Rigó Jancsi

For someone who's traveled quite extensively throughout Europe I never managed to make it to Hungary.  Had I known earlier about their famous cake, Rigó Jancsi, I might have made it more of a priority to visit.   Named after a famous Hungarian violinist, the cake is composed of two layers of  chocolate sponge filled with a whipped chocolate cream then covered in chocolate ganache.  A true chocolate extravaganza!

I had no idea this classic dessert existed until I saw it included in the latest volume of Bake from Scratch.  To be honest I'm not the hugest fan of chocolate but there was something about the sharp, clean lines of this entremet that really stood out to me.  Plus, the fact that it didn't use too much sugar is always welcome in my book.  For any chocoholic in your life this dessert is right up their alley.  Light and creamy but still decadent it's the perfect companion to a cup of coffee or tea. 

 

For portioning the cake I started with long rectangular slices, but after having a taste of how rich the cake was I ended up cutting the rectangles in half.  This yielded 36 perfectly sized pieces that can easily feed a crowd. 

TWD Hungarian Shortbread

Any time a recipe is a bit unorthodox, whether it be ingredients or technique, I'm instantly intrigued and perhaps a little skeptical.  Such was the case with this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe, Hungarian Shortbread. It didn't make sense - a shortbread that was: a) Hungarian [apparently because of the jam filling] , b) contained eggs and c) grated in to the pan?  Say what?

I'd heard of recipes where cold pastry dough was grated in to a pie pan and pressed in to place, thereby eliminating the need for a rolling pin, but this was different.  The recipe specifically said NOT to press the grated dough in to the pan..just spread it evenly.   Ok, I played along, but I definitely had my reservations.

True to its word, once in the oven the dough settled in to the pan like it was supposed to.  Although the shortbread was tasty I wish it had been crispier, like the traditional cookie.  Perhaps it was the inclusion of eggs that was the culprit since shortbread is normally just made with butter, sugar and flour?  Maybe next time I'll leave it out. 

You can find the actual recipe at 1smallkitchen and the not so exciting adventures of a dabbler.