A few weeks ago, I traveled to Moscow. What a dream! The ground was still covered in snow, and I walked for hours through the city streets. On my last night, I had dinner at Cafe Pushkin, one of the most glorious dining experiences of my life. In addition to having winter borsch that was out of this world (sorry--move over Brighton Beach restaurants), I had a dessert that couldn't have been more perfect: a 15-layer honey cake.
I knew I'd have to try to make my own version when I got back to America.
With an amazing new pastry roller (thanks, Molly!), I created 15 separate dough circles and baked them for just a few minutes each. Making this cake is a labor of love, but it's so worth it. Not only is the cake batter filled with delicious honey, but I made it with two different kinds of honey-based filling: a sweet sour cream (everything in Russia is served with it, it seems!), and a buttercream icing. My version is a little bit different than the slice I devoured in Moscow, but I thought I'd make it my own.
I'm so angry with myself that I've already given you the song that would go perfectly with this pastry. I used it last year for a baklava post when I was getting ready to leave for Istanbul. What was I thinking? I promise I'll do my best not to repeat another song, but I've gotta do it here. Instead of the album version this time, here's the Feelies' "Moscow Nights," performed at Maxwell's in Hoboken.
Cake Batter:
*Recipe adapted from RusCusine.com (these Russian dessert recipes aren't easy to find!)
--2 large eggs
--3/4 c. granulated sugar
--1 tsp. baking soda
--3 tbsp. honey, warmed (so it's very thin liquid-y)
--1/4 c. unsalted butter
--2 c. all-purpose flour
[filling and icing recipes to follow]
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until light yellow (about 3-4 minutes by hand with a whisk). Add in baking soda and liquid honey, and continue to whisk until combined. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add the egg mixture and whisk until combined. A bit at a time, add the flour and continue to whisk until all flour has been incorporated. The mixture will be thick and extremely difficult to whisk when it's finished.
Remove from heat, and separate into 15 small balls of dough and dip them in flour so they're not too sticky to handle. On a floured surface, use a pastry roller to flatten each ball of dough until it's approximately 2mm thick (as thin as possible, while still being able to move the dough and place it on a baking sheet). Using a saucer (or any other tracing tool that's approximately 6 inches in diameter), trace each dough into a perfect circle, trimming the edges. Repeat with each ball of dough.
Bake each dough circle on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, or *just* until golden in color. Allow to cool at room temperature while you make the filling and icing.
Honey Sour Cream Filling:
--2 c. sour cream
--1/4 c. honey, warmed
--1/2 c. granulated sugar
Whisk to combine and set aside.
Honey Buttercream Icing:
--3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
--3 tbsp. honey, warmed
--1/4 c. half & half
--1/2 to 1 c. confectioner's sugar (depending on how thick you want your icing)
Beat on low speed until combined. Continue to add confectioner's sugar to thicken (and, if you've added too much, a splash of half & half to thin it). Set aside. Now, put the cake together!!!
Alternate filling layers with the sour cream and buttercream until you've stacked all 15 cakes (the cakes will be very thin, like cookie-style pastries, so you're not in danger of the cake falling over!).
Ice the outside with the remaining buttercream, and drizzle a honey pattern on top. Best with a Baltika No. 6 Porter.
This is another recipe of my great grandmother's that made its way from a Greek holiday cookie to a Sicilian anytime cookie. The spelling and pronunciation of these remained a wonderful mystery throughout my childhood. In fact, for years as a kid, I assumed these must be spelled "could-a-be-eddie." We usually make them at Christmastime, but they're too easy and delicious to eat only once a year. Rich butter cookies with pecans: mmmmmmmm. This time around, I made a Valentine's Day batch.
Here's a secret: I actually have this recipe memorized. (It's that easy, and, well, I've made it more times than I can count.) There are a lot of cookies that are similar in texture and ingredient profile, e..g, Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cakes, but for me, this recipe is special because it's also infused with a lot of happy memories.
For Valentine's Day, here's the inimitable Frank Sinatra singing "My Funny Valentine."
Ingredients:
--1/2 lb. unsalted butter
--1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
--1 tsp. lemon extract
--1 tsp. vanilla extract
--2 c. flour
--1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
[icing recipe to follow]
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioner's sugar. Add lemon and vanilla extracts, then blend in flour. With a wooden spoon, fold in pecans. Roll into 1" ball and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls with the palm of your hand, and bake for 7-9 minutes, or *just* until the edges begin to look slightly colored. If they're golden on top, they're overcooked! Allow to cool.
