Petit Fours

Well, friends, to be honest with you, I have to give you the bad with the good, successes and failures.  I had some leftover chocolate cake in the freezer, and I've been wanting to try making petit fours.  I've always loved the perfect look of these miniature cakes.  Remember the little four-pack that was always part of Hickory Farms gifts boxes at Christmas?  I have a new found respect for those folks at Hickory Farms.

While I will serve these tonight, I'll stick to standard sized cakes in the future.  The cake layer, which I split in half was from Marianna's birthday cake.  I took inspiration from this blog post, using the suggestions for the pink and chocolate layers on top of the cake.  I did have to substitute cranberry juice for pomegranate juice.  I haven't found POM in Poland.  I also haven't found shortening here, so I had to  look for another pourable fondant recipe.  I used the one of the King Arthur Flour website. 

My petit fours are a far cry from the pristine perfection of I remember from Hickory Farms.  The fondant is not opaque enough to give a uniform appearance.  The coating is not smooth enough.  I read on one site that it's better to use a small cookie cutter and make round petit fours.  I would have to agree with that.  It seemed like the corners kept popping through not matter how much I poured.  I also think a white cake and fillings or topping similar in color would help with the appearance.

The taste is nice.  A sweet, rich little bite.  The tartness of the pink, cranberry layer helps to offset the intense sweetness.  Taste should and does come first, but I would have liked an appearance that was a little less . . . rustic.  French inspired pastries should not be rustic. 

Marianna's Birthday Cake

For an Easter birthday celebration

Our neighbors were planning to celebrate their daughter's first birthday with extended family over Easter.  That didn't work out, but we did get to join them for a smaller party last weekend.  Since only four of us would be eating cake at this belated birthday party, I decorated one of the three layers I baked.  I hope to turn the other two into petit fours soon.  (Keep your fingers crossed for me!)

One layer, filled with Nutella and seedless blackberry jam

I just made my favorite chocolate cake recipe and frosted with an Italian Meringue Buttercream. Wilton supplied the jelly bean carrying bunnies.

Wilton's Easter Bunnies

Ingredients (for cake - 3 layers)

1 1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/4 vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. water
2 1/2 T white vinegar
2 t. vanilla
3 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
3 c. sugar
1 c. dutch process cocoa powder
1 T baking soda
1 t. salt
 Nutella (optional)
1/3 cup seedless blackberry jam (optional)

Directions (for cake)

• Grease and flour three 9" round cake pans.  (I also line the bottom with parchment paper - no risk of anything sticking that way.) 
• Preheat oven at 350.  
• Whisk together wet  ingredients.  
• In another bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  
• Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients and stir until smooth.  
• Divide batter evenly into the three pans.  
• Bake for 40-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  
• Cool 
• To make this cake, slice one layer in half, spread the bottom half with Nutella (about 1/2 cup)
• Warm the jam until it's a spreadable consistancy. Brush the inside of the top half with the jam.  If you can't find seedless, you can strain the melted jam to remove the seeds.
• Put the two sides together, sandwich style.  Frost with butter cream (recipe below)

Ingredients (for buttercream)

1 1/4 cups sugar (1 7/8)
2/3 cup water (1)
5 egg whites (8)
pinch cream of tartar
1 pound butter, chilled and cut into chunks of 1 or 2 tablespoons (1 1/2)
1 teaspoon vanilla

The first amount listed will make enough for a two layer cake.  Since I was only frosting one layer, I made half of this amount.  The amounts in parenthesis will make enough to frost and pipe decorations on a three layer cake.  


Directions (for buttercream)

• Bring the sugar and water to a boil.  Stirring only until the sugar dissolves. 
• Cook to soft ball stage, 238 degrees
• While the sugar is cooking, prepare the egg whites
• Beat whites until foamy, add cream of tartar
• Beat until stiff peaks form
• With the mixer running, slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the egg whites.  I was using a hand mixer, so I drizzled between the beaters and the edge of the bowl. Stopped drizzling and moved the beaters to incorporate the syrup, over and over.  If the syrup hits the beaters, it will just get flung about rather than mixed in.
• Continue to beat for about 3 minutes
• With the mixer running, slowing add the chunks of butter, the buttercream may look like it's seperating, but just keep beating.  It will magically come together with a fluffly, even texture and enough body to make a nice frosting to work with.
• Add the vanilla
• Frost the cake and decorate as desired.  I think Ferrero's Raffaello candies (maybe cut in half) would make a great topping for big buttercream stars on the top.  

Easter Craft - Decorated Eggs

The other eggs were colored with onion skin

I've posted food related craft projects from time to time.  These eggs were different than anything I've seen before, so I wanted to share it with you.  A little late for this year, but keep it in mind for future use. 

My friend, Elzbieta, did this project with a group of children.  These are hard boiled eggs, but you could certainly do this with blown eggs, or even fake eggs. 

crochet thread = kordonek in Polish

The eggs were brushed with glue and then wound with crochet thread - the kind my grandmother used to crochet lace tablecloths.   I'm looking forward to trying this myself.  They'll make an interesting addition to my Easter Tea tablescape. 

Kostka Alpejska (Cube from the Alps)

here's a side view - a slice of the cube

I have simple instructions rather than a recipe to offer with this eye catching cake.  I'm writing this down to remind me to make it when I need a WOW dessert.  Cube from the Alps is just one of the desserts I sampled during a post-Easter visit to a friend's house.  The bottom is a thin layer of chocolate flavored flavored cake - light in texture.  The second layer is a thick caramel, sort of dulce-de-leche-like.  Small little baked meringue kisses (beza) have been mixed with the caramel.  It's topped with a thick, I suspect, stabilized whipped cream.  A delicious combination of flavors that makes for a striking presentation. 

