Mohr im Hemd

I finally got up the nerve to try my own Mohr im Hemd. This was the dish that we always ordered if we found it on the menu. It translates as "The Moor and His Shirt" which is so politically incorrect that it isn't easy to find, even though it is a traditional Viennese dish. It is a steamed pudding, like the Christmas dessert I grew up on and it is very moist and very chocolate, though not as sweet as an American dessert. It was successful enough that Rob had me make it twice more in the same weekend.
Happily, after learning how to make it, I feel less guilty about eating the stuff. How often does that happen? Here is the recipe I used, as opposed to the top secret family recipe that I don't even have, or the recipe from my Austrian cookbook that asks for 'gratified butter':

MA's Mohr im Hemd
3 bread rolls, crusts removed and cubed
1 c milk
3/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c sugar
8 oz best and darkest chocolate you can find
8 eggs
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c walnuts, ground
1/4 c bread crumbs
chocolate sauce
whipped cream
Preheat oven to 340 degrees. Grind walnuts in blender or food processor. Separate eggs.
Soak bread cubes in milk for a few minutes, then press out the liquid in a fine mesh sieve.
Melt chocolate over low heat. Cream butter with 1/4 c sugar. Add egg yolks, then bread paste, and finally the slightly cooled chocolate.
Whip egg whites with 1/2 c sugar until soft peaks form. Fold into egg yolk/chocolate mixture, and finally fold in the bread crumbs and walnuts.
Grease either one large tube cake pan or several ramekins with butter and dust with sugar.
Spread mixture into pan/ramekins and place into a deep baking dish. Fill baking dish with one inch of water and bake in oven for 40 minutes for ramekins or 55 minutes for the large pudding pan. (I did mine in a steamed pudding dish, which has a lid; when finished, it looked dry on top)
Let cool about 10 minutes and then turn out. Serve with chocolate sauce (the 'moor') and whipped cream (his shirt).
This dish really cries out for a good Scharffenberger chocolate, but alas, there was none to be found. So we used Ghiradelli, and as Joss shows, it was a reasonable facsimile.

It would seem that the chocaholic gene is dominant. So there is our secret recipe, and the end of Mohrquest 2009. Let us know if you try this! [food styling and photography, courtesy the Professor]
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Looks wonderful. I can almost smell it. I'll send you the official Erica Hughes recipe we got in exchange for Dad fixing their stove in Caracas, but I found it didn't make up to be as wonderful as hers. I tinkered with it. It has ground almonds and not the milk-soaked bread. Were you happy with the results compared to your restaurant experiences?
Brenda said…
Ha Ha, it looks wonderful!
Lois said…
That looks WAY too complicated. I'll be sure to screw it up so I won't even try. Congratulations on your great results, though!
Curtis said…
As one fortunate to have tried Mohr im Hemd in Vienna and Mary Ann's, I think Mary Ann's is best. The only thing that would be better is if I were eating Mary Ann's Mohr im Hemd in Vienna.
ohiolanges said…
Ok. This looks awesome. But too ambitious for me. Do you have any easy german-type recipes that would impress an 8th grade german teacher? I need some of those. . .
Mary Ann said…
Yes, this is the thing we serve to the students when they come over to discuss their books with Rob. It's fast, easy, and we usually make it the night before. It is Oma's Apfel Kuchen:
mix: 1/2 C cooking oil
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

in another bowl, toss and mix in:
5 apples, peeled and sliced (granny smith or pippin)
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C raisins
1 C flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon

mix both together. it looks like it will never work.

Place in a greased pan (we use springform) and bake 1 hour at 350 (it takes 65 minutes here at high altitude)

serve with whipped cream.
ohiolanges said…
Thank you!
Unknown said…
I finally got up the nerve to try my own Mohr im Hemd. This was the dish that we always ordered if we found it on the menu. It translates as "The ... holzfaellerhemd.blogspot.de

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