Icing:
--1 tbsp. unsalted butter
--3 tbsp. whole milk
--2 tsp. vanilla extract
--1/2 to 1 c. confectioner's sugar
--sugar sprinkles (optional)
In a small bowl, melt butter, and whisk in milk and vanilla. Add confectioner's sugar, whisking well, until icing is desired consistency (add more confectioner's sugar for a thicker icing). Spread over cooled cookies. If so desired, top with sugar sprinkles in the color of your choice (as you can see, I used red). Eat 'em up!
This recipe has been a long time comin'. In late July, I had one of the most amazing food experiences: traveling to Cered, Hungary to visit my friend Gergely, his village, and his lovely family. This bread pudding is just one of the many, many delicious things we feasted upon.
With layers of sweet poppyseeds and custard, this makes one amazing dessert. Where to buy poppyseeds, you might inquire? I brought mine back from a small market in Budapest, but it turns out you can order them from Amazon if you don't have a specialty foods store nearby.
I've adapted this recipe just a bit to account for shifts from the metric system and a few ingredients that aren't as accessible in America. I think it stays true to the heart and soul of the original recipe.
And for a song, you ask? Here's The Teardrop Explodes' "Poppies in the Field." [This is the only clip I could find featuring this song, incorrectly titled, of course! My aesthetic apologies to Julian Cope.]
Ingredients:
--2 small baguettes, on the stale side
--4 c. whole milk
--4 large eggs
--1/2 c. granulated sugar
--1/2 c. turbinado sugar, + extra for sprinkling
--2 tsp. vanilla extract
--1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
--1 c. ground poppyseeds
--1 tbsp. butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the bread into approximately 1" cubes and set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk on medium-low until it is quite warm--do not let the milk boil! In a large bowl, combine eggs, granulated sugar, turbinado sugar, and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk into the milk and continue to cook over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside, covered.
In a smaller bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar and ground poppyseeds. Set aside.
Butter the inside of a large glass pyrex-style bowl. Place a layer of the bread cubes on the bottom (about 1/3 of the cubes), pour approx. 1/3 of the milk & egg mixture on top so that each piece of bread has been covered, and then generously sprinkle the poppyseed mixture so that all the bread is covered (you want to have about 1/2" of poppyseeds on top of the bread--you shouldn't see any bread underneath). Repeat these steps once more: bread--milk & egg--poppyseeds. Place one final layer of the bread cubes on top, and pour the remaining milk & egg on top. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top, and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until custard is set in the center.
For a topping, I made an *optional* lemon cream sauce, for which you'll need:
--1 c. whole milk
--1/2 c. granulated sugar
--1 tsp. lemon extract
--juice & zest of one lemon
--2 tbsp. cornstarch
In a small saucepan, heat milk and sugar over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Keeping the saucepan over low heat, add lemon extract and lemon juice & zest, whisking them in. Vigorously whisk in 2 tbsp. cornstarch, and continue to heat over low for 4-5 min., or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and pour over bread pudding before serving.
We had our pudding with some amazing pálinka--Hungarian brandy homemade by Gergely's father--and served in tiny pálinka glasses I found at an antique store in central Virginia (what a find!).
What better way to ring in 2013 than with a delicious drink? Like an eggnog without the eggs, a coquito is a creamy, spiced, and rum-spiked holiday beverage traditionally served in Puerto Rico.
To celebrate the new year, here's Bert Jansch's "The Bright New Year," from his 1969 album Birthday Blues.
Ingredients:
--1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
--1 32oz carton sweetened coconut milk
--2 tbsp. vanilla extract
--1 c. dark rum
--2 tsp. cinnamon
--2 tsp. nutmeg
--2 tsp. cloves
We used Venezuelan rum and Mexican-imported vanilla we picked up from El Mercado in San Antonio, TX.
Whisk all ingredients together vigorously in a large bowl. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until cold. Serve and enjoy!
'Tis the season: pumpkin scones with a tart cranberry chutney.
These scones are just sweet enough for a treat and light enough for a holiday morning. And this tart cranberry chutney (that easily doubles as a homemade cranberry sauce for turkey) is a fragrant spread filled with the flavors of apples, walnuts, and citrus.
What goes best with pumpkin and cranberry on Christmas morning? From my own holiday favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas, here's the Vince Guaraldi Trio's "Skating."
Pumpkin Scones:
*You'll make the cranberry chutney separately! (Recipe below adapted from Starbucks' Pumpkin Scone recipe)
--2 c. flour
--1/4 c. dark brown sugar
--1 tbsp. baking powder
--pinch of salt
--1 tsp. ground cinnamon
--2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
--6 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled
--1/2 c. pumpkin puree
--1 tbsp. molasses
--3 tbsp. half & half
--1 large egg
--1 tbsp. cinnamon & granulated sugar mixture (for topping)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt. Cut in the butter (as if making a pie crust). In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, molasses, half & half, and egg. Slowly fold into the flour & butter mixture until you've got sticky dough.
Place dough on a floured surface and form into a ball. Flatten the ball into an approx. 12-14" disk of dough. Score the dough so that you have 8 triangular pieces of dough--just like a pizza--but do not separate from one another. Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar mixture on top and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and slice through the scored pieces of dough (now you're separating the individual scones), and return to oven for another 2-4 minutes, or until just golden in color. Allow to cool.
Cranberry Chutney:
*Adapted from Paula Deen's cranberry sauce
--1/2 c. granulated sugar
--1/2 c. light brown sugar
--2 tbsp. fig vinegar
--1 bag fresh cranberries, washed
--2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
--1 c. chopped walnuts
--1/4 c. Grand Marnier
--juice from one large orange
--juice from one lemon
--2 tsp. ground cloves
--2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Heat sugar and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Next, add the cranberries and return to a boil for 5-7 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes (or until the chutney is the desired consistency--the longer you simmer, the thicker the chutney). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Spread generously on pumpkin scones. Happy holidays!
I love chocolate and peppermint. Whether it's Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark, Trader Joe's Peppermint Hot Chocolate, or a creation of my own, the flavors lovingly ring in the holidays.
These cookies take a little more prep time than some others, but they're still a super easy and festive treat. Two chocolate sugar cookies filled with a peppermint buttercream icing. Cool and delicious, and they also make a snappy little gift:
Here's a sweet musical goody to match. Joey Dee & The Starliters' "Peppermint Twist."
Chocolate Sugar Cookies:
*Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking
--2 3/4 c. flour
--3/4 c. cocoa powder
--pinch of salt
--1 tsp. baking powder
--1 c. unsalted butter, softened but not melted
--1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
--2 eggs
--2 tsp. vanilla
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light yellow. Beat in softened butter. In a separate medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Alternately add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beating on low after each addition until both mixtures are completely combined.
Separate the dough into two roughly equal parts. On two sheets of wax paper, shape the dough into log rolls and refrigerate for approx. 4 hours, or until firm. Once chilled, remove from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice the dough log into even slices approx. 1/4" thick (you don't want to make them too thick since they'll be 'sandwiches') and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until firm on bottom (and can be lifted with a spatula). Allow to cool. Repeat until all dough logs have been transformed into chocolate cookie disks. Set aside until you've made the filling, below:
Peppermint Buttercream Icing:
--1/4 stick unsalted butter, softened but not melted
--2 c. confectioner's sugar
--1/4 to 1/2 c. whole milk, depending on desired consistency (begin with 1/4 cup, and if the icing is too thick, add more milk until desired consistency is obtained)
--2 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
--4-5 drops red food dye (for the red-pink peppermint color)
Blend ingredients on low speed until you have a delicious and pepperminty buttercream icing. Spread on half of the chocolate cookies, and then top with a remaining cookie (creating a 'sandwich'). Allow icing to dry and set. Serve!
Love port? Love cherries? Love pie? This one's for you. With a filling consistency that mirrors the pecan pie holiday favorite, this pastry has a tart element that oh-so-nicely complements the sweet. I saw a version of this pie in Bon Appetit and thought I'd give it a try.
This holiday season seems like it has been busier than ever, and as a
sad result, I've had a lackluster blogging record this December. But
don't fear: I've been busy in the kitchen, and this season's recipes are
going to make it into cyberspace very soon. This pie is just a piece
of what's to come.
And what's even better? I have the perfect song to fit this recipe. I've been waiting to use it because it's so fitting for any recipe using a bittersweet wine like a ruby Port. Here's The Dream Syndicate's "The Days of Wine and Roses."
Ingredients:
--1 pie crust, rolled and ready to go in a pie pan (see my pecan pie recipe for pie crust instructions)
--1 1/2 c. dried cherries
--1/2 c. ruby Port
--2/3 c. dark brown sugar
--2/3 c. light corn syrup
--3 eggs, + 1 egg yolk
--1/4 c. butter
--2 tsp. vanilla extract
--1 c. coarsely chopped walnut
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small saucepan, heat Port and cherries on medium heat until boiling. Reduce to a simmer and add the walnuts. Continue to simmer until all port as been absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs and extra yolk, butter, and vanilla for 3-4 minutes on medium speed. Fold in cherries and walnuts, and pour filling into the pie crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the filling has set in the center. Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and so on. You know how to adorn a piece of pie.
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