipes. This one – for me – however, takes the prize! A few glances at Food & Wine Magazine’s still shots of glistening sweet bread where chocolate to bread ratio is superior, was enough to lure me into this delicious endeavour as I’m sure other chocophiles can relate – gimme more cho-co-la-te! All in all, chocolate babka is a welcoming afternoon treat to make, enjoy and share. On that note, stay safely quarantined and happy baking!

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

The Royal Treatment

Afternoons are made for teatime and sweets. Fortunately allergy-free of tree nuts and hungry for more than Planter’s, I find myself in a haven of ‘royal’ pastries at Toronto’s very own, Crown Pastry.

Befitting for all foodie queens and kings, this Middle Eastern bakery is the place for your heart’s desire of crunch-worthy ‘edible jewels’. From almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, coconut, dates and more traditional ingredients, be sure to find them all. What’s better, these two-bite glistening bundles of pastry heaven not only look and taste good, but they do so in great part to being generously encrusted with premium fresh nuts.

Decidedly, for me, it’s not a question of ‘if,’ but ‘what’ shall I choose? When faced with options, indecision may follow. But, worry not! Choosing from an assortment need not take long or be a chore. In this case, here’s what to order: “One of everything, please!”

Sighting pastry for days, there’s truly no shortage of baklava and other sweets including: swar, assabeh, karabiges madd, wardeh, harrisa, knafeh, mammouls and MORE! Visual feasting complete, sampling is long overdue.  Pastry box in hand, who wouldn’t leave this bakery content? As for my overall first impression, Crown Pastries undoubtedly delivers on providing quality products and superb customer service – clearly, the ‘royal’ treatment! Getting my foodie-stamp of approval, catering to your royally sweet baklava cravings is majestically possible at none other than Crown Pastries.

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Our Lady, Notre-Dame

Engulfed by live-streamed media, how can anyone not be affected by the horrific reality of Paris’ beloved Notre-Dame Cathedral? I, like much of the world, knowingly have been moved. Feeling nothing short of shock, disbelief and utter heartbreak, I can’t even imagine how witnesses on-scene had felt, watching everything from the envelope of smoke hovering this national treasure to the final fall of the iconic towering spire, too aflame to withstand the heat.

In great thanks to over 400 firefighters, however, good news is: the fire has been put out, much of the ornate exterior structure still stands, and the global community is stronger than before, ready to co-operate, rebuild and revitalize ‘Our Lady, Notre-Dame.’

Wanting not to dwell on the devastation that is still all too real, the Francophile – in me – would love to share glimpses of the beauty of this gothic-inspired edifice, as I had once seen through my camera lens. Documenting my travels with images, as many do, I’m happy to have captured Parisian landmarks including the aforementioned heritage site. Clearly, this truth is evident more so now than before, and is undoubtedly worth revisiting in timeless photographs.

In rememberance, then, of the glory that was, and in hopes of all that remains to be restored in years to come, I hope lovers of all things French, culture, architecture, and history can appreciate the greatness of the Notre-Dame – Vive la France, vive la Dame!

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2019. All Rights Reserved. 

Christmas in San Fran!

The ‘Painted Ladies’

Russian Hill

Golden Gate Bridge

Festive tidings to all, from – where else – golden San Francisco! Taking in all the sights, from downtown to oceanside, this city is truly a beauty to behold. Clearly loving the car chasing streets once idolized by McQueen – think Bullitt – archicture is rampant and beyond compare.

Time fleeting, however, venturing to the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, the Painted Ladies, Chinatown and more, reign top on my list. Equally, there’s a particular cardio-induced feat that I must share and one that leaves me wanting more – food, that is! Seriously building an appetite, post an uphill climb to Lombard Street, you must not rush your departure from up here. Truly breathtaking, be sure to soak up the marvel that is synonymous with the spectacular city view of Russian Hill’s zigzag streets. Doing just that, I catch my breath and capture a few “Kodak Moments” prior to heading back toward Fisherman’s Wharf.

Lovely weather, we’re having? Yes, indeed! Fresh air galore and barking abound, the famous sea lions of Pier 39 are beckoning. Playful, noisy, and sometimes more concerned with relaxing by the harbour, than anything else, it’s not everyday I get to watch sea mammals, so catching a glimpse is an adventure in of itself. Best of all, Pier 39 is not too far of a stretch from the Christmas Market or Boudin, ‘the place’ for fresh sour dough bowls filled with hot clam chowder – need I say more?

Spirits high with good sights and feasts, San Francisco has easily become one of my new faovurite North American destinations. From exploring rich history to food, natural forests and engineered wonders, there’s a little bit of everything for all that excites your senses. From Dishful to you and yours, Happy Holdays!!

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2018. All Rights Reserved.

© DISHFUL. All Rights Reserved.

Valerie’s Rockin’ Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls, anyone? Surely, many love a well-made cinnamon bun, and there’s good reason why: the soft pull apart dough, that signature spice swirl, and let’s not forget its distinctly sweet and hynotic aroma – the perfect indulgence.

Cleary, stating the obvious, cinnamon rolls are everything you would want a carb-loaded treat to be. But, the real question remains: to buy or to make? Attempting a first – myself – homemade cinnamon rolls are pleasantly achievable thanks to our celebrity friend Valerie. That’s right, Valerie Bertinelli’s recipe for cinnamon buns are a hit! So much so, in fact, anyone can be rocking and rolling this dough recipe.

Following easy to master instructions, I heed Valerie’s steps – click link – and ultimately see myself creating cinnamon rolls in no time. Using precise measurements, as with any dessert recipe, first prepare the dough and allow ample time for it to rise. Once ready to use, roll out the dough and layer the rectangualar surface with some butter and filling. Adding suggested ‘extras’ including pecans and raisins, I begin to tightly roll, cut and arrange the 12 bundles for a second rising. Now ready to bake, I leave the rolls in the oven for the required time of 25 minutes, and then some – mine needed about 12 minutes more, of additional baking time. Needless to say, every oven is different. So use your judgment and bake the rolls until they’re golden brown.

End result is nothing short of magic! Drizzling icing over my baked batch of success, these warm homemade rolls are reminders of the fall season, the holidays, and all things warm and cozy. Seriously good, this recipe is worth keeping and will easily become the “must-have” item for breakfast, brunch or any excuse to simply having bites of delicious around the kitchen. So while I begin to tear into a freshly baked cinnamon roll, here’s to happy baking and VALERIE – THANK YOU!!!

Copyright © DISHFUL, 2018. All Rights Reserved.