Zserbó Szelet

Here's a recipe that's a tradition in our family. I'll post pictures when it's done and out of the oven.

Zserbó Szelet (pronounced zherbo selet)

Pastry:

350g flour
1 egg
50g sugar
200g butter (almost two sticks)
.1l milk (100g)
10g yeast (1 packet)
pinch of baking powder
pinch of salt

Filling:

120g ground walnuts
120g powdered sugar
200g raspberry jam

Topping:

4tbs cocoa
4tbs sugar
50g butter
Egg white

Directions:

Mix the yeast in the lukewarm milk with one cube of sugar. Mix the flour and butter. Add the yeast mixture, sugar, egg, pinch of baking powder and pinch of salt. Knead well. Divide the dough into 3 parts. Roll each out into a 35x25 cm sheets (10x14"), but don't roll all the way to the edge since it will rise from the yeast.

Spread the lower sheet with half of the jelly, nuts and powdered sugar mixture. Place the other sheet on the first and spread the filling on it as well. Place the third sheet on top to cover. Let rest at room temperature for one hour.

Preheat over to 180C (Gas #2 / 350F). Poke the top layer to prevent bobbling and place in the preheated oven. Bake slowly until the top is light brown (12-15min).

When it's cooled, glaze with the chocolate.

For this mix the cocoa with the sugar and a little water until it's smooth, stirring constantly with a whisk while cooking. Take off the heat and and throw in the butter and stir until the butter has melted. Before pouring the chocolate mixture onto the pastry, add the egg white to the lukewarm chocolate -- it'll make it shiny. Pour it onto the pastry and spread it smooth and allow to harden.

Wait an hour or two.

Cut into slices or cubes.

The most challenging part it working with the filling. It gets to be a sticky gooey mess and it's hard to spread on the delicate dough. Next time we're going to try to add a tablespoon or two of water or vodka to thin things out. Why vodka? To add fluid that quickly evaporates.