Ukrainian Borscht

I dropped in on my parents recently, around lunchtime.   They're both great cooks, so I wasn't surprised to be asked to join them for a bowl of borscht rather than a ham sandwich.  The Ukrainian version my mom found on Allrecipes was my favorite in my somewhat limited borscht experience.  I have tried Polish barszcz in Poznan.  The Polish version is a brothy-soup, with a strong, tart flavor and is served with a croquette on the side.  In comparison, this Ukrainina verion is a hearty, stew-like soup and milder in flavor.  

Adapted from: Allrecipes

For a vegetarian option, omit the sausage.  For a vegan recipe, skip the sausage and the sour cream or substitute a vegan sour cream

Ingredients

16 ounces bulk pork sausage (I made my own hot breakfast sausage)
3/4 cup red lentils
1 3/4 cup water, divided
3 medium beets, peeled and shredded

3 carrots, peeled and shredded

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6 ounces tomato paste

1/2 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded

8 ounces diced tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

sour cream, for garnish

parsley, for garnish

Directions

• Brown the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces, drain and set aside
• Soak lentils in 1 cup of water, while cooking sausage and shredding vegetables (about an hour)
• Drain lentils, reserving water, process lentils with a few spoons full of the water in a blender or food processor.  It should resemble a slightly watery hummus
• Add 8 cups of water to a large Dutch oven, add the sausage and bring to a boil
• Add beets, and simmer 15 minutes
• Add carrots and blended lentils, cook for 15 minutes
• Add cabbage and tomatoes, continuing to simmer
• Heat oil and onion in a frying pan, cook until the onion is tender
• Add garlic to onion and cook 1 minute; add tomato paste and 3/4 cup water
• Stir over heat until tomato paste and water are blended, transfer to soup pot
• Simmer 5 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper
• Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream and diced parsley

Servings 8 - 10

Mazurek Kijowski (Kiev, Ukraine) Polish Easter Pastry

Kiev Mazurek on Polish pottery

Cuisines in this part of the world overlap a lot - people moving and borders changing, I guess.  My favorite filling for pierogi (filled Polish dumplings) - ruski (Russian), of course.  With dozens, upon dozens of sausages in my Polish butcher's display, my  all time favorite is a frankfurtki (the recipe from Frankfurt).  So it's really no surprise that the Polish Easter pastry that I can't stop thinking about is version from Ukraine.

In my last post, I discussed the characteristics of typical Polish mazurek.  I got to sample a variety this year and they were wonderful - dishes that I will try to recreate, but there was something about the Ukranian version that caught my fancy.  Similar in ingredients, plainer appearance, I was taken with the way the flavors and textures melded when they were all combined together.  The heavy use of almonds didn't hurt either.  Squares of this pastry were included in our goodie box from Elzbieta.  I want to thank her for sharing the recipe.

Rather than layering and decorating, this humble mazurek has everything combined and baked like a fruit and nut shortbread.  Try it; I hope you'll love it as much as I did.

Ingredients

150 grams of butter, softened (2/3 cup)

10 egg yolks
250 grams of flour (2 1/4 cups)

250 grams of powdered sugar (2 1/4 cups)

100 grams of walnuts or almonds, finely diced, I recommend almonds (1 cup)

150 grams of raisins, soaked in warm water and drained (1 cup)

100 grams of figs, finely diced or plum jam - I recommend the jam (1 cup)

60 grams sesame seeds (1/2 cup)

 

Directions

• Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan
• Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F)
• Cream butter until smooth
• Stirring constantly, add the egg yolks
• Sift in flour and sugar, combine
• Add the nuts, raisins, figs or jam, and sesame seeds
• Spread or pat the dough into the prepared pan and prick with a fork
• Bake for one hour
• Remove from oven and slice into squares immediately while still hot 
• (This wasn't part of the recipe, but I'm guessing you cool a bit before removing from the pan) 

Mazurek (Polish Easter Pastry)

The word mazurek can be a dance and type of music.  It's a surname and also one of the traditional Easter cakes in Poland - although it will seem more like a tart to American readers.

Mazurek starts off with a shortbread-like crust, which may be topped with a layer or combination of layers consisting of fruit jam, dried fruit, a thick caramel, or nuts.  Like so many foods in Poland, the tarts are beautifully decorated, in patterns, a pussy willow design (a symbol of spring and used in places of palms on Palm Sunday), or with "Wesolego Alleluja" (Happy Easter) piped in meringue. 

Elzbieta's mazurek - shortcrust pastry topped with caramel, decorated with dried apricot and blanched almonds

I got to sample several mazurki this year.  My friend Elzbieta made one above for us in addition to the other samples of sweets that I brought home after a recent visit to her home.  We also paid a late night Easter visit and got to sample two mazurki that our friend, Angelika, prepared. I'm sure I'll be trying my hand with these when we return to the US and our tradition of hosting an afternoon tea party on Easter.

Angelika's mazurek - a shortcrust pastry topped with a layer of caramel, a layer of jam, and decorated with piped meringue

Now that you know what a typical Polish mazurek is like, in my next post, I'll tell you about a another variation on this pastry.