All Hail Romanian Bakers!
In a Saxon village in Transylvania, I tasted lichiu and never looked back
When I travel for Milk Street, I have about as much sense as a famished dog. In short, I have no restraint, which during my excursion to Romania made for a ripe stomach from breakfast to dinner. I inhaled everything from a meatball ciorbă (soup) to massive jam- and sour cream-topped fried doughnuts to polenta-cheese casserole to fried bread to my favorite recipe of the trip, lichiu.
The latter is baked in large pans and has the height and look of a lemon bar but with a very different construction. It starts with a yeasted buttery bottom crust, then a lemony semolina strata lightened with whipped egg whites, followed by a custardy upper layer made from crème fraîche (the local version) and egg yolks. Bake it, cut it into rectangles and have at it. Even Irina Georgescu, my culinary guide who grew up in Bucharest, lost all control and wolfed down four pieces while my back was turned. Once you taste lichiu, well, it’s game over.
Christopher Kimball
Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."
Ibolyka Macarov, who bakes lichiu, is from Saschiz village and is part of Vecinătatea Femeilor din Saschiz (the Women’s Neighborhood of Saschiz). This association organizes festivals and events, plus most of the women in this group are great cooks. Macarov earns a living feeding culinary tourists in a backyard bedecked with flowers and tchotchkes, a bit like a slightly eccentric yet charming innkeeper in Brighton.
Back at Milk Street, we made a few recipe adjustments. Coarse semolina was a no-go; you have to use a fine grind. We also played with the bottom crust to get the right texture; nothing like a lemon bar shortbread but solid nonetheless—a bit less yeast did the trick. Finally, don’t whip the egg whites until you need them, and don’t overwhip them, which makes it difficult to fold in the semolina mixture.
And feel free to eat four pieces at a sitting—even on a full stomach.
Romanian Crème Fraîche Cake (Lichiu)
1. With the mixer on medium-low, add the butter 1 piece at a time, mixing for 15 seconds between, until a batter-like dough forms.
2. Stream the semolina into the milk mixture. Cook, whisking, until it returns to a simmer and thickens, resembling pudding.
3. Gently shape the dough into an even layer, starting at the center and pressing the dough to the edges and corners of the pan.
4. Using a spatula, fold in one-third of the egg whites until mostly combined. Fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain.
5. Gently pour the semolina mixture onto the center of the dough; spread in an even layer all the way to the edges.
6. Slowly pour the crème fraîche mixture over it; spread in an even layer that fully covers the semolina layer.
