Flodni / Fluden

After months and months of researching and hesitating, finally I  found a good reason to make this famous  Hungarian-Jewish cake. Traditionally, it's made in a form of slices (rectangle); I decided to bake it in  form of a round (birthday) cake. It does take time, but it's not overly complicated. Result is so worth; 5 layers of pastry, 4 layers of filling...all melting in your mouth.
Happy birthday my dear M!

Ingredients:
-Pastry
500 g flour
250 g butter, diced
100 g icing sugar
2 yolks
1 egg, beaten (reserve 2 tbs for brushing top pastry layer)
120 ml white wine (or apple juice)
-Poppy seed filling
250 g poppy seeds, grounded
120 g sugar
2-3 tbs honey
120 ml white wine (or apple juice)
zest of 1/2 orange (or lemon, or mandarin)
1-2 tbs rum (optional)
-Apple filling
1 kg apples, peeled and grated (7- 8 apples)
100 g sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs semolina
-Walnut filling
250 g walnuts, grounded
120 g sugar
100 ml white wine (or apple juice)
-Final filling
500 g  (a jar) of thick plum / prune jam
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Method:
Pastry- rub butter pieces with flour (it's ok to use food processor) , add other ingredients and make dough. Divide into 5, cover with a cloth and let it rest.
Poppy seed and walnut fillings- Put all ingredients (separately) in 2 pans; cook for few minutes (I use microwave for this). Let it cool.
Apple filling- Grate apples. Let them rest 5 minutes, then squeeze excess juice. Mix apples with sugar, cinnamon and semolina.
Plum filling- mix plum jam with cinnamon.
Roll out 3 parts of the dough  slightly bigger than tin which you're going to use (25 cm circle in my case); prick with fork and bake each for 5-6 minutes (they will shrink slightly).
Now you have 2 unbaked and 3 baked pastries.
Assembly-
1- Unbaked pastry at the bottom of a cake tin
2- Poppy seed filling
3- Baked pastry
4- Apple filing
5- Baked pastry
6- Walnut filling
7- Baked pastry
8- Jam filling
9- Unbaked pastry
Brush top of the dough with remaining egg, prick with fork and place in oven 180*C for 10 minutes, then lower to 160-170 *C and bake for another 40 minutes. Let it rest overnight before slicing.

Flodni

Nakon mjeseci i mjeseci istrazivanja i neodluke, konacno je stigao dan (i razlog) da pokusam napraviti ovaj poznati Madjarsko-Jervejski kolac.  Tradicionalno se pravi u obliku pravougaonika; Ja sam odlucila da ga napravim  u okruglom obliku (rodjendanske) torte. Treba vremena za njega, ali nije pretjerano komplikovan. Rezultat vrijedi ulozenog truda; 4 sloja razlicitih filovanja, odvojeni sa 5 slojeva tijesta, koji se tope u ustima.
Sretan rodjendan mom  dragom M!


Potrebno:
-Tijesto
500 gr brasna
250 gr maslaca, sjecenog na kockice
100 gr secera u prahu
2 zumanca
1 jaje, umuceno (odvojite 2 K za premazivanje)
120 ml bijelog vina (ili soka jabuka)
-Fil od maka
250 gr maka, mljevenog
120 gr secera
2-3 K meda
120 ml bijelog vina (ili soka jabuka)
ribana korica 1/2 narandze (limun ili mandarina)
1-2 K ruma (po zelji)
-Fill od jabuka
1 kg jabuka, izrendanih (7-8 jabuka)
100 gr secera
1-2 k cimeta
1 K griza

