Vanillicious.com – Easy Desserts

Crème Pâtissière

Crème pâtissière is basically a custard with some added starch (flour and/or cornflour). It is a rich, flavoured sweet pastry cream that is commonly used as a pastry filling. Good examples are fruit tarts, cakes (napoleon cake), cream puffs,  and when mixing the creme patissiere with freshly whipped cream, it can be used as filling for eclaires, bee sting cake and much more. It can also be baked as a pastry filling.

It is very simple to make, and the most important tip for a successful result is to keep stirring, vigorously! This is in order to prevent the egg yolks from being scrambled and leaving small lumps in the creme.

Another advice – I like to use it almost immediately. I let it cool down for 10-15 minutes, then use it. Otherwise it becomes a little too thick to work with it effortlessly.

Click here to read up this recipe!

Magos Guba

Hungary has a special place in my heart. So does its cuisine, especially the desserts.

I was introduced to the Makos Guba (Pronounced: Makosh Gooba. Translation: poppy seeds dough. Not literally, though) during one of my visits in Budapest. I fell in love with it immediately (Just like other Hungarian desserts I’ve had). I decided to replicate it in my kitchen, and after checking several recipes, I created my own version of it. I was already told by certain Hungarians mine was the best Makos Guba ever.

This dessert is not only for the poppy seed lovers! Let me put it this way: even if you had bad experience with poppy seeds (like me), have no experience or you’re not too sure about your feelings, you must give it a try.

Maoks Guba is a sweet, warm bread pudding with poppy seeds, served with vanilla cream on top. Custard can be a sufficient substitute if you can’t find vanilla cream at the nearest store (or too lazy to prepare it yourself). It is very easy to prepare and will consume very little of your time.

Ingredients tip: if you’re living in Ireland or the British Isle, I recommend the M&S brioche rolls (8 mini rolls per pack should be enough to serve 2-3) and their Madagascan Vanilla Cream to serve with. In Ireland (Dublin), poppy seeds can be found in Nourish (the health food stores) or Fallon & Byrne.