Hungarian pastry chef at the Hilton

For NIS 90 a couple, one can try a variety of the sinfully good cakes that the hotel kitchens will be producing under the direction of the chief pastry cook of the Budapest Hilton, who visited Israel recently. The hotel invited a group of food writers to meet Edith Rauch, the legendary pastry cook of the Budapest Hilton since 1999, and watch her prepare some of the incredibly good cakes that Hilton patrons will be able to sample in the months ahead.

The 50-year-old Rauch is an expert in traditional Hungarian cakes, and it was fascinating to watch her mixing, kneading and rolling as the delicious morsels took shape. The amount of melted butter and fresh cream that went into some of her creations was mind-boggling and probably explains why Hungarians are renowned for their pastries. We were also encouraged to try some of the preparations for ourselves. Each of us was provided with a gas plate, a new frying pan, an apron, utensils and the ingredients to create our own dobosh – a layered chocolate cake and pancakes, stacked in the Hungarian manner. We were all required to spread the thick chocolate cream, made from cocoa rather than real chocolate, onto wafer-thin pieces of chocolate sponge cake and top the whole thing off with sour cherries. We were also given the pancake mixture already prepared by chef Edith and told to make our own pancakes. The results varied from the sublime to the ridiculous, but I’m pleased to say that mine were complimented by the chef herself for their thin, lacy appearance.

Afterwards, we were able to sample some of the pastries that will be served in the lobby over the coming months – divine creations of fresh cream, feather- light sponge cake and rich chocolate sauce, together with tea or coffee.

If you are a fan of Hungarian cuisine, especially of the traditional pastries, the lobby of the Tel Aviv Hilton is the place to be this winter. The same menu will also be offered at the Eilat Hilton.