Rigó Jancsi Torta (Chocolate Rum Torta) – A traditional Hungarian coffeehouse torte named after Rigó Jancsi [ree-go yan-CHEE] (1858-1927), a famous Hungarian violinist who seduced and married Clara Ward, Princesse de Caraman-Chimay. It’s two light layers of chocolate sponge cake filled with chocolate rum whipped cream and iced with apricot glaze and dark chocolate ganache.
Flódni – The name flódni (fluden in Yiddish) refers to a layered and filled pastry. Our version of this Hungarian specialty, as well as a traditional Jewish holiday pastry, has layers of not too sweet honey poppyseed, raisin walnut, and cinnamon apple fillings. A slice is pure delight with your afternoon tea.
Almond Kifli – The name kifli originally referred to the crescent shape and to savory breads in this shape. (It was the precursor to the croissant!) It is available in many parts of Europe by different names. This particular cookie is very popular in Hungary and Austria today. Ours is made with ground almonds, flour, butter, sugar, vanilla bean and extract as well as powdered sugar. It’s hard to eat just one, so watch out!
Pogácsa – (poh-gotcha) The everyday roll in Hungary. They are a cross between what we know as a scone and a biscuit and can be eaten for any meal, as a snack, part of an appetizer with korozott (Hungarian liptauer cheese spread), or with soup. The rich, full of flavor comes from sweet butter, fresh eggs local sour cream and fresh dill. They are light and tender from the layering process of making them and a little yeast. Do yourself a favor and try one. It’ll make your mouth happy. Available Saturdays & Sundays in March.
Krémes – (kreh-mesh) Our krémes features delectable vanilla bean pastry cream, lightened with soft meringue (egg whites whipped to soft peaks with sugar), set between three layers of flaky, golden brown, buttery puff pastry dusted with powdered sugar. When you eat it, the creamy, smooth vanilla filling lusciously oozes out between the pastry layers. Available Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays in March.
Somodi Kalács – (sho-MO-dee-ka-loch) A traditional Hungarian Easter bread we learned to bake in a village in Transylvania on our trip there in 2012. This soft golden pan loaf is made with fresh eggs and a sweet buttery cinnamon brown sugar swirl. The smell is amazing. The taste is even better. Available 3/11 & 3/25.
Lángos – Hungarian savory fried flatbread brushed with garlic and sour cream, sprinkled with fresh dill, topped with Hickory Smoked Ham, Marieke 1-year Gouda cheese, and a dusting of paprika. Available Tuesdays from 11am – 1:30pm.
Hamantaschen – A bright spot in the middle of winter is Purim, the Jewish holiday which celebrates the triumph of Persian Jews over the wicked minister Haman. Purim brings hamantaschen, the traditional, three-cornered pastry pockets, stuffed with sweet fillings. One of the best of Jewish sweets. These beautiful little triangularly shaped cookie pockets are stuffed with an array of our favorite fillings. It’s hard to go wrong with hamantaschen at any time of the day. Available in cheese, poppy, apricot, and prune walnut flavors. Available every day in March.
Erev Purim is March 6th.
Irish Brown Soda Bread – We’re very excited to once again offer you traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread. After working on this recipe for many years, we think we’ve really created something special using Irish wholemeal flour (whole wheat), white flour, stone-milled Irish oats, local buttermilk, baking soda, and sea salt. The flour and oats are shipped straight here from Ireland every year! Available 3/1 – 3/17.
Baileys Irish Cream & Chocolate cupcakes – Our rich chocolate cupcakes covered in Baileys® Irish Cream-spike vanilla buttercream. Available 3/10 – 3/17.
Saint Paddy’s Mint Chiffon Cake – We start with 3 layers of our tender chiffon cake and chocolate mint buttercream on the inside. The cake is then iced in a pretty pale green vanilla mint buttercream with a coating of chocolate glaze. We top it all off with some tasty mint chocolate chunks. You won’t need a four-leaf clover to feel lucky when enjoying this cake! Available 3/1 – 3/17.
St. Patrick’s Day is Friday, March 17th
bialys 4/4 This is our version of the traditional bialy that hails from Bialystok, Poland. They're crispy and chewy rolls with a center of slow-roasted onions and poppy seeds. They look a little like bagels, but they're different. Bagels are boiled before baking and of course, have a hole through the middle. Bialys are not boiled but still hand-shaped and stone hearth-baked and have a delicious impression to hold that savory center. You can certainly eat them the same way you would a bagel though. Enjoy!
bakehouse white (pullman style) tuesdays in april Grilled cheese, club sandwich, French toast, garlic bread...what doesn't this bread do well? Bakehouse white is our versatile American white bread, but with more flavor than other white breads you may have had. It's made with a little butter and milk to make for a soft crumb and tender crust.
somodi kalacs 4/7 & 4/8 Somodi Kalács Hungarian Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Transylvania Somodi Kalács (pronounced [sho-MO-dee-ka-loch] is a traditional, Hungarian cinnamon swirl celebration bread we learned to make in a village in Transylvania on our trip there in 2012 in search of artisanal Hungarian foods. This soft, yeasted, golden pan loaf is made with organic flour, Michigan honey, fresh eggs, and a sweet, buttery, cinnamon sugar swirl. The smell is amazing. The taste is even better. Some history So why visit this historic region of Romania to learn about Hungarian baking traditions? Transylvania was an important part of Hungary from the Middle Ages until the Treaty of Trianon after World War I, when it was ceded to Romania. After the treaty, many Hungarians left the region, but plenty stayed. To this day, there are villages in Transylvania where everyone living there considers themselves Hungarian and many of Hungary’s age-old cultural and culinary traditions remain intact. Our travels in Transylvania took us to the Hungarian village of Torockó, where somodi kalács originated, some 400 years ago when the village was a prosperous iron ore and gold mining town. The lucrative metals trade gave villagers the means to afford cinnamon and sugar, a real luxury back then, which were key to making somodi kalács. The bread was originally baked in a clay pot, greased with lard, in a wood-fired oven. Nowadays, the bread is more frequently made in a loaf pan, greased with either lard or butter and baked in a gas oven. It was, and continues to be, served for Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, and until the 20th century, it was the customary wedding cake. To learn how to make somodi kalács, we visited the bed-and-breakfast of Melinda Király, who grew up in Torockó and learned to cook and bake in her parents’ restaurant. We were especially intrigued by the special folding technique Melinda used to achieve the unique swirl of cinnamon sugar inside the bread. We’ve replicated her technique in making our own version, resulting in an oh-so-delicious sweet, buttery, cinnamony swirl of a celebration bread. Enjoy it while you can. We bake it on occasional weekends throughout the year.
hot cross buns 4/7-4/9 This traditional treat for Good Friday just got even better. These tender yeasted buns are now made with freshly milled whole grain durum wheat, high extraction hard red spring wheat, golden raisins, currants, house made candied orange & lemon peel and a touch of mahleb spice from Epices de Cru. All of this goodness is topped with a sweet icing cross. Betcha can't eat just one!
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