"Can anyone tell me about a pastry that is pronounced "punch-key"?"

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paczki

Paczki (PAUNCH-kee) are very similar in appearance to jelly doughnuts, but are made with heavier, richer ingredients. The dough is made with eggs, lard or butter, sugar, and milk or cream. They have fruit fillings made most authentically with prunes or rose bud marmalade, but also lemon, raspberry, custard, and other ingredients. The outside is glazed, powdered, or sprinkled with fried orange zest. Traditionally all of these ingredients are more or less forbidden during the Catholic season of Lent, so paczki is made on Ostatki (Fat Tuesday) or more traditionally Tlusty Czwartek (the Thursday before Lent) for one last big day of paczki-filled excess. Paczki is the plural form, not paczkis, and the correct singular form is paczek (POHN-check). My Polish grandmother used to make them, and they are definitely delicious, much better than standard jelly doughnuts. Below is a good picture of some paczki, and what looks like a good recipe can be found here.

 This is a paczki. It's the Polish version of a King Cake.

Did you know there's actually a Paczki Day? Paczki Day is a Polish Easter celebration on the Polish Fat Thursday in preparation for Lent. A Paczki is a jelly filled bun and was originally made to consume all perishable food items before the forty day fast. The Poles have always had a strong Catholic background and it has helped them through times of annexation and unstable governments. Celebrations such as Paczki Day bond individuals together and promote a solid social structure. It is still a recognized holiday in Poland and has been slowly spreading to the United States where it is celebrated on Fat Tuesday.

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Traditional pączki

Assorted pączki in America

Pączki (Polish: pączki, pronounced: [ˈpɔ̃t͡ʂkʲi] MP3 Pronunciation File) are traditional Polish doughnuts. Pączki is the plural form of the word pączek (pronounced: [ˈpɔ̃t͡ʂɛk]) in Polish, but many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural.

A pączek is a deep-fried piece of dough shaped into a flattened sphere and filled with plums or other sweet filling. A traditional filling is marmalade made from fried rose buds. Fresh paczki are usually covered with powdered sugar, icing or bits of fried orange zest. Pączki have been known in Poland at least since the Middle Ages. Jędrzej Kitowicz has described that during the reign of the August III under influence of French cooks who came to Poland at that time, pączki dough baked in Poland has been improved, so that pączki became lighter, spongier, and more resilient.

[edit] Pączki Day

Traditionally, the reason for making paczki has been to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, which are forbidden during Lent. They are eaten especially on Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent (Polish: Tłusty czwartek, not to be confused with Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday). In Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Hamtramck, Milwaukee, and South Bend Paczki Day is more commonly celebrated on Fat Tuesday instead of Fat Thursday. Chicago celebrates both Fat Thursday & Fat Tuesday, partially due to its sizeable Polish population.

[edit] Pączki in America

Although they look like Bismarcks or jelly-filled pastries, Paczki are made from especially rich dough containing eggs, fats, sugar and sometimes milk. They feature a variety of fruit and creme fillings and can be glazed, or covered with granulated or powdered sugar. These pastries have become popular in the United States as a result of Polish immigrants and marketing by the bakery industry. They are prepared exclusively in preparation for Lent and are hugely popular in many parts of the country. In Hamtramck, an enclave in Detroit,there is an annual Paczki-Day (Fat Tuesday) Parade, and lines at bakeries can be seen up to 24 hours before the deep-fried delights go on sale Tuesday morning. Many bars in town open early in the morning, and provide free entertainment, a party atmosphere, Paczki-clad mascots, and at at least one bar, Pączki filled with Jagermeister. The Paczki-Day celebration in this town is even larger than many areas have for St. Patrick's Day. Prunes are considered the traditional filling, but many others are used as well, including lemon, strawberry, Bavarian cream, blueberry, custard, raspberry, and rarely apple. Due to French influence, paczki are eaten on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) rather than on Fat Thursday. In the large Polish community of Chicago, and other large cities across the Midwest, paczki day is also celebrated annually by immigrants and locals alike.

Home-made paczki glazed with fondant.

Another cultural phenomenon is the emergence of the "Pączki Challenge." An eating contest in which individuals attempt to race from one side of a room (non - standard) while eating as much or as many Pączki as they can before reaching the other side. The person to reach first and having eaten the most Pączkis wins. Typically a ratio of 1 Pączki for every 10 steps is considered competitive.