Category: dessert
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Home-dried Bananas
This snack came to life as a result of a nostalgic memory of dried bananas that were sold long ago back in Russia. It was made in China and was a popular addition to our not very plentiful diet. They used probably the smallest variety of bananas on Earth, and most likely dried them in…
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Peach Jelly
This recipe came suddenly and became a favorite in a matter of two or three weeks this summer – we already made it like 6 times. To my surprise, for some reason the members of the household were not so much interested in fresh peaches in spite of them being irresistibly delicious (obviously only…
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Chocolate "Kielbasa"
The name may sound confusing for this simple yet festive and surprising dessert. I couldn’t find a better translation to an unpretentious home treat of the 70-80-s when it became very popular in Russia. The stores were practically empty at some point, and not many people could successfully bake. This no-bake dessert did not require…
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Kulich: Orthodox Easter Bread
For many Orthodox Christians kulich, the festive and colorful bread, is traditionally a part of their Easter morning table, along with paskha and colored boiled eggs. During Soviet era, when people were deprived of God and faith by the regime, many older people still prepared traditional meals for religious festivities and observed religious holidays at…
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Meringue Cake "Siberian Mama"
This is the only dish that mama and I have ever received applause for, from the whole table. We were at a Thanksgiving party in a magic Art House of Quincy, inhabited by talented, artistic, loving people of all walks of life. Not long ago I also lived in that bewitched place, and everyone there…
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Baked Apples with Dandelion Honey Cream
This simple dessert of baked apples topped with buttery crumbles and sweetened sour cream is one of those treats that you cook on the days when you hm… don’t want to cook. It was one of those days for me: after digging and planting in the garden, I was not inclined to cook at all (got…
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Strawberry Tart with Ginger and Lemon
Strawberries sitting in my fridge were meant to accompany the ice cream, but it seemed too simple for the Mother’s Day weekend. So I changed my mind and made this strawberry tart for all mothers of the world, including yours truly. There was no time to search for a crust recipe, so I took it…
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Napoleon Cake
Layered Napoleon cake is our family’s heirloom recipe. The number one cake. It can also be called mama’s signature cake. Nobody she shared this recipe with could reproduce what she did. Luckily I wrote it down in my recipe notebook some thirty years ago. I made it a few times, but it was never like…
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Judas Buns for Easter
In Czech Republic, Judas Buns are served for Easter and, following the most popular legend, symbolize the rope on which Judas hang himself after he betrayed Christ (the traitor had some remnants of conscience in him after all). I have been thinking about baking these buns for a few years now. I used to make them long time ago when I incidentally acquired…
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Impromptu Dessert Minis
When you are not inclined to spend hours mixing, grating, and baking, but still crave a homemade dessert, this improvised creation could come handy. The Muse of Improvisation visited me and pushed some buttons of my imagination. I rushed to my fridge where I had a cup of leftover sweet crumbs, the rest was done…
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Valentine's Day Fool
A British dessert dating back to the 1500’s, fruit fool is as simple as its name suggests. Traditional fool (or foole) is nothing more than pureed fruit folded into sweetened whipped cream. For Valentine’s day I took it a notch further and added a bed of peaches and bourbon syrup under the swirly folds of…
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Simple Banana Nut Bread
Banana bread is a classic American dish. I’ve been going to make it for a long time, and now that I have I almost regret it, because it is absolutely addictive! Having one slice is just not an option. Given that I usually don’t have this problem with desserts, this is surprising. Are you brave…
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Layered Mini-cakes "Isabella"
For many years these sponge-like minis were one of the favorite festive desserts in my family. Not pretentious, pretty easy to make, they do not require a lot of baking skills or fancy ingredients, yet every time a serving plate of “Isabella” excites a cry of joy in all the participants of a party. I…
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Black Currant Ice Cream
Buckets of free black currants is what we were used to. Every summer we picked them in our own garden, ate them with relish (until our tongues ached) and preserved them to last through the long Siberian winter. In America currants are not easy to find, and when you do find them be ready to…
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Classic Tiramisu, with Blackberries
Oh, who has not heard of Tiramisu, the modern Cesar of Italian desserts? It has conquered its native country in a storm, taken over the rest of Europe, made its way into the US. Indeed, Tiramisu has an empire of its own, though the recipe itself is at most 35 years old. Once, when I…
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Kolache – Czech Pastries
Funny enough, we couldn’t find kolache, one of traditional Czech pastries, in any Prague bakeries that were on our way. Maybe we just didn’t know the right place… or maybe they became one of those things people make at home. Anyway, I decided to bake them on return from our trip, armed by a recipe…
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Slightly Chocolate Coffee Cake
This coffee cake has a rich and crumbly chocolate crust and a fluffy inside with a hint of chocolate and nuttiness. The basic recipe for the batter comes from Rose’s Heavenly Cakes, a book with amazing photography and recipes that are as good as they look. But the crust invention and the flavorings are all…
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Happy Easter!
Happy Easter, folks! May Peace, Love and Prosperity follow you at all times. I love Easter: winter with its snow aggravation is behind, the sun shines more, and people look happier. Today we had a lovely Easter branch with painted eggs, buns, and a variation of no-bake cheese cake Russian style that is traditionally prepared…
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Charlotte – Easy Apple Pie
This is a Russian favorite (pronounced Shar-lot-ka), and also probably the easiest cake you will ever bake. It requires hardly any preparation and only the most basic ingredients. And yet… the distinctive pink crust and lovely tartness of the apples make it a perfect home-made companion to tea and coffee. Ready to try? What you…
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Cookie Cake
Exhausted by two major storms last week, I was not inclined to stand long hours in the kitchen on the weekend. But the cold weather and snowy surroundings called for something sweet. When shopping at my favorite Russian market, I glanced at a shelf with plain Russian cookies, cookies that I remember since my nursery…
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