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.

Luxury Chocolate Fruit Cake with Rum - Best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season!

ChristmasEve may be the most enchanted evening of all. So much legend, myth, and mystery, both religious and secular, are part of the night of December 24. And for those who celebrate Christmas, there are more personal and family traditions attached to this night than to any other night of the year.

Russian Monday: "Kissel" - Fruit Drink, Dessert

Hello everyone! Today we are learning how to make kissel.

Word “kissel” (pronounced in Russian as “kee-sel”) originates from Russian verb “kvasit”, which means “make sour”. Kissel has been integral part of traditional Russian cuisine for a long time. Before 19th century kissels were usually grain-based and thick. Popular oatmeal kissel while cooled off has been so thick that it could be cut with knife! Such thick kissels were usually served with hemp or sunflower oil.

Have a very lovely Autumn day, my dear Friends!

No recipe today, just a photo. Enjoy!

Mango and Strawberry Popsicles

The summer is here. Can you feel it, can you taste it? I am sure you can. I love summer food, so many colors, so many wonderful flavors. Summer days are so hot so we are doing different popsicles every day. I have never made popsicles before, and I really don't know why. I have seen many variations of these so I figured I try my own, after all, summer weather is here so these are just perfect for the hot days.You don't need a special recipe for it, just put in your blender any fruits or berries you have and freeze it.



We love mango popsicles and mango with strawberries. I have a few ideas for you what to make, but anything will do, honestly!



This year we started our first little herb garden: lemon mint, rosemary, carry leaves, lemon thyme, fennel and parsley. Also we have peaches and red currant.  I can not wait to make some jam and syrup using my herbs. Try to make strawberry syrup with basil and chocolate mint, the best with pancakes and waffles, it's amazing.



Love to know what is in your garden and what are you cooking with your herbs.



Mango popsicles

Makes 6
Ingredients:

• 3 mangos
• 1 tsp honey
• lime juice from half of lime
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into your ice pop moulds, stick a paddle pop stick in and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until set.



Mango and Strawberry popsicles

Makes 6
Ingredients:

• 1 mango
• juice from one orange
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 cups strawberries
• juice from one grapefruit
• 1 tsp honey

Directions:

Place all ingredients for mango layer in a blender and puree until smooth. Do the same with strawberries. Spoon a layer of mango puree into the ice pop moulds, about a half full, and then add a layer of strawberry puree. Insert a paddle pop stick into each mould and freeze for a minimum of 5 hours.

Quince Cardamom Tapioca Pudding with Homemade Crumbles - Have a Sweet Weekend!

Forgive me for posting a winter dessert today. I was looking for quinces all winter, unable to find them; a couple of days ago finally I got lucky, and here it is.

This recipe comes from many inspirations and memories. I remember one aroma from my childhood when my mother made compote from quince and it was so magically wonderful. I remember eating crepes with quince jam, the best breakfast ever. I never cooked tapioca before so I like to experiment with it and recently I discovered that I love cardamom-)))

This dessert is scrumptious, It takes some time to prepare, and worthwhile every minute of it. I hope you like it as much as I did, save it for next year when quinces are in season or you can make it with pears or peaches, which is certainly going to be  a summer dessert!



Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the poached quinces:

• 3 quinces, peeled, cored and quartered
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 1/4 cup (50gr) sugar
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 1/2 lemon

For the vanilla tapioca:

• 2/3 cup large tapioca pearls
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp  ground cardamom

For the crumble:

• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup white oatmeal flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• OR 3/4 cup all purpose flour instead if not baking gluten free
• 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons almond milk

Directions:

Prepare the cardamom tapioca:
In a medium bowl, soak the tapioca pearls in the water for an hour. Drain and discard the water. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the tapioca, milk, honey and cardamom to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until the tapioca looks translucent. Remove from the heat and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.



Prepare the quinces:
Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover the quinces. Bring the content of the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, place a lid halfway over the pot and simmer for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the quinces are soft when you poke a knife through them. Mash the quince with syrup and reserve.