-Fil od oraha
250 gr mljevenih oraha
120 gr secera
100 ml bijelog vina (ili soka jabuka)
- Fil od dzema
500 gr (1 tegla) gustog dzema od sljiva
1/2 k cimeta (po zelji) 
Nacin: 
Umijesite tijesto (utrljajte maslac u brasno i dodajte ostale satojke), podijelite na 5, pokrijte i ostavite odmarati.
Stavite sastojke za filove od maka i oraha u 2 odvojene posude. Prokuhajte par minuta (ja sam to radila u mikrovalnoj). Ostavite prohladiti.
Jabuke izrendajte, ostavite 5-10 minuta, onda istisnite sok. Pomijesajte jabuke sa secerom, cimetom i grizom.
Pomijesajte dzem sa cimetom.
Razvucite 3 kruga ili cetvorougaonika malo veca od vase tepsije. Nabodite tijesto i pecite svaki krug oko 5-6 minuta. 
Slaganje-
1- Nepeceni krug tijesta (na dno tepsije / obruca)
2- Fil od maka
3- Peceni krug tijesta
4- Fil od jabuka
5- Peceni krug tijesta
6- Fil od oraha
7- Peceni krug tijesta
8- Fil od dzema
9- Nepeceni krug tijesta 
Premazite povrsinu sa preostalim umucenim jajetom, nabodite viljuskom i smjestite u rernu na 180*C oko 10 minuta, zatim smanjite na 160-170*C i pecide jos 40 minuta dodatno. Najbolje rezati sljedeci dan!

Poor Man Plum / Prune Pie

End of September and beginning of October is busy time in Bosnia. All the fruit and vegetables have to be picked and stored for winter. My birth town (and surrounding aerie) is famous for growing prunes. They're mostly used for making jams,  rakia  (sljivovica) and desserts.
This is one of my favourite prune / plum desserts. Quick and easy!

Ingredients:
Prunes (or plums)
Flour
Oil, neutral tasting
Sugar (if plums not very ripe)
Method:
Preheat oven to 180*C. Grease baking dish(es) and dust with flour.
Open each plum and destone it. Shake plums with some flour (in a bag or bowl). Place a layer of plums onto dishes (if plums not very ripe sprinkle with some sugar), drizzle with oil and repeat with another layer and drizzle of oil. Bake for 20 minutes, or until plums release juice and become golden on top. Let it cool and serve with cream / custard / ice cream.


  In Japan Prune trees are considered as God's trees!
 
  U Japanu sljive se smatraju bozanskim drvetom!

Šljivopita - nekadašnji desert siromašnih


Kraj septembra i pocetak oktobra su mjeseci kada se voce i povrce u nasim krajevima ubire i priprema za zimu. Moj rodni grad  i okolica su poznati po uzgoju sljiva. Uglavnom se koriste za pripremu dzemova, rakije i  razlicitih deserta. Jedan od meni najdrazih je svakako ova 'pita' koja se uglavnom pravila u siromasnijim porodicama i sa veoma malo sastojaka. Brza i ukusna!

Potrebno:
Sljive
Brasno
Ulje, neutralnog mirisa
Secer (ako sljive nisu dovoljno zrele)

Nacin:
Ukljucite rernu na 180*C. Nauljite posudu (ili vise manjih) za pecenje i pobrasnite.
Otvorite svaku sljivu i odstranite kospicu. Protresite sljive sa brasnom (u posudi ili kesi). Stavite red sljiva na pripremljenu posudu, pospite sa malo secera, pospricajte uljem. Ponovite postupak jos jednom, pa stavite peci na oko 20 minuta, ili dok sljive ne puste sok i postanu zlatno-zute na povrsini. Prohladite i servirajte sa tucenim vrhnjem, rjedjim pudingom ili sladoledom.

Semolina Dumplings Stuffed with Plums

This dessert is speciality of Balkan countries. Traditional dough is made with mashed potato and flour - similar to the gnocchi dough. Instead of plums, apricots or even nectarines and peaches can be used as filling.

Ingredients:
Dough-
2 cups water
1 cup semolina
2 tbs oil
pinch of salt
2 tbs sugar
3/4 cup (+) flour
2 small eggs
1 tsp baking powder
Filling-
sugar plums, pitted (or others; if too big half them). I used red plums (halves)
For rolling/ dusting-
bread/biscuit crumbs, poppy seeds, icing sugar
Method:
Bring water, oil and sugar to boil. Add semolina and stir vigorously to make a thick porridge. Let it cool. Beat eggs, then add to the porridge along with enough flour(with baking powder) to make dough. Divide dough into equal pieces with hands dusted in flour (large ice-cream baller can help). Put a plum in the middle of dough and roll between your hands. Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil. Drop 4-6 dumplings into it and cook for 6-8 min, depending on size of balls. Take cooked-ones out on absorbing paper, then roll them into crumb/poppy seed mixture. Dust well with icing sugar and enjoy!


Šljive u knedlama od griza

Knedle sam mijesila po

Sanelinom receptu

s malim izmjenama (1/2 kolicine sam mijesila, dodala sam secer u tijesto i malo vise griza i brasna)

Potrebno:
Tijesto-
1/2 l vode
1 solja griza
2 K ulja malo soli
2 K secera
3/4 solje brasna (+)
2 manja jajeta
1 k praska za pecivo
Fil-
sljive, ociscene od kospica (ako su vece prepolovite ih)
Za uvaljati-
mrvice hljeba ili keksa, mak i secer u prahu
Nacin:
Skuhajte gustu kasu od vode, ulja, secera i griza; prohladite. Dodajte ostale sastojke; umijesite u tijesto. Podijelite na jednake loptice u koje cete stavljati sljive i sa pobrasnjenim rukama oblikovati u loptice. Kuhajte ih u blago zasoljenoj vodi 6-8 minuta, u ovisnosti o velicini knedli.Izvadite knedle i ostavite ih na upijajuci papir da se ocijede. Pomijesajte mrvice sa mako, uvaljajte knedle, pa ih dobro pospite secerom u prahu. Uzivajte dok su tople!

Bishop's Bread

Goodness of dried fruit and nuts that has it's regular place in my boys' lunch boxes.
Great for Christmas and/or Easter.

Ingredients:
180 g sugar
70 g brawn sugar
2 tbs honey
3 eggs
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 tbs rum
200 g flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp gloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
250 g walnuts
250 g dried plums
250 g other dried fruit (apricots, dates, sultanas...)
Method:
Preheat oven to 150-160*C (fan forced); prepare 4 small bread tins - line with baking paper.
Chop all chunky fruits into smaller pieces.
Beat both sugars and eggs until fluffy; mix in lemon zest and juice, honey and rum. Add all dry ingredients on top, follow with fruits and nuts. Mix really well. Divide into prepared tins and bake for 50 minutes. Take out on a wire rack, cool slightly then sprinkle with icing sugar. Cut into thin slices and enjoy!



Biskupski Kruh / Hljeb

Ovakva vrsta 'kolaca' je cesto spakovana mojim deckima za uzinu u skoli. Ja ga volim za dorucak, a pokazao se dobro i kao Bozicni/Novogodisni/Uskrsnji kolac.

Potrebno:
180 gr secera
70 gr braon secera
2 K meda
3 jaja
1 limun, korica i sok
2 K ruma
200 gr brasna
1 k cimeta
1/4 k klincica / karanfilica
1/4 k muskatnog oraha
250 gr oraha, krupno sjeckanih
250 gr susenih sljiva, sjeckane
250 gr drugog susenog voca (kajsije, grozdjice, datule...)
Nacin:
Ukljucite rernu na 150 -160*C (sa fenom), pripremite kalupe - 4 manja - oblozite sa papirom za pecenje.
Umutite secer sa jajima u pjenast masu. Dodajte limun, med i rum. Po povrsini pospite sve suhe sastojke, zatim voce i orahe. Umijesajte dobro, pa rasporedite
u pripremljene kalupe. Pecite oko 50 min. Izvadite na resetku za hladjenje, pospite secerom u prahu. Isjecite tanke reznjeve i uzivajte.