Taste of Bucks County: Peddler's Village & Homemade Bumbleberry Pie

Bumble-berry pie is an old-fashioned name for a pie made with several varieties of berries. Once you bake your first homemade pie you will never again eat the one bought at the store.

Rustic Bread Baked with Three Different Flours & Still Life with Bread & Eggs

"In Greek myth, bread is sacred to that irascible but generous goddess, Demeter, who taught young Triptolemus the art of agriculture, including the cultivation of grain.

The invention of bread in Neolithic times marks a key stage in man's progress from hunter to farmer and shepherd. The Romans construed a divine origin for bread, deeming that the word panis derived from the sylvan god Pan, allegedly the first to have cooked the grain that Ceres gave to man. Indeed, the image of Pan was actually reproduced on loaves of bread. To make bread, the best grain was selected and stone-ground. The resulting flour was mixed with oil and water and leavened with fermented dough...

Russian Monday: "Muraveynik" - Anthill Cake with Caramel & Walnuts

Approaching winter holidays are always filled with fabulous flavor. Well in advance of the actual holidays we setup the tree, stock up on our favorite foods, fetch marinades and special ingredients from the pantry. The lady of the house is puzzled about how she could surprise the household with one of her delectables.

Russian Monday: Honey Poppy Seed Roll - Bread

From ancient time collection of honey and poppy in Russia began on the same day - August 14, the day of the First Savior, first day of the harvest season. This day was celebrated with honey cakes, pancakes with poppy and honey, buns and pirogues with poppy seeds. Special pancake dipping was made of finely grinded poppy seeds and honey. If poppy seeds were sprinkled around the house on that day, house would be protected from evil eye for the whole year. Girls used to weave poppy flowers into their hair in order to make hair strong and beautiful.

Russian Monday: "Pirozhki" - Baked Stuffed Pies

Homemade Pirozhki are supposed to be hot and rosy. Word “pirozhki” means “small pies”. These are small crescent or oval shaped baked goods usually made from yeast based dough. Pirozhki remember whole history of the culinary development of Slavic nations and they are part of many Russian traditions. For generations, pirozhki recipes have been passed from mother to daughter as methods of preparing the dough were getting more sophisticated and variety of stuffing has been growing.

Chicken Dumplings

These dumplings, when shallow-fried, make a good first course to a multi course meal. The can also be steamed and served as a snack or poached in large quantities for a complete meal.

Russian Monday: "Kulebyaka" - Authentic Russian Pie with Salmon, Rice, Mushrooms, Onions and Dill

Today in our Russian section we present “Kulebyaka”. This traditional pie is an ideal dish for special occasions and it makes a perfect brunch. My daughter helped me to make it – we’ve been preparing dough, making crêpes used in stuffing and decorated the pie together. As we were cooking, I have shared with her the story of this dish and how it should be served. I hope you are interested too, so here it is.