I asked my cousin Gertrude Schlener, born and raised in Heiligenkreuz, if she could give me the Burgenland name of these fine pastries:
Gertrude writes:
Hi Gerry, Oh yes, I know Hobelscharten. I believe the correct term is Schnürkrapfen, that is with an umlaut . Some people know them as Schneeballen. Same recipe, only difference is that they are formed a little differently. Either way, they are good. I remember my mother whipping these dishes up with no effort, or so it seemed. It just takes me a whole lot longer. I thought you might be interested to know what the word Hobelscharten means. It translates to "planing wood chips." They do look like curling wood chips, don't you think? If you have other questions pertaining to Burgenland dishes, I just might be able to help, just let me know. -Gertrude
[Ed. Note: My copy of Lang's "The Cuisine of Hungary" also calls these "Bowknots", or "Forgácsfánk" or "Csöröge" in Hungarian. His recipe calls for a little rum (1 tsp.) in the batter, cuts them into 3" x 5" pieces and serves them with jam. My Mühlgrabner (district of Jennersdorf) Cookbook has a recipe similar to this also called "Hobelsharten". It uses butter, less eggs, wine and sour cream, no spice.]
Note: I have 3 family recipes for this pastry. They differ mostly in the number of eggs used. I'll copy the recipe that uses the least, which is the one my mother used.
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1-2/3 cups sifted flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- pinch mace or 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- confectioner's sugar
Beat egg yolks until light. Add cream and sugar, beat well. Add flour, salt and spice. Roll small amounts of dough to about 1/8" thick. (Note: If dough is too dry or too wet, add little more cream or flour or a little brandy or rum.) Cut 1" x 3" strips with pastry wheel, cutting ends diagonally. Make a lengthwise slit in center of each strip and pull one end through. (Note: Pull-through, while nice, can be eliminated. Make two or three slits; will curl as they fry.) Fry in hot deep fat at 350°F for about 2 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Drain on paper towels; when cold sprinkle with confectioner's sugar before serving. (If sprinkled before serving, sugar will absorb moisture and make twists soft.) Makes about 4 dozen.