Even though in every Russian family Olivier salad is made in their own way with some secret ingredient, like grandma used to do it, let’s try to remember where this dish came from and give thanks to the Russian chef of French origin named Lucien Olivier who invented the salad any New Years table seems empty without.
Russian Monday: Salad "Olivier" - Potato Salad
Have a Magical Christmas & a Happy New Year!
"Fair be the path beneath your feet.
Bright be the skies above you-
Where'er you go, still may you meet
Friends that will truly love you".
All-Time Favorite Holiday Cookies
Have you baked your favorite cookies for Christmas yet? If not, there is a whole weekend ahead of you. Gather around kitchen table with your family and make the most special holiday treat. Here are some ideas may help you to decide which one to bake. I love every one of them, I bake few varieties of cookies every holiday season. We always share our sweets with friends and neighbors. Happy Holidays my dear readers!!! And have a very sweet weekend!
Chocolate Panforte - Christmas Sweets
Christmas is probably the favorite holiday for many people. And I think it's not because of religious believes, but because it's family time, and time for magic and forgiveness. Christmas is different for everyone of us. Every house has its own traditions and rituals with special food and Christmas decorations. What is your perfect Christmas? How do you see it?
Russian Monday: Chicken Liver Pâté With Red Wine & Cranberry Jelly
History of pâté is rooted in the distant past and many countries contest the right to be named its birthplace, however, by default this right is held by France. In truth, French chefs have simply revived the dish loved by ancient Romans. Interestingly enough, in medieval times, pates were served as feast culmination, and hence were decorated in the most luxurious fashion, often made with “surprise” inside, when live birds could fly out from inside of the dish brought into the feast hall. Often pâtés were cooked wrapped in the layer of dough, like pies. Dough was simply a wrapper and secondary to the stuffing, hence word “pâté” has started being used only for what was inside of such pies.
French Hazelnut Meringue Cake
"According to legend, the recipe for this delicious pastry came from a fifteenth-century parchment found among the fallen stones and rubble of a monastery in area of Crocq, in the Creuse - one of the 83 departments created during the Revolution, when so many monasteries were destroyed. The monks cooked this creusois cake in ceramic tiles that were themselves creuses - hollow, concave, or curved…
Shepherd's Pie With Truffle Oil
Pure white flakes fall gently from the heavens, blanketing the entire world in a sparkling mantle. All sounds seem hushed. The air is crisp and cold. Whether you're spending an active day outside or passing a quiet afternoon beside the fire, the Shepherd's pie is the favorite of comfort food will warm both body and soul on any winter day.
Spicy Orange Honey Quick Bread
Whenever the holiday season comes around, I'm always in a yearning mood for a Spicy Orange Honey Quick Bread.
There is something about the aroma that fills the house on a cold night, and the combined savory and delicate sweetness of the buckwheat honey, cinnamon, star anise and the nutmeg that compliments just about every hot drink - from a cup of tea or coffee, to a cup of cocoa or even a steaming glass of sangria - to be enjoyed alone or better yet, with your friends and loved ones by the crackling fire.
