Krempita

Ingredients

Pastry

• 500 gpuff pastry, in two sheets

Custard

• 1.2 litreswhole milk
• 10egg yolks
• 250 gsugar
• 120 gcornflour
• 2 tspvanilla

Meringue

• 6egg whites
• 150 gsugar

To finish

• icing sugar

Directions

1. Roll and dock the pastry sheets, bake them weighted under a second tray at 200°C (390°F) for 15 to 18 minutes, and cool them.
2. Heat the milk with the vanilla to just below boiling.
3. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour until smooth, temper the hot milk in, and return it to the pan.
4. Cook it, whisking hard, until very thick, then continue for 2 minutes more.
5. Make it thicker than you would for any other custard. Krempita is built to be cut into tall squares that stand up on the plate, and a soft custard slumps out of the sides.
6. Now the part that distinguishes it: whisk the egg whites with the sugar to a stiff meringue and fold it into the still-hot custard.
7. Hot custard, not cold, and this is deliberate. The heat of the custard cooks the egg whites as they fold in, and the result is lighter and taller than a plain pastry cream but firmer than whipped cream.
8. Fold quickly and thoroughly, in three additions, keeping as much air as you can.
9. Lay one pastry sheet in the tin and pour the hot aerated custard over it immediately.
10. Pour it hot and level it fast, because it starts setting within minutes.
11. The layer should be tall, at least 4 cm, which is the Serbian proportion.
12. Lay the second sheet on top and press very gently.
13. Cool to room temperature, then chill at least 4 hours.
14. Dust generously with icing sugar and cut into squares with a serrated knife.
15. It is sold everywhere from bakeries to petrol stations across Serbia and is eaten as often standing up as sitting down.
16. The Croatian kremšnita from Samobor uses a separate whipped cream layer, and the Polish kremówka folds cold whipped cream into cold custard, so all three look alike and eat quite differently.

Technique

• The meringue folded into hot custard is what gives krempita its particular height and pale colour.
• It is meant to be very sweet and very tall.
• Some versions add a thin layer of whipped cream on top of the custard as well.

Substitutions

• Shop-bought puff pastry.
• A little gelatine in the custard if you want a firmer set in a warm kitchen.

Variations

• Kremšnita, the Croatian Samobor version.
• Kremówka, the Polish version.
• With a caramelised top sheet rather than icing sugar.

History

A custard slice made from layers of puff pastry and thick vanilla custard, generally traced through Austro-Hungarian imperial influence on Balkan baking, since the region that is now Serbia was for a period under Habsburg administrative reach in areas including Vojvodina, carrying Central European pastry traditions southward into Serbian cooking. Its name borrows directly from German, krem meaning cream and the suffix reflecting that same Central European linguistic influence, distinguishing it from more Ottoman-influenced Serbian desserts built on syrup and phyllo rather than custard and puff pastry. Krempita remains a common bakery and homemade dessert across Serbia and neighboring countries with similar Austro-Hungarian historical influence, including Slovenia’s very similar kremna rezina.

Frequently asked questions

What is Krempita?

Krempita is a dessert from Serbia: custard slab between pastry sheets, dusted white and cut in squares. A custard slice made from layers of puff pastry and thick vanilla custard, generally traced through Austro-Hungarian imperial influence on Balkan baking, since the region that is now Serbia was for a period under Habsburg administrative reach in areas including Vojvodina, carrying Central European pastry traditions southward into Serbian cooking. Its name borrows directly from German, krem meaning cream and the suffix reflecting that same Central European linguistic influence, distinguishing it from more Ottoman-influenced Serbian desserts built on syrup and phyllo rather than custard and puff pastry. Krempita remains a common bakery and homemade dessert across Serbia and neighboring countries with similar Austro-Hungarian historical influence, including Slovenia’s very similar kremna rezina.

How long does Krempita take to make?

Krempita takes 35 min plus 4 hr chilling of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 pieces. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Krempita?

Yes, within limits. Shop-bought puff pastry. A little gelatine in the custard if you want a firmer set in a warm kitchen.