Hungarian Kifli: My First Yeasted Cookie

I’ve been baking since my early teens and, if you know me, that was a way long time ago. Never, in all those years, have I ever made a yeasted cookie. I didn’t even know they existed. It was only through serendipity that I found myself making a batch for guests.

 

A good friend’s parents come to visit for a month from Florida each year to help her with projects, see their grandson, and have a change of scenery. We always invite them over at least once to share a meal and catch up. This year I wanted to do something Hungarian, as they are originally from that country. 

 

My first thought was to make langos, a traditional fried bread that is served with garlic cloves rubbed over it. I used to order it every time I ate at Bravo Fono at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. That restaurant has since closed and I really miss the taste of langos. But I am not fond of deep frying and rarely have that much vegetable oil in the house, so I nixed that idea. My thoughts turned to something sweet, my bailiwick. 

 

Looking up different types of Hungarian cookies, I happened upon the kifli, a crescent-shaped cookie made from a yeasted dough and filled with a meringue/nut mixture. I was intrigued as the dough not only took yeast, but basically had no sugar, and there was very little sugar in the filling. A sweet treat that is only faintly sweet. Sounded perfect.

 

And so I embarked on a new baking experience. The yeast mixture is very quick to make, just a few minutes, and then the dough is split in two, shaped into flat rounds and rests in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours (or overnight). The filling is basic, with whipped egg whites, ground walnuts (or almonds), a bit of sugar and a tinge of lemon juice. Again, just a few minutes time. Each dough round is rolled out into a circle, cut into 8 pie-shaped wedges and then each wedge is filled with the meringue mixture before rolling up and bending it into a crescent shape. (Actually, bending probably isn’t necessary, but I was following the recipe.)

 

A twenty-minute bake and a sprinkling of powdered sugar and you have some of the most lovely cookies that pair well with both tea and coffee. Again, not remarkably sweet and with a slight crunch from the ground nuts. They were a hit and the three experts claimed I hit the Hungarian nail on the head. And given that they were quite large, they worked perfectly the next morning as a breakfast pastry. Bonus!

 

Recipe after the jump….

 

A New Twist on an Old Favorite: Grapefruit Curd

 

I’ve been making lemon curd for close to 30 years. Initially, I would make a batch and refrigerate it, as I couldn’t find directions on how to can it. It seemed so much more delicate than jam or preserves. And given that it has eggs and butter, I was a fairly new and nervous canner. I remember calling in to a radio show my dad listened to when a well-known chef was on discussing canning. Question asked and answered. From then on, I have made double and triple batches at one time and canned that lemon curd safely.

 

Three weeks ago, my brother picked about 20 pounds of Meyer lemons and we met in Oxnard for a long weekend, part of which was spent canning lemon curd. Fifteen jars of it! We have since been in the California desert visiting family and getting a bit of respite from the freezing mountain temps. 

 

My godmother lives in a gated community called The Citrus, and throughout the property are lemon, mandarin, orange, and grapefruit trees. Residents (and guests) are allowed to pick all the fruit they want. Since I had my handy dandy canner with me (doesn’t everyone travel with one?), I thought I would give grapefruit curd a try, given their abundance this time of year. 

 

These were lovely ruby red grapefruits, bursting with bright pink juice. I used roughly the same recipe as with lemon curd, with one exception. Grapefruit juice is fairly mild in its singular form, but when boiled down you get a much more intense flavor that works well in the curd. I also threw in a bit of lemon juice to brighten/complement the flavor just a bit.

 

Needless to say, it was a hit. I ate it straight from the jar, but am looking forward to going home and making some crumpets on which to serve it. Nothing like a good crumpet with all its holes filled with curd to make me swoon. And you will too.

 

So here it goes…..

 

Grapefruit Curd

2 cups fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice

¼ cup lemon juice

7 tablespoons grapefruit zest

1 pound sugar

1 stick butter

8 eggs, lightly beaten

 

Boil the grapefruit juice down until you have 1 cup.

Before eggs....look at that color!

 

Combine juice, zest, sugar, and butter in double boiler over simmering water until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. (I often use a very heavy bottom pan in lieu of a double boiler and it works if the heat is kept low enough and you stir constantly.)

 

Pour one ladleful of hot liquid into eggs, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Repeat at least twice to warm up the eggs and keep them from curdling. Once warm, whisk the egss into the hot mixture, stirring constantly. 

 

Cook, stirring, until thick (about 20 minutes). 

 

Remove from heat, cool, and store in the refrigerator. If you want to can these, it will take 20 minutes in a hot water bath 

 

YIELD: approximately 5 cups.