Cocoa, Sardines and the Old School
I grew up with the puff pastry version of cocoa snails, but these are far better known and are simpler to make. Long before my time, a Hungarian pastry chef from Göd made cocoa snails famous. I used to go to Alsógöd [it was near the Pest side of Budapest] with my grandma; she had distant relations there. Grandma’s relatives prided themselves with the tiny inland fish they pickled. They brined the fish in wooden barrels. This was an odd thing to do in a sausage loving country. I was a fussy eater so I never tried the sardines.
This brought back memories of the Red Cross packages we received when the 1956 Revolution was put down. There was of course no help during the bombing, while we were stuck in the basement for weeks with nothing to eat. But when the Red Cross packages finally arrived we got a few woolly skirts, a frilly pink bed jacket and I recall getting a huge tin of evaporated milk that was so thick we thought it must have gone bad. The same with the big can of cheez whiz. It was so salty we didn't know how to use it. At school we were given sardine sandwiches and a watery cocoa drink. I would have preferred a slice of bread with lard, but we were told we should be thankful for what we got. So we drank the cocoa and threw the sardine sandwich in the garbage. The large metal drum in the hall was full of sardine sandwiches by the end of recess. We were hungry, but we were not starving hungry. Feeding seven year olds sardines in a landlocked country was idiotic. But I don’t think foreign aid is well thought out. It first and foremost serves corporate interests and much of the donations end up as waste.
It was about the same time I first tasted real cocoa and tropical fruits. During the revolution Olgi néni, my grandmother’s sister was stuck in Wienna visiting her half sister. She was one of the few who tried getting back to Budapest and not flee from it. When the bombs stopped and the trains were finally running, she arrived bearing bags of cocoa, coffee, oranges and bananas from the Austrian relatives. Eventually the stores started to carry cocoa and coffee and even bananas made an occasional appearance.
I wonder where they are now. The photo was badly damaged not long after taken; I had brothers and not much of my possessions survived them. I brought this photo with me to Canada in 1967 and a few years ago I pieced the brittle fragments together. I regret not every one of my classmates made it onto the final picture. I forget why I wore that ribbon on my chest; it must have marked some academic achievement, because they wouldn't have given me a ribbon for good behavior. Bányai Jolán tanárnő, my 5th grade teacher, not the one in the picture, once described me to my parents as a likable, smart kid, but prone to be an anarchist gang leader. Have I stayed in communist Hungary I may not have survived.
My elementary was not in the best part of the city, but it was an architectural wonder. It still is, and the only way I can describe the feeling going up the magnificent staircase, the wide halls and the marble posts is reverence. Elementary schools my children attended here in Canada were architectural hovels by comparison.
I tried these snails with chocolate ganache, but I really didn’t like the way the ganache stained the risen dough and clumped into one area. These snails are best with cocoa. If you don’t like the sugar crystals, use powdered sugar instead. When making yeast buns, the most important factor is beating the dough until elastic. This poses no problem if you have a stand beater. Just pile in the stuff and set to beat. When the dough clears the sides of the bowl, it is ready. Hand beating is a little trickier. You can’t just pile the ingredients into the bowl and beat it. You have to start with beating the yolks and the sugar and then gradually, alternatively start adding the dry and the liquid ingredients. I would not knead this dough on a floured board, kneading would take up too much flour. Beat the dough by hand inside a large stainless or enameled bowl instead. Your arms will hurt, but the dough has to be light and elastic. It’s also important to use egg yolks only. I think the fluffiest yeast loaves come from the Jewish tradition. I made good yeast loaves for years, but when I made my first challah it simply blew me away. Anyway, I wrote the recipe for hand beating. If you have a stand beater, you will know where to make the shortcuts.
COCOA SNAILS WITH YEAST
4-1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup soft butter
1/4 cup sugar
1-3/4 cups lukewarm milk
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 egg yolks
Filling:
vegetable oil or clarified butter
scant 1/2 cup cocoa
generous 1/2 cup icing sugar
• Rub the butter into the flour and set it aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and the sugar until fluffy.
• Add the instant yeast and let the mixture stand for ten minutes.
• Add half of the milk.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and the sugar until fluffy.
• Add the instant yeast and let the mixture stand for ten minutes.
• Add half of the milk.
• Gradually add the flour mixture and the remaining milk, ending with the flour.
• Beat vigorously until the dough is very elastic.
• Plunk the dough into a well floured board and cover with the mixing bowl.
• Let the dough rise until it doubles in volume. [Not longer]
• Lightly flour the cutting board and place half of the dough in the middle.
• Roll the dough into a large rectangle.
• Brush the top with oil or with clarified butter.
• In a bowl whisk together the cocoa and the icing sugar.
• Spread the top with half of the cocoa mixture.
• In jellyroll fashion, roll it up.
• Cut the roll into1-1/2 to 2 inch segments and place the snails on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough and cocoa mixture.
• Let the snails rise for 40 minutes and then place in a preheated 375F oven to bake.
• When the snails start getting a nice colour they are ready.
• Do not over bake. These snails should remain soft, with fluffy insides. You can glaze them, with a light vanilla glaze, but I like mine with a light sprinkling of icing sugar.
