Hungarian Krémes (Custard Slice) 🇭🇺🥧
A classic Hungarian dessert: crispy puff pastry layered with silky vanilla custard and a light dusting of powdered sugar. It’s elegant, creamy, and surprisingly approachable.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 2 sheets puff pastry (store-bought or homemade)
- Powdered sugar for topping
For the custard:
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
1. Bake puff pastry
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place puff pastry sheets on a baking tray lined with parchment.
- Prick with a fork to prevent excessive puffing.
- Bake 12–15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool completely.
2. Make custard
- In a saucepan, heat 1½ cups milk with sugar until warm.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining ½ cup milk until smooth.
- Slowly pour warm milk into egg mixture while whisking (tempering).
- Return mixture to the pan, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter. Let cool slightly.
3. Assemble
- Place one puff pastry sheet on a serving tray.
- Spread custard evenly over it.
- Top with second puff pastry sheet.
- Chill in fridge for 1–2 hours to set.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips
- Chill custard completely before layering to prevent soggy pastry.
- Use a serrated knife for clean slices.
- Optional: drizzle melted chocolate on top for a modern twist.
If you want, I can give a shortcut version with ready-made custard for faster assembly that still tastes authentic. Do you want me to do that?