Warm Bread and Honey Cake

SAVOURY CHEESE STRUDEL

This is put together in next to no time and makes a good appetizer, served in thin slices because of the saltiness of the cheese.
75 g/2¾ oz feta cheese*
small handful parsley (preferably flat leaf), finely chopped
125 g/4½ oz filo pastry – 5 sheets, 25 x 25 cm/ 10 x 10 in
25 g/1 oz/¼ stick butter, melted
Crumble the feta in a bowl. Add the parsley, mix and set aside.

SWEET CHEESE STRUDEL

This strudel is very easy to make as long you are not alarmed by the consistency of the uncooked filling and are bold enough to follow the instructions. Curd cheeses with a low moisture content are usually used in Austria and Central Europe, but ricotta makes a good alternative. The strudel can be served warm or cold, on its own or with prepared seasonal fruit as a dessert. You can add all kinds of extras to taste, such as chocolate sauce, vanilla sauce, and whipped cream.

APFELSTRUDEL

It is likely that the Turkish invaders introduced leaf pastry to Austria, just as they did in the Balkans. Then local bakers added their own touches, creating a simple but spectacular strudel that forever after came to be associated with Austria. There is a great variety of fillings – apricot, cherry, curd cheese and dried fruit, to name a few – but apple strudel remains by far the most popular. The pastry itself may sometimes be enriched with egg, and the technique used to create a paper-thin layer is what really sets it apart: leaf pastry is rolled out very thinly, usually on a floured tablecloth.

CHEESE ROLLS

For a Guyanese living abroad, a ‘cheese roll’ is not a bread roll with a slice of cheese but an elongated pastry rich in nostalgia. These savouries are made with the same pastry as Pine Tarts (p. 234), and I often make a double batch of pastry and whip up both at one go. Some people make a paste of the filling ingredients and then spread them onto the pastry. My way is quicker and less prone to leakage and torn pastry.

STEAMED SWEET RED BEAN BUNS

The same basic dough for Plain Steamed Buns can be used to make Sweet Red Bean Buns. Many Asian supermarkets sell good-quality, canned, sweetened red bean paste. One quantity of basic dough and one 450 g/16 oz can of paste will make 16 buns, but this can easily be halved. Sweet buns often have a red dot to distinguish them from savoury ones, but that is optional and necessary only if you plan to serve several kinds at once. Eat warm, accompanied by small cups of fragrant tea.

MANTOU

Scholars speculate that steamed buns may have been borrowed from neighbouring countries to the west of China, but they have been a standard part of the Chinese culinary repertoire for at least 2000 years, since the early Han dynasty. They were originally indigenous to northern China, where rice was considered a luxury and wheat products were more common.

MOON CAKES

For the festival of the Harvest Moon, which usually falls in August, Chinese all over the world exchange moon cakes. Huge amounts of the delicious little cakes are busily ferried back and forth to family, friends and colleagues. They may be presented in boxes of 4, representing the moon’s phases – although some people consider 4 to be an inauspicious number, since it sounds like the Chinese word for ‘death’. Alternatively, they are presented in mounds of 13, representing the months of the lunar year. A square piece of paper is often put on the bottom of the box or under the cakes. This is a reminder of the prominent role moon cakes played in overthrowing the Mongol Yuan dynasty. As the legend goes, a group of Chinese activists hatched a plot to revolt on the 15th night of the 8th month. They needed to get word out without arousing suspicion, so pieces of paper with messages were hidden in the moon cakes, which were sent to the appropriate people. The unsuspecting Mongols were caught unawares and the Yuan dynasty brought to an abrupt end.

PINE TARTS

These are really Guyanese jam tarts – triangles filled with pineapple jam. (The locals call this fruit ‘pine’, hence the name.) In addition to being a homemade favourite, they are a pastry shop staple and the quality can vary greatly. You can whip them up in next to no time, so you have absolutely no excuse to buy an inferior product. If you make a double amount of pastry, you can bake a batch of Cheese Rolls (see p. 252) at the same time. See the recipe for Quick Pineapple Jam (opposite) if you feel like making your own.
250 g/9 oz/1⅔ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
¼ tsp salt
125 g/4½ oz/1 stick butter, chilled and cubed
about 4 tbsp cold water
12 tbsp pineapple jam (see recipe opposite)
beaten egg, for glazing

GOUDSE MOPPEN

The city of Gouda is famous for its caramel-filled wafers, or stroopwafels, and has also lent its name to these biscuits. These, and similar buttery treats, or koekjes, were taken by Dutch immigrants to the New World and they subsequently metamorphosed into what are known to Americans as cookies. This is a recipe to make when you want to give people the – false – impression that you have been slaving away in the kitchen for their benefit. Prepare the dough in advance and bake the cookies just before your guests are expected, and a warm and instant welcome will emanate from your oven.
250 g/9 oz/1⅔ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
½ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp salt
150 g/5½ oz/scant 1½ sticks butter, softened
100 g/3½ oz/½ cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg yolk
zest of ½ lemon

GREEN TEA CAKE

Powdered green tea, or matcha (the tea used for the Japanese tea ceremony), makes an excellent flavouring for cakes and fillings and is becoming increasingly popular in the West at the top end of the market. It transforms batter into a gorgeous moss green colour – I could make this cake for that alone – and produces an equally delightful flavour. A word of warning, though: the tea has an extremely high caffeine content. Not for nothing was it drunk at regular intervals by Japanese monks who wanted to stay alert during rituals. Serving it with sweetened whipped cream will soften the kick a little. My friend Pia has been baking this cake ever since I shared the recipe with her several years ago and she sometimes sandwiches it with a layer of lemon curd.