VARGA STRUDEL CAKE
COTTAGE CHEESE NOODLES PHYLLO BUNDLES
Varga Béles Rétes Tésztábol
Varga Béles is one of those desserts made famous by a chef who created something unique for visiting royalty. The recipe is essentially a noodle pudding with cottage cheese and sultana raisins wrapped up on all sides with strudel pastry dough. For that added Helen’s touch – she added a generous dollop of vanilla custard/cream on the plate underneath your pastry noodle bundle. You can also indulge and pour the custard on top. Guaranteed, you will not be able to just have one piece.
It takes advantage of everything Hungarians love - strudels, cottage cheese and noodles and of course - powdered sugar and vanilla cream.
2 lb dry pressed cottage cheese
1 pkg Phyllo pastry (20 sheets)
6 eggs, separated
1 cup raisins, yellow
1 pkg broad egg noodles
1½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb sweet butter, melted (or ½ butter, ½ light oil)
½-¾ cup sour cream
icing sugar for dusting
Hint: This recipe yields 1 9”x12”x2” baking pan using all 20 Phyllo sheets. You can use all butter or ½ cup butter and ½ cup oil.
Prepare pans by brushing melted butter on bottom and sides. Set aside. Soak raisins in warm water in a small bowl. Drain and set aside. Melt butter, set aside. Boil noodles in water and salt – drain – set aside (drizzle with little butter – so as not to clump). In a large bowl, place cottage cheese – break up into pieces. Separate eggs. Beat white until stiff. Beat yolks with sugar and vanilla extract until ribbon stage. Blend yolks mixture with cottage cheese and add raisins and sour cream. Mix in noodles into cheese. Fold in whites – to keep a bit of air in mixture.
Place 1 sheet Phyllo pastry into baking pan and brush with butter. Repeat for 4 more sheets. Place cottage cheese/noodle mixture evenly on layers. Repeat with 5 sheets each layer for middle later. Ensure that top is covered with 5 sheets filo. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes until top Phyllo sheets are a light brown and curled. Cut immediately and dust with icing sugar.
Alternate Preparation - Strudel Log Format
Some pastry chefs roll the strudel around the noodle filing the same way as with a regular strudel filling.
Take 1 sheet of Phyla pastry and place on wooden board. Brush with butter. Continue until you have 5 sheets. Place dollops of cottage cheese/noodle filling onto the Phyllo sheets. Roll up like you would a Strudel log and place on buttered cookie sheet. Brush top with butter and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Top leaves should be curling and a golden brown. Remove and cut immediately into diagonal logs. Dust with icing sugar.
Hint: Serve with vanilla cream alongside cut portions on a plate. It adds that special rich touch – as if the dish wasn’t already amazingly rich! Recipe follows.
VANILLA CREAM
Vanilia Krém
1 cup milk
8 tbsp cornstarch
3 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 oz sweet butter
3 cups milk
In 1 cup milk, dissolve the cornstarch. Beat egg yolks slightly with a fork and add to milk-cornstarch mixture. Pour remaining 3 cups milk in a saucepan. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla and butter. Heat this mixture, stirring to dissolve the sugar. As soon as mix begins to boil, start to whisk and gradually pour in the milk/cornstarch/egg yolk mixture. You will have to beat this quite vigorously if you want a smooth finish as it thickens very quickly – about 3 minutes. As soon as cream mixture is silky smooth, remove from the heat. Let cool.