Russian Monday: "Blini" - Vanilla Crepes with Berries

“Maslenitsa” is a Russian carnival week originating from pre-Christian times. It was celebrated around spring solstice and was dedicated to the boy-Sun named Xors becoming a man-Sun named Yarilo. The main dish of the holiday week are pancakes (or “blini” in Russian) in all their varieties. Their round shape symbolizes the Sun.

Russian Monday on Saturday: "Oladushky" - Honey Yeast Blini ( Pancakes, Blintzes )

Winter farewell is a time of awakening; the beginning of new life. Since ancient times, people have enjoyed this time of the year. Festivals and carnivals are held all over the world: Chinese New Year, Venice Carnival, a holiday of the trees - Tu B’Shvat in Israel, Mardi Gras, even Groundhog Day, which was brought to America from Germany, and one of the oldest Russian holidays - Maslenitsa.

Russian Monday: "Blintzes" with Cabbage - Stuffed Pancakes

A blin, blintchik or blintz is a type of thin pancake.

Pancakes are considered one of the most popular dishes in Russian cuisine. The story of their origin is shrouded in mystery. Some historians claim that yeast pancakes appeared in Russia at the very beginning of 11th century (years of 1005-1006). In according to one of the versions first pancake came out as a result of overheated oatmeal pudding, which turned flat and browned. According to another version by historian Prof. Pokhlebkin, pancakes have appeared much earlier, even before 9th century. Russian word for pancake, “blyn” seems to be corrupted version of “mlyn” - archaic word meaning “to grind” or “to mill” in Russian, as well as in number of other Slavic languages. Until Christening of Russia by King Vladimir in 988, pancakes were used as sacrificial bread during pagan rituals. Often those rituals were very cruel and violent when not only animals but sometimes people too were slaughtered as offering to the gods.

Crêpes Gâteau with Plum Jam and Chocolate Meringue Cream - Happy Mother's Day!

I love making crêpes and waffles for my family. My children help to prepare the batter and join in with the cooking. Today you can make crêpes from different flours like buckwheat or rye, and enclosing a myriad of savory and sweet fillings. Batters can be made a day ahead and kept in a container in the refrigerator until needed. This Crêpes Gâteau with Plum Jam and Chocolate Meringue Cream has a rich and chocolaty flavor (the cream alone, makes it a dream) and a little sourness of plums makes perfect combination of flavors. It rolls breakfast and dessert, my two favorite meals, into one.

Check out the cover for my portfolio. I like to hear your opinions.



Ingredients:

For about 12-14 crêpes:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp superfine sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• few drops of vanilla
• a little oil, to cook

For the chocolate meringue cream:

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

For the cake:

• 12-14 crêpes
• chocolate meringue cream
• plum jam (as much as you ned it, about 2/3 cup)
• 2 tsp sugar

Directions:

To make the batter for the crêpes, put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the eggs, mix well with a whisk, then stir in a generous 1/3 cup milk to make a smooth batter. Gradually stir in the rest of the milk and the cream. Let the batter rest in a warm place for about an hour. When you are ready to cook the crêpes, give the batter a stir and flavor with vanilla. Brush a crêpes pan with a little oil and heat. Ladle in a little bate and tilt the pan to cover the bottom thinly. Cook the crêpe for 1 minute. As soon as little holes appear all over the surface, turn the crêpe over and cook the other side for 30 to 40 seconds.Transfer to a plate and cook the rest of the batter, stacking the crêpes interleaved with waxed paper as they are cooked.

To make the meringue cream, in a heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine the egg whites and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 160˚F). Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium low speed, add the butter several tablespoons of butter at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and espresso. Beat on lowest speed to eliminate any air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.

Assembling the Gâteau, place first crepe on a plate. Spread a thin layer of meringue evenly across the cake. Lay second crepe on top. Top with about one teaspoon of the plum jam. Repeat frosting process until all but one crepe is left. Place the last crepe on a separate plate. Evenly distribute remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar. Caramelize the sugar with a small handheld kitchen torch. Place the crêpe on top of cake and let cool. Once the caramelized sugar has cooled, dust with coco powder and garnish with few slices of ripe plum. Cool cake in the refrigerator to let cream harden.

Happy Mother's Day My Dear Ladies!