Blog Archives

piernik (gingerbread cake)

12/29/2012

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
8 eggs, separated
2 1/4 cups honey
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground nutmeg
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp chopped walnuts
2 tsp chopped almonds
2 tbsp chopped candied orange peel

for the glaze
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tbsp cold water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cocoa powder
2 tbsp alcohol

put the softened butter in a large mixing bowl and mix in the confectioners sugar with a wooden spoon. add the egg yolks, one by one, mixing.
then add the honey, spices, flour and mix some more. finally add baking powder, nuts, orange peel.
in a separate bowl, mix the egg whites with an electric mixer until they hold. fold the whites into the batter.
butter a 9 inch pan, and pour the batter in. put the pan in a 350F oven and bake about 45 minutes.
after it has cooled, i sliced the cake into two layers and filled with powidlo (plum jam) and my mom's creamy farina filling.
for the glaze on top of the cake: place the butter in a saucepan, add cold water, sugar and cocoa powder. stir, bring to a boil. lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. add alcohol. pour the glaze over top of the cake, allow it to drip down the sides and let it harden.

0 Comments

ogorkowa

12/27/2012

0 Comments

1 tbsp butter
1 whole leek, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
1/2 celery root, peeled and chopped
5 cups chicken stock
3 potatoes, chopped
1 32oz jar of polish dill pickles
salt and pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp dill

in a soup pot, melt the butter and add the leek, carrot, parsnip and celery root and cook to slightly tenderize.
pour in the stock and bring to a boil. cover, lower heat and simmer about 30 min. use an immersion blender to puree.
to the puree, add the chopped potatoes, grated pickles and their brine. cook until the potatoes are soft.
season with salt and pepper. add in the heavy cream and dill.

0 Comments

the making of... golabki

12/20/2012

0 Comments

here is the beginning of my polish culinary adventures. the recipes are based on 'from a polish country house kitchen' cookbook. i have taken the liberty to tweak the recipes where i saw fit based on how i ate the dishes in my family. first up, golabki...

2 heads of green cabbage
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1.5 cups rice, cooked (i used 2 cups in this try - too much)
3/4 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground veal
salt and pepper
vegeta (i use adobo as a fine substitute)
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp tomato paste
2 cups crushed tomatoes

fill a large pot with water - one in which you can submerge a whole head of cabbage - and bring to a boil. add the first head of cabbage and parboil for about 10 minutes.
gently pull off the outer leaves of the cabbage while it is still in the pot (use a knife and tongs to help you. some may rip, those will be used for lining the pan). let the inner leaves boil until softened and remove those. do so until you have removed most of the leaves. repeat with second cabbage.
with a paring knife, cut off the main thick vein that goes through the cabbage leave (will help with the rolling), and set leaves aside.
heat 2 tbsp butter in a pan and cook the onion until lightly brown. then add it to the cooked rice, and mix all with the ground meat, season with salt, pepper, vegeta to taste.
put some of the filling in each unripped cabbage leaf (you should have about 16) and wrap (like you would a burrito).
line a baking dish with leftover or ripped leaves. rest the rolls on top, seam side down; they can be crowded together.
in a pot heat up the stock and combine with the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. boil for a couple minutes. then pour over the golabki in the baking dish.
dollop each golabek with the remaining butter, and cover them with any remaining leaves. bake in a 350F oven for about an hour.
after baking pour the sauce from baking to a pot, add butter (supplement with additional crushed tomatoes if not enough), adjust the seasoning. cook until slightly thickened. pour sauce over golabki when serving.

0 Comments

delicious brisket

12/11/2012

0 Comments

4-5 lbs of brisket
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 carrots, peeled and quartered
4 celery stalks, quartered
8 gingersnap cookies
evoo
salt and pepper

season brisket with salt and pepper and cut crosswise in to three pieces. heat evoo in a dutch oven over medium high heat, add brisket and brown both sides, about 3 min each. transfer to the side.
add tomato paste to pot, and for for about 1 minute. stir in the wine, along with the above listed spices and simmer 4 minutes. then add the broth, carrots and celery, and the crumbled gingersnaps.
add the meat back in, cover. and add to the oven for about 2 hours on 350, until the meat is very tender. i served with sage butter mashed potatoes.

what to do with leftovers:

leftover sauce and meat
2 tbsp flour
2 cups diced butternut squash
1/2 tsp thyme
1 15oz can of creamed corn
2 eggs
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

1. dice the leftover meat and put it in a skillet with the sauce. whisk in the flour and bring to a simmer. add the squash, thyme, salt and pepper to taste and cook about 15 min till the squash begins to soften somewhat.
2. whisk the corn, eggs, cheese, pepper and 1 tbsp flour in a bowl. pour over the meat mixture in the skillet. transfer the skillet to a 400F oven and bake until the topping is set and squash is soft, about an hour.

0 Comments

holiday dinner party

12/9/2012

0 Comments

i hosted a nice holiday dinner party for my sister andzia and bro in law roberto (otherwise known as a-rob) this weekend, pulling out some tricks for an entertaining and delicious night. see the courses below.

Appetizer

cheese skewers three ways:

feta cheese in balsamic vinegar with mint and cherry tomato
manchego cheese with bacon wrapped prunes
pistachio crusted goat cheese with thyme roasted beets and honey drizzle

Main Course

chile and cinnamon rubbed short ribs braised in red wine with creamy polenta and queso blanco (bobby flay recipe).

Dessert

Caramel apple pear pie with a side of bourbon vanilla ice cream.

After-Dinner Cocktail

i pulled out some molecular mixology tricks to pull this one together!

i used keep cool martini glasses, dropped in a maraschino cherry and topped off with a fresh orchid ice ball. line the glass with an orange, lemon and lime slide. then i created layers in the cocktail with blue caracao, vodka, grapefruit juice, orange juice, and topped off with a blue caracao flavored foam.

0 Comments

piernik (gingerbread cake)

ogorkowa

the making of... golabki

delicious brisket

holiday dinner party

bisia's bites

archives

categories