The Sweet Side of Life

Europe

Sweden

Semla is a popular Swedish cream bun. A plain wheat bun is flavored with cardamom. A wheat bun is hollowed out and filled with almond paste and topped with vanilla-flavored whipped cream. The filling is topped with the lid of the bun.

Denmark

Danish pastries are very popular. The dough for the pastries is repeatedly covered with butter and folded over itself. Then the dough is shaped into different formed and filled with creamy or traditional fruit fillings that can include raspberry or apple.

France

Chaussons aux pommes are traditional turnovers that are filled with apple compote filling. The apples are peeled, cored, and diced. Sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and water are added along with the apples to a saucepot. The combination is simmered until the apples are soft then removed from heat and pureed. After the apple mixture is returned to the pot and cooked until thickened. The apple compote is placed in the center of a puff pastry circle and folded in a semicircle brushing the sides with egg wash so they stick together. The pastries are then baked until they puff up and become golden brown.

Netherlands

Appleflap is a traditional sweet Dutch pastry made with apples. Pastry dough is prepared and filled with sliced apples, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon. Once baked golden brown the pastries are covered with sugar granules.

Czech Republic

Vdolky refers to soft tender doughnuts that have been made with yeasted dough flavored with lemon zest. These pastries have jam spread on top and are frosted with whipped cream, sour cream, or crumbled tvaroh cottage cheese. These doughnuts are fried in oil until golden brown but can be also baked in the oven.

Bulgaria

Tikvenik is a traditional pastry that is prepared with thin sheets of dough. The dough is filled with grated pumpkin, coarsely ground walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon. Then the pastry is formed into a coil. Once baked the tikvenik is dusted with powdered sugar and sliced.

Croatia

Fritules are traditionally sweet, round fritters. They are made with a yeasted dough combining eggs, flour, milk, butter, and sugar. Vanilla and citrus can be added for flavor. Then raisins, walnuts, and grated apple are mixed in the dough and it is put to rise. The fritules are shaped into balls and fried in hot oil until golden brown on all sides.

Poland

Faworki are crispy deep-fried pastries that resemble angel wings. They are prepared with a thick and elastic dough made with egg yolks, flour, cream, and flavorings. The dough is rolled into thin, rectangular shapes with each piece twisted in a form to resemble a decorative bow. Then the pastries are fried until crispy and light and dusted with powdered sugar.

Turkey

Sobiyet is the only Turkish baklava that has a cream-like filling. The filling consists of a boiled mixture of semolina and thick clotted cream known as kaymak. To make the pastries phyllo dough sheets are cut into squares, brushed with melted butter, and layered one on top of the other with filling, and chopped nuts between the squares. When done, sobiyet is covered in lemon-flavored syrup and sprinkled with crushed pistachios or walnuts.

Greece

Galaktoboureko is a traditional dessert that is prepared with phyllo sheets sprinkled with melted butter. A light semolina custard is placed between the sheets. After the dessert is baked it is chilled and doused with orange spiced, sugary syrup.

Italy

Zeppole is a fried dough specialty. The deep-fried dough is topped with sugar. The filling consists of custard, jelly, pastry cream, or a combination of honey and butter.

Spain

Ensaimada de Mallorca is a spiral-shaped sweet pastry. It is made with yeast dough combined with eggs and lard. The simple recipe includes flour, sugar, eggs, yeast, and water. Once baked it is dusted with powdered sugar.

Portugal

Queijada is a traditional pastry that originated in the town of Sintra. The pastry is prepared with queijo cheese, eggs, milk, flour, and sugar. The pastries are baked until they have a fluffy crust on top.

Asia

China

Pineapple buns are sweet pastries that originated in Hong Kong. They don’t include any pineapples but their checkerboard pattern resembles the skin of a pineapple. They are simple and made with flour, oil, sugar, and eggs. When baked they are crispy and sugar on the outside and soft on the inside.

Iran

Qottab are deep-fried pastries are traditional in Iran. They are made with soft wheat dough that is filled with walnut or almond filling. These are flavored with cinnamon, rose water, cardamom, and orange blossom and shaped into crescent or round forms. When ready the pastries are powdered with sugar.

Israel

Rugelach is a pastry where the dough is rolled into a triangle. It is filled with raisins, nuts, or fruit preserves. Then the dough is rolled up crescent-shaped and baked.

Australia

Vanilla slice is a dessert that consists of thick custard that is flavored with vanilla. The custard is placed between puff or phyllo pastry sheets. These are topped with vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, passion fruit, or chocolate icing.