RIGO JANCSI

Christmas and New Year's Day are known for other sweet treats but Rigó Jancsi is my latest discovery & one of my absolute  favorites even though I'm a milk pudding lover. 

Rigó Jancsi or Jancsi Rigó (meaning 'John Blackbird' or something like that) was a Hungarian primás, ie. the main violinist of a gypsy orchestra. Such orchestras adopted the 'gypsy style', in which particular sounds were drawn from ordinary instruments, varying their repertoire from traditional dances -the csárdás- to musical themes from Liszt, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. It's not difficult to imagine how the American-born wife of Belgian Prince de Caraman-Chimay was enchanted by Rigó Jancsi and his ballads while she dined in Paris. She gave the Hungarian primás a diamond ring (in the husband's presence) and followed him across the world, leaving behind her children. The scandalous love affair became a topic for gossip columns on both sides of the Atlantic between 1896 and 1898, when the couple finally got married and settled. Unfortunately, the marriage was short-lived as both husband and wife found other partners. Accustomed to an extravagant lifestyle, Clara had also not been very pleased with their financial situation and resorted to posing for what might today be called installation art.

 

Clara Ward in 1898 (portrait by Nadar)

The cake Rigó Jancsi had ordered in Budapest became as famous as the music he played. Unfortunately, the original recipe is lost. Some years later, the Hungarian restaurateur, businessman, and cookbook author Károly Gundel recorded a version of Rigó Jancsi that must have been close: he filled two layers of jelly roll with chocolate mousse and glazed the surface with apricot jam and then with  melted chocolate. Like other Hungarian rich cakes, Rigó Jancsi is divided into tall square pieces. The cake layers are normally very thin and the filling makes up 90% of the whole. The chocolate glaze is also thin. Modern versions of Rigó Jancsi are topped with chocolate fondant, which is prepared with corn syrup & other ingredients that Gundel didn't use. Some recipes feature an extra layer of white mousse which is flavored with vanilla and, occasionally, thickened with gelatine. The height of the cake or the size of the layers may also differ from version to version.

 

RIGÓ JANCSI

This version is as near as possible to Károly Gundel's recipe. It's possible to make the jelly roll without butter, the whipped ganache with more or less chocolate, and the glaze thinner by adding water. Aligning the cake will be easier if you use a square cake ring.

 

I n g r e d i e n t s

for the jelly roll

100g flour

30g cocoa

100g powdered sugar

6 eggs, separated

150g butter, melted and cooled

for the filling

750ml heavy cream

750g semisweet chocolate, in pieces

3tbsp brandy

for the glaze

2tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved

100g dark chocolate, in pieces

3tbsp vegetable oil

 

M e t h o d

1. To make the cake: Sift the flour with the cocoa. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. Incorporate the butter. Finally, whisk the egg whites into meringue. Combine all three mixtures with a spoon. Line a 10-cup jelly roll pan (29 x 33 x 2.5 cm) with buttered parchment paper. Spread the cake batter evenly inside and bake at 180C in a preheated oven, for 20 minutes or so. Transfer onto a wire rack. Divide into two halves and brush one with the jam. 2. To make the filling (stage 1): Heat the cream in a saucepan until boiling point. Stir in the brandy and pour over the chocolate. Mix well and set aside to cool. 3. To glaze and square the upper half of the cake: Heat the chocolate glaze ingredients, stirring vigorously to prevent the mixture from burning. Pour over the cake layer that you've brushed with jam and set aside until it gets firm. Divide into 5 x 5 cm squares. 4. To make the filling (stage 2): When the ganache is cooled, refrigerate for at least one hour. Then whip until light and fluffy. 5. To assemble the cake: Spread the filling evenly on the lower half of the cake, place the glazed squares on top and refrigerate for at least three hours. 6. To serve: Divide into pieces, using a sharp knife.

 

T i p

Dip your knife in hot water and dry with a towel between cuts.