Eastern Europeans have a charming tradition of offering "cake and coffee" to any guest who visits, expected or unexpected. That means some type of dessert has to be on hand in the pantry at all times. Those that are moist and have a long shelf life like Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Nut Roll, Strudel, Bread Pudding and those that can be pulled together quickly are the darlings of the Eastern European cook. Here are 10 to try.
1. Royal Mazurek
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
A Mazurek is a flaky, flat Polish pastry traditionally served at Easter time. But its buttery crust has made it mandatory at any special occasion year-round. This mazurek is "royal" because the dollops of preserves in the latticework resemble the jewels in a crown.
2. Almond Torte
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Almond Torte is one of those cross-cultural desserts that uses the Eastern European bounty of almonds.
3. Polish Strawberry Meringue Tart
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
The crackly meringue topping is a surprising addition to this strawberry tart as is the yeast in the flat, flaky dough. Delicious!
4. Cream Cheese Pound Cake
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
This buttery pound cake is at home in any Eastern European kitchen. The dense crumb soaks up strawberries in their juices or peaches and raspberries with a little black currant sauce. A dollop of whipped cream really dresses this cake up.
5. Croatian / Serbian Nut Roll
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
This is one of the moistest nut rolls I've had the pleasure to taste. The recipe comes to me by way of Sophia Saliwonczyk.
6. Polish Poppyseed Bread Pudding ("Makowki")
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Poles are very fond of poppyseeds. This bread pudding, known as "makowki," is actually more like a trifle. The dessert is unbaked, uses no eggs and is layered and refrigerated overnight.
7. Hungarian Stacked Pancakes
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Hungarian Stacked Pancakes ("Rakott Palacsinta") is a cake made with sweet "crepe"-like pancakes layered with fruit fillings, sweetened ground nuts and cream cheese. But this is just one recipe. The varieties are limited only by your imagination!
8. Funnel Cakes
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
This no-yeast version of a Polish "paczki," or doughnut, is a crispier version of typical fair food. It has a similar taste to Polish "chrusciki" or angel wing dough.
9. Twice-Baked Cookies
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
Eastern European Jews call this twice-baked cookie "mandelbrot," but every country has its version. Italians have biscotti, Brits and South Africans have rusks, and beschuits (zwiebacks) are popular in the Netherlands. This buttery recipe is perfect dunked in coffee.
10. Sweet Cabbage Strudel
© 2008 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.
This recipe comes from Gale Gand, chef and co-owner of Tru Restaurant in Chicago and the Cenitare Group Restaurants in Wheeling, Ill. Her Hungarian grandmother, Elsie, was a resourceful cook. When apples were too expensive to purchase, she substituted cabbage to good effect.
