Bled Cream Cake- Kremna rezina -“Kremsnita”

If you tell a Slovenian that you are going to visit Lake Bled, he will tell you to first try the cream cake because it is so delicious, and second, take a stroll around the Lake, which is very near to many cafes. After enjoying the special dessert, a walk may be welcome.  Many Slovenian visitors to the Lake Bled area look forward to sampling the Bled Cream Cake, which is a specialty of that area.  For those who like desserts, save you calories for this luscious cream cake.  It is made with wholesome ingredients like eggs, cream and milk with a small amount of sugar.  This dish is also known in parts of Austria and Germany.

Kremna rezina

Bled Cream Cake   Blejska kremna rezina

Makes 10 slices 1 lb puff pastry 1 1/4 cups milk strips of lemon rind 3 egg yolks 4 Tbl fine sugar (caster) 1/4 cup plain flour 1 egg white 2 cups heavy cream 1 Tbl. rum 1 tsp vanilla extract 3  Tbl confectioners sugar

1. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and leave it.still wrapped,at room temperature for 20 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to an oblong 12 x 15 inches. Trim the pastry edges neatly, then prick all over with a fork. Cut into two rectangles, each one 6 x 15 inches.2. Place the pastry on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper and mark one rectangle into ten 3 inch squares, carefully cutting no more than halfway through the pastry. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 3. While the pastry is chilling, start making the pastry cream. Put the milk and lemon rind in a small heavy pan and slowly bring to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and 1 Tbl fine sugar in a bowl until thick and pale. Sift the flour and stir in. 4. Remove the lemon rind from the milk and whisk the hot milk into the egg and flour mixture. Pour back into the pan. Thicken the custard by stirring over a low heat. Pour into a bowl, then cover. Leave until just cool, but not firmly set. 5. Whisk the egg white until stiff and whisk in the remaining caster sugar. Whip 2/3 . cup of the cream until thick. Stir the rum into the custard. . Gently fold the egg white mixture into the custard, followed by the whipped cream. Cover with wax paper and chill for 30 minutes. 6. Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Dampen the baking sheets around the pastry with cold water. Bake for 25 minutes, until nicely golden and light.  Cool. 7.  Pour 1 1/4 cups cream into a chilled bowl. Add the vanilla extract and sift over 1/1 Tbl confectioners sugar. Whip the remaining cream. 8. Place the unmarked pastry sheet on a board and spread with the pastry cream, then the whipped cream. Put the marked pastry sheet on top. Dust with icing sugar

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Per serving: 435 calories. Protein 5.8 grams. Fat: 37.4 grams (14.3 saturated). Carbohydrate 26.8 grams (8.1 from sugar).

From The Food and Cooking of Slovenia, Janez Bogataj, 2008.  Available on Amazon.com