Prepare the crumble:
Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your fingertips or a fork until the mixture resembles large beads. Spread the beads on the prepared baking sheet and bake, tossing them every so often as they become golden brown for 20 minutes. Let the crumbles cool.



When ready to serve, spoon the quince mixture into the bottom of each of 6 glasses, dividing it evenly. When the tapioca is completely cool, divide it in between the serving glasses on top of the quince mix. Sprinkle with crumbles, again dividing evenly.

Note: You might have leftover crumbles, you can crumble it up over oatmeal for breakfast or over ice cream.

Kiwi Ricotta Cheese Tart, Lemon Almond Crust

The Art of Pastry Making from best-ever Pastry cookbook

"There's a lot of truth in the old adage - as easy as pie. Making pastry isn't difficult if you follow a few simple rules and master the basic techniques. Any good pastry cook knows that practice really does make perfect. You don't need fancy equipment: a bowl, a set of scales or measuring cups and a rolling pin are all you need to begin with, plus one or two pie plates or dishes in sizes to suit your style of cooking. As you become more proficient and discover how satisfying and creative making pastry can be, you may want to expand your range of utensils, but remember, when it comes to good pastry making, cool, competent hands are the cook's most valuable assets."



It is well worth taking your time arranging the kiwi fruit topping in neat rows for this exotic and impressive-looking tart.



Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 2 Tbsp ground, blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar 
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon corn flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 Tbsp rum
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (for the glaze)
• 1/4 cup honey (for the glaze)
• 5 kiwi fruits (for the top)

For the pastry:

• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 sticks salted butter, cold in pieces
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Directions:

Place almond meal, flour and sugar in a bowl and mix. Add the butter and work it into the flower with your fingers. The result should be grainy. Add egg and lemon zest and fast work the doughy together. If it seems dry, just add a few tablespoons iced water. Wrap in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thin crust and transfer to a 9 inch pie pan. Crimp edges. Use a fork to prick the bottom with.

Bake at 375F for about 10 minutes.



Reduce the heat to 350F.


With an electric mixer, beat the ricotta until creamy. Add the yogurt, egg, yolk, sugar, corn flour, salt and rum. Beat to combine. Stir in the ground almonds until well blended.

Pour into the shell and bake until golden, about 1 hour. Let cool, then chill, loosely covered for 2-3 hours. Unmold and place on a serving plate.

Combine the honey and the lemon juice for the glaze, set aside.


Peel the kiwis. Halve them lengthwise, then cut horizontally into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange slices in rows across the top of the tart. Just before serving brush with honey glaze.

Papaya-Lime Soup with Strawberries - simply prepared but satisfying end to any meal

Papaya is at its best uncooked, so it typically makes its way into recipes like fruit salad and sorbet. But this soup is a more elegant venue for the sweet, earthy fruit, and it's especially perfect for papayas too ripe for salad. Add a little lime juice to round out spark the flavor. The result is a refreshing, velvety, vivid orange soup that is entirely welcome after a rich meal.



Serve it as is, or with sliced strawberries, or have fun dressing it up with other fruit like cubed melon, or with scoops of sorbet or ice cream.



From the book "The last Course"


Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 large papayas
• 3/4 cup of syrup (2 cups of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water for 2 1/2 cups of syrup)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste (from 2 to 3 limes)
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced in quarters
• sage for garnish

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup simmer for one minute, then turn off the heat and allow to cool. Use 3/4 cup for the soup and the rest will keep almost indefinitely in a tightly sealed bottle in the refrigerator.

Halve the papaya and scoop out the seeds. Cut into thick slices, then peel away the skin. Cut into cubs.

Puree the papaya with half of the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Put it in the bowl and stir in 1 1/2 cups water, the syrup, and the lime juice, adding more lime juice to taste if necessary.

Chill the mixture until very cold, at least two hours.

Serve the soup with sliced strawberries and garnish with sage.