Hungarian Peach Cobbler by Clara M. Czegeny- author of Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes

THE ULTIMATE PEACH COBBLER

by Clara M. Czegeny

Author of 

Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes

 TM ©

 

 

Originally an English creation, a cobbler refers to a variety of dishes consisting of a fruit or savoury filling poured into a large baking dish and covered with a batter, biscuit, or pie crust before being baked. Unlike a pie, cobbler never contains a bottom crust.

~~~~~~

When fully cooked, the surface has the appearance of a cobbled street. The name may also derive from the fact that the ingredients are "cobbled" together.

~~~~~~

PEACH FILLING
4 cups of fresh sliced peaches
1/3 cup white sugar + extra if needed
juice of 1 whole lemon
¼ tsp of salt
½ tsp of cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp almond extract
½ tsp nutmeg (grated)

 ~~~~~~
SPONGE CAKE BATTER
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup of flour
2 tsp of baking powder
¼ tsp of salt
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
¾ cup of milk or...
(½ sour cream (or yogurt) + ½ milk)
1 tsp almond extract

~~~~~~

DIRECTIONS
1.    Preheat the oven to 350o F.
2.    Place cubed butter into bottom of an oblong baking dish and place in oven while warming to melt.
3.    Clean and cut up in wedges 4 large ripe peaches. Do not remove skin. (adds a gorgeous orangey pink colour to sauce) Set aside.

~~~~~~
4.    Remove baking with melted butter and set aside.
5.    In saucepan, add peaches, sugar, nutmeg, salt, extract and lemon juice and bring to a boil and sauté for about 10 minutes – (Just until peaches start to release juice) (Adjust lemon and sugar to taste) Remove from heat and set aside.
6.    In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
7.    In a larger bowl, combine egg and milk, sugar and sour cream (optional)
8.    Add dry ingredients in thirds and gently combine.

~~~~~~
9.    Pour the batter over the melted butter but DO NOT MIX OR STIR.
10.    Spoon on the peach mixture (including all the juices) evenly over the top and DO NOT STIR. Leave as is. Chemistry will happen in the oven. Seriously, the batter will rise to top during baking and cover the peaches in a hap-hazard cobbled fashion.
11.    Bake for about 40 minutes or until lightly golden. Insert a toothpick and if comes out clean it’s ready.

12.    Cool about 10 minutes before serving.
13.     To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream - or both!

~~~~~

For this recipe and over 440 other Hungarian Heritage Recipes from Chef Helen Czegeny,

visit

http://www.helenshungarianheritagerecipes.com/

Fall In Love With Hungarian Food by Clara Czegeny

Fall In Love With Hungarian Food! 

..Fall In Love With Hungarian Food -
For The First Time or A Lifetime!...

Hungarian cuisine is ingenious, flexible, imaginative and full of flavour.  The flavours of Hungary will satisfy any palate. If you recall the family meals you ate as a child as the best tasting ever, then your memory serves you right. That's because the primary ingredient was love. Preparing and eating food close ties to your ethnic roots can, and does make for more enjoyment and fonder memories.

Ethnic cooking is an important family bonding agent that also links us to our ancestral roots. It is one element of a shared commonality that must be passed down to each generation. You can sometimes glean history from a country’s dishes.  Such is the case with Hungary. In Budapest, patriotism is kept alive through the old dishes and traditions. Desserts are named for composers, emperors, counts and operas. To appreciate the dishes and desserts of old Hungary, we've include a section on Hungary’s history and background.
 

Helens Hungarian Heritage Recipes cookbook contains over 440 mouth-watering,  and time-honoured classic recipes. We have included the ever-popular Hungarian classic specialties such as: Gulyás Leves, Nokedli, Csirke Paprikás, Pörkölt, Töltött Káposzta, Lesco, Kolbász, Palancsinta, Rétes and Dobos Torta.

These are just some of my favourites; I hope you will find yours in the pages of this great cook. From the spice meaty goulash to the paper thin strudels, you will most certain find one you will love.

And remember...

                                                                                    Put a little Paprika in you Life! 

7,000 Global Customers Can't be Wrong!

 

http://www.helenshungarianrecipes.com/

Hungarian Food, Gastronomy And Cuisine (What You Didn't Know And Were Afraid To Ask)

By far, the simplest way to learn about a nation is through its cuisine. In Budapest, patriotism is kept alive through the old dishes and traditions. Desserts are named for composers, operas, emperors and counts.

Hungarians are thought to only consume fatty, heavy cream-laden dishes. Another misconception is that the key ingredient to all dishes is the throat-burning hot red paprika. Sorry to have to disappoint you, but the sweet red paprika is used to enhance the flavour and the colour of the dishes whereas the hot red paprika adds the burn that some crave. Bacon grease can be substituted with vegetable or grape seed oils. But a friendly reminder about ingredient judgments, the amount of bacon grease Hungarian's use in meat dishes, is equivalent to what you will find on a Harvey's Bacon Cheeseburger.

History tells us that the first people to live in present-day Hungary were called Magyars, who arrived in around A.D. 800. Hungary's National Dish, a meat stew called gulyás (goulash) can be traced to the Magyars' eating habits. They traveled with the dried cubes of meat cooked with onions. Water was easily added to make a stew. So the story is told; the Gulyás (herdsmen) made Gulyás (shepherd's stew). The soup is called Gulyás Leves. And although the connection to Hungarian food and goulash is famous throughout the world, there is so very much more to Hungarian's delicious and flavourful cuisine than this renowned soup.

15th Century

The reign of King Matthias (1458-1490) is recorded to be a high point in Hungarian history, for both food and culture alike. King Matthias brought Italian cooking to Hungary through his Italian wife, Queen Beatrice and during this period, cooking was raised to a fine art.

16th Century

In the sixteenth century, when the Turks invaded Hungary, they brought their unique cooking customs along with them. Some of their foods were: paprika and a thin, flaky pastry called Filo (or phyllo) dough. Recorded history goes on to share that some new cooking traditions were started as the Turks taught the Hungarians how to cook. They shared their methods of stuffing peppers and eggplants. Coffee was also introduced to Hungary by the Turks.

17th -20th Century.

From the seventeenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century was labeled as the period of Austrian Rule where Austria's Hapsburg Monarchy (1526-1867): gained total control over Hungary. During this time, the prevalent German and Austrian cooking styles influenced the Hungarians' eating habits. It was believed that during this period that Hungary became famous for its cakes and pastries. Officially, from 1867-1918, the Hapsburgs ruled & Austria-Hungary.

Hungarian food is often chastised as too greasy or too fatty; however, this classic old world cuisine has more flavour and appeal than most people think.

Probably the best known ingredient in Hungarian food is paprika, the red powdered spice. Its flavour and colour is prominent in countless Hungarian dishes. Other everyday staples of Hungarian cooking include: onions, cabbage, potatoes, noodles and caraway seeds. Both cream and sour cream are used rather heavily in the Hungarian kitchen to soften flavours, add creamy texture and a subtle tang.

Dumplings (Nokedli) of all sorts, shapes and sizes are very popular. Other popular staples like cabbages and green peppers are used in countless ways. The most popular and well-known method is stuffed cabbage rolls. Peppers are also stuffed; with various ground meats, spices and rice. Another favourite is the French version of pancake/crepes called Palacsinta. It is popularly prepared as an appetizer, meal and dessert and is often rolled around apples, cottage cheese, noodles and shredded ham.

Hungarians are well-known to consume a tremendous amount of meat; mostly pork or beef. Chicken is a close second after red meats as a popular poultry staple. Many meat dishes are dredged in flour, egg and coated with bread crumbs and then fried or baked.

A vast array of sausages is produced in Hungary. The two most popular smoked sausages are Csabai Kolbász and Gyulai Kolbász. Hungary's different regions all have their own sausage recipes and tastes - all delicious.

