Happy Easter to all the foodies all over the world! Although today is Catholic Easter, we still have one week until Ukrainian (Orthodox) Easter, which also called Pascha, and that means the whole week to decide what to cook for this great holiday. In my family, like in many Ukrainian families, we have a tradition to cook a lot for Easter: crepes, salad, veggies, fish, poultry, meat and of course Kulich (or Paska) for dessert, we have all these goodies in one day. Mostly because historically our religious ancestors had a very strict Lent eight weeks before the holiday, which ended only on Resurrection Sunday. For 56 days, they lived with total abstention from meat, fats, eggs and dairy products. Instead they used cereals, veggies and another type of food devoid of fats, almost like vegans. However, not a lot of modern people can endure such a strict Lent, and honestly they don’t want to do that anymore. Even though Ukrainian refused to fast, they continued to feast on Easter.

Usually, for our festive Sunday we start cooking a couple days in advance, just because the number of dishes is always crazy, and we need to spend a lot of extra time in the kitchen. Every family has their own signature dishes. Ours are Beer Roasted Pork Knuckle with Honey Glaze and my signature Kulich, which is similar to Italian Panettone. This year I decided to make Kulich a little bit more interesting. Instead of traditional white topping I used shiny apricot glaze and dried fruits and nuts, in my opinion because of this Kulich became much more sophisticated. I will gladly share the recipe of this wonderful Easter dessert with you, hope you will enjoy it as much as my family and friends do.

Easter Kulich (Paska)

By voloshyna, April 5, 2015

• Total Time: 03h 10min
• Prep Time: 02h 30min
• Cook time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the dough: -
• active dry yeast - 4 tsps
• whole milk - 1/2 cup
• heavy cream - 1 cup
• saffron threads - 1 pinch
• sifted all-purpose flour - 6 cups, or more if needed
• sugar - 1 1/4 cup
• big organic eggs - 5
• butter - 1/2 stick, melted
• salt - 1/2 teaspoon
• candied fruits - 3/4 cup, cubbed
• rum - 1/2 cup
• vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
• For decoration: -
• apricot jam - 1/2 cup
• water - 1/4 cup
• dried fruit and nut mix - 2 cups

Instructions:

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and 1 tablespoon of sugar; mix well. Let this mixture stand until it is frothy, for about 20 minutes. Yeast need this time to start working. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat until very warm but not simmering. Stir in saffron threads and remove from heat, and let the cream mixture stand until lukewarm. Transfer yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl. Beat egg yolks with remaining sugar until light. Add melted butter to yeast mixture, and then egg yolks with sugar. Stir in saffron heavy cream. Gradually add the remaining flour. The dough will be soft, elastic, and should not stick to hands. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 2 hour or longer. Place candied fruits into a bowl, drizzle with rum, and allow them to soften for 1-2 hours. Then drain the fruits and place them on a paper towel to dry just a little bit. After the dough has risen and doubled in size, you need to punch it for a few times to release the air. Then add softened candied fruits, vanilla extract and knead the dough until smooth, for about 5-10 minutes.  Place the dough in greased and floured kulich tins or paper molds. Be sure not to fill the tin or can more than 1/2 full. Allow the Kulich to rise another hour. Bake for about 40-45 minutes at 325 F until puffed and golden. Let cool to room temp or just warm. Once they are at room temperature, get your glaze ready. In a medium saucepan mix water and apricot jam. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and let the mixture boil for a few minutes until it became slightly syrupy. Remove from the heat and let to cool. Cover each Kulich with a thin layer of the apricot glaze. Then top with the dried fruits and nuts. Gradually cover with the remaining glaze. Let them stand undisturbed until the glaze is set.

Fromage Blanc is a fresh, easy-to-make cheese. Of French origin, its name simply means “white cheese” and it makes an excellent cheese spread with herbs and spices added to it. This cheese is incredibly popular in Ukraine, we use it in lots of different recipes, in sweet and savory dishes. My favorite are Lazy Dumplings and Crepes filled with Fromage Blanc. I remember my grandma used to make me some fantastic fromage blanc pancakes, that was a real treat! You know, sometimes the dishes from our childhood seem to us much more delicious then any fancy chef can cook. Oh, I’ve almost forgot about amazing Fromage Blanc Casserole, but I’m still working on this one =)

The best thing about this recipe is that you will need only two ingredients to make your own fresh and healthy Fromage Blanc. No special cultures or expensive ingredients needed, the process is easy and straight forward. So go ahead and learn how to make this delicious cheese at home!

Homemade Fromage Blanc

By voloshyna, August 25, 2014

Ingredients:

• whole milk - 1 gallon (not ultra-pasteurized)
• buttermilk or kefir - 1 1/2 cups

Instructions:

In a big pot combine milk and buttermilk or kefir. Stir, cover with a lid and leave undisturbed for 24 hours. At the end of the culturing period, the milk will have set up and look somewhat like thin yogurt. Place the pot over medium low heat, begin to heat the mixture very slowly stirring occasionally, until it reaches 175 degrees F. It should take about 20 minutes. As soon as the temperature reaches 175 degrees F, remove the pot from the heat and allow to sit, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. You will see that the mixture is separated to curds and whey. Line a large colander with a few layers of fine cheesecloth or linen towel and set over a large bowl. Gently ladle the curds and whey into the colander and allow to drain until the drips of whey slows, about 3 minutes. Bring the corners of the draining cloth together and tie them off. It should then be hung for several hours to allow the whey to drain off. This can take from 3-6 hours depending on the final moisture desired. You can reserve the whey and use it in baking instead of milk.

You do not need ice cream maker to make this delicious treat!

Rum & Raisins Ice-Cream

By voloshyna, August 14, 2014

Ingredients:

• egg yolks - 4
• whole milk - 1 cup
• raisins - 1/4 cup
• rum - 1/4 cup
• heavy cream - 1 cup
• sweetened condensed milk - 1/2 cup
• confectioners sugar - 1/4 cup orto taste
• vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon

Instructions:

Soak the raisins in the rum for a couple of hours. In a medium sauce pan mix together the sugar, milk and egg yolks. cook stirring constantly over low heat, until the mixture is thick like a custard. Let cool completely and then transfer to a refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Whip the heavy cream with vanilla extract until stiff peaks. Mix together whipped cream, chilled custard and condensed milk. Transfer to an ice-cream container and place in the freezer for 1 1/2 hours. Then add the soaked raisins and mix well, return your ice-cream to the freezer. Freeze for another 4-5 hours.

I love autumn and I love pumpkin! That’s why I’ve created this delicious dessert, try it and maybe it’ll become your new Thanksgiving special!

I took this wonderful recipe as a base for mine Pumpkin Caramel Ice cream.

Pumpkin Caramel Ice Cream

By voloshyna, October 31, 2013

Ingredients:

• whole milk - 1 1/4 cup
• heavy cream - 1 cup
• granulated sugar - 1/3 cup + 2 tabs of vanilla sugar
• ground cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
• cinnamon stick - 1
• freshly-ground nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
• himalayan or kosher salt - 1/4 tespoon
• large egg yolks - 4
• brown sugar - 1/4 cup
• pumpkin puree - 3/4 cup
• homemade or store bought caramel - 1/2 cup, room temperature

Instructions:

Fill large bowl with an ice and a little bit of water, place a medium metal bowl inside it. Set a mesh strainer over the top. In a medium saucepan mix the milk, cream, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and salt. Bring almