Whenever we return to my in-laws, my m.i.l make this delicious Hungarian
dessert for us. Although I love the dessert, I resisted from making it
at home because I didn't want to know the calories which go inside it.
But I was craving it very much today! So, I quickly checked online for a
recipe. It is a good thing to know that it requires simple ingredients
which is easily available at home and not as high-calorie as I thought.
As
I am typing this, the floating island is still being chilled in the
fridge. I did have a small sample of it. It is definitely not as good as
my m.i.l's. oh well...it is my first attempt after all.
I found
the process of boiling the beaten egg-white (island) a bit too delicate
for me to handle; which created a mess. The "island" tasted salty ;
while the milk is not thick enough ..may be it is due to that I halved
the recipe... However, I do see myself making this again :) Just that I
won't be serving it to any Hungarian guests soon..haha.
If made
right, the island should be firm and light and the milk should have a
consistency of light cream and give a scent of vanilla.
Madártej (Hungarian floating islands)
Ingredients for 6 portions: (I halved the recipe)
1 l milk
4 eggs
100 g + 2 spoonfuls sugar *** too sweet for me1 teaspoonful flour
1 pinch of salt
1 pod of vanilla *** you may substitute with vanilla sugarMethod :
Divide the eggs and whip the whites with the salt. When it is rather stiff add 2 spoonfuls of sugar and whip until glossy.
Warm
the half of milk with the vanilla pod in a shallow saucepan and put
dumplings of egg white into it with the help of a tablespoon. Boil the
both sides of the dumplings for 1 minute each, then take them out on a
sieve. Repeat it until all the egg whites are consumed. Don't overcrowd
the pan because the dumplings grow during boiling.
Mix the egg
yolks with the rest of sugar and beat until light and foamy. Add the
flour, bit by bit the cold milk and in the end sieve the hot milk into
it.
Boil the cream with continous stirring on low heat until thickens. Don't let it boil.
Divide immediately into small bowls and top with the white dumplings. Serve chilled.
I have been wondering how to make the Hungarian kókusz golyó ( literally coconut balls) for quite sometime. My search online brought me to this recipe. Looks easy enough for me. And I'm telling you now it is very easy to
prepare! Just make sure you make it a day in advance of the day you plan
to serve it.
I've scaled down the recipe to suit the quantity of biscuits in hand (about 110g crushed); which yield about 18 balls. The end result I think is quite similar to the original and B said so ,too :)
Note to self
1) Replaced Nice biscuits to local Győri Albert biscuits - scale down to 110g
2) Replaced sweetened condensed milk to home-made sugar syrup -50g sugar + 20ml hot water
3) Used essence of rum instead
4) Soaked raisins (sultanas) in sugar syrup, rum and vanilla extract before adding to dry ingredients.
A dish of peas, that's the result I got from the translator. This dish
can be served as a starter or eaten as main meal together with meat
fillets. I've always love anything-peas, so it's no surprise that this
dish is one of my favourie Hungarian dishes. It's great especially on cold
autumn and winter days...I simply eat them with bread, delicious :)
The translated recipe is as follows :-
Zöldborsófőzelek
Ingredients
300gm green peas (fresh or frozen)
Oil , for sauté
Salt, to taste
Marjoram , a pinch
2-3 Tbsp of Sugar or sweetener (you may adjust to taste)
Milk , enough to cover peas
3 Tbsp flour, as thickener (you may adjust to taste, although I find the result thicker than the ones I usually have)
Parseley, finely chopped
Method
1) Heat a little oil on a sauce pan, add green peas and cook for 5-6 mins.
2) Next add salt, marjoram and sugar to the green peas, and stir a little. Pour in the milk enough to cover peas.
3)
Mix flour with a little milk and put aside. When peas are soft, stir in
the flour mixture. Stir it for a few minutes and remove from heat.
4) Finally add finely chopped parsley before serving.
Barley is usually prepared as sweet drink back home, never have I seen
it being used in savoury dishes until I came here. I have to say that it
took me some time to get used the savoury barley. Then last winter, I
came accross this recipe and I am loving the savoury option more and more :)
I've just eliminated potatoes from the original recipe but added
zuchinni and roasted pepper (not added yet in the photo). Simple
ingredients but full of flavours !
Barley & Sausage
recipe via 80 Breakfasts
Ingredients
1/2 cup barley, cooked as per package instructions
200 grams country sausage, sliced
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1 big white onion, sliced into half moons
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
a pinch dried thyme
a pinch fennel seeds
olive oil
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Method
1) Cook barley as per package instructions. Set aside.
2) Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onions and potatos and sautee for a couple
of minutes. Add garlic, dried thyme, and fennel seeds. Toss. Add
sausage and sautee until potatoes are soft, onions are slightly golden,
and sausage is nice and seared in places.
3) Add cooked barley and
toss so everything is evenly mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper
and sautee a bit more just to mingle flavors. Take of heat and serve.
4) Serves 2.