Porkolt seems to rank high on the votes as Hungary's National dish. It is slowly braised stew which uses onions and paprika to create the delicious saucy gravy. The dish they call goulash, or Gulyás, is actually a soup made with meat and paprika. Paprika is also a key ingredient in another national dish; a fish soup called Halászlé.

Throughout the world, the Hungarians are well-known for their elegant tortes, pastries and squares. The Turks brought the beautifully flaky pastry dough called Filo or phyllo to Hungary in the seventeenth century. The Hungarians fill the phyllo dough with their own ingredients to make a dessert known as Rétes or strudel. Rétes fillings include apples, cherries, and poppy seeds.

Hungary is also very well known for its wines, especially the Tokaji Aszú, a sweet dessert wine grown in the region of Tokay.

Don't be shy - give Hungarian Food a try - you will be so happy you did!

You will find all the original Hungarian Recipes from European old world cookery in Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes TM. Over 440 recipes that will be sure to bring back memories of your grandmother in the kitchen. These classic recipes have been 70 years in the making. All the aromas and flavours that just make for warm and comforting meals.

Treat yourself to a new style of eating. Simple, flavourful, fresh ingredients and absolutely delightful.

Clara M. Czegeny is self-proclaimed Hot Hungarian Chef and Author of Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes TM Cookbook. For free Recipes and more on Hungarian Food, visit http://www.helenshungarianrecipes.com/

CABBAGE ROLLS - Töltöt Káposzta

CABBAGE ROLLS - Töltöt Káposzta

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are a Classic Hungarian dish that almost everyone world-wide recognizes. No wedding celebration would be complete without large pots of these tightly rolled bundles of meat and rice held by soft wrappers of cabbage. The rolls lay in a bed of silky sauerkraut with hints of smoky bacon. Cabbage and sauerkraut combine to make a mellow dish. Once you sample this dish, you are hooked! When we were growing up, we preferred the Cabbage Rolls in tomato sauce – that way we were able to smother the bread with sour cream and dip it into the juice and cabbage pieces. My dad preferred a more smoky bacon flavour without the tomato. In order to please everyone, mom prepared it both ways. On one occasion, she came up with a brilliant compromise; she combined both ingredients. It was partially tomato flavour, and partially smoked bacon and sauerkraut. We all loved it and she has made it in this way since then.

Ingredients:

¾ lb each of ground pork, beef & veal
1 cup long grain rice*
1 head green cabbage
1 large onion
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp sweet paprika
⅛ tsp hot Paprika
28 oz Sauerkraut
28 oz tomato juice
2 cups water

Roux (Rántás)
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp bacon fat
½ pt sour cream, garnish

Stuffing/Filling: Grate and sauté onion slightly in a little bacon grease – cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine the following: onions, meat and rice and seasonings. Cabbage Leaves: In a large 6 qt boiling pot of water, place cored cabbage. Pierce centre with a long roasting fork and hold immersed in boiling water. As cabbage steams, the outer leaves start to peel away. Encourage peeling using a large wooden spoon, pushing each leaf down into the boiling water and keep peeling leaves until all are pulled away from the core. When complete, remove all leaves carefully into colander and drain. Then, place all leaves on cutting board. Sort leaves by placing all equal sized leaves together. Trim off thick, middle vein with a sharp paring knife being careful not to tear the cabbage leaf. Larger leaves cut into 2 for smaller rolls. Also, smaller leaves are cut in large juliennes to line the pot.

Rolling: Take 1 leaf at a time, and place 2 tbsp seasoned meat/rice mixture in centre. Roll lengthwise ½ ways and then fold left leafy side over middle. Continue rolling and then tuck right leafy loose end inside with fingers.

Pot Assembly: Start by placing cabbage pieces in bottom of large pan along with 1/3 of the sauerkraut and bits of thickbacon including rind. Add smoked rib or pork hock and/or bacon rinds to the bottom of the cooking pot as well before cabbage rolls. Smokey favours will come up through the pot. Continue in this fashion until all leaves are rolled and placed into the pot. Cover with more cabbage pieces and sauerkraut if desired. Add tomato juice and water to cover. Simmer about 1½ hours on medium heat. Test 1 roll. Remove from heat.

Roux- Rántás: Melt fat and add flour and paprika. Add water and stir until smooth consistency. Add roux back into cabbage pot. You may have to pour off some of the liquid into a small saucepan and cream the thickener from there. Do not stir rolls; just shake the pot so that the sauce penetrates in between the rolls. Serve with fresh bread and generous servings of sour cream. Yield - 24-28 cabbage rolls. Larger cabbage leaves can be cut into ½ to create more uniform sized cabbage rolls.

Soured Cabbage Version: Instead of fresh cabbage you can use soured cabbage (sold fresh out of the barrel at some delis or sealed in a plastic bag. Leaves are more pliable, but you need to rinse thoroughly – it may be quite tangy for most palates. Also – omit 28 oz sauerkraut – you can cut up left over cabbage pieces to place in pot bottom. Less fuss and more flavour in my opinon.Note: Delicious the next day as flavours meld. Freezes well for 3-6 months. *Mom claims that red cabbage is never used for cabbage rolls, otherwise – both are fair game in most dishes.

For more amazing great authentic Hungarian Cabbage recipes - please visit our
website at http://www.helenshungarianrecipes.com/ (Free Recipes)

Enjoy
Hot Hungarian Chef
AKA Clara


===================
Clara's Sister Anne Lindsay congratulatory cookbook note says..."Clara and my mother Helen co-authored these amazing treasured Hungarian family recipes.

So, whether you crave Chicken Paprikas or Almas Retes, this authentic, beloved, cherished and Hungarian Heritage Recipe collection includes a vast array of national favourites, from appetizers through desserts. Learn about, create, and taste the flavours and culinary traditions of Hungary - from Cabbage Rolls to Poppy seed and Walnut Rolls and the famous regal Dobos Torte. It must have been an amazing task - God bless you both! Great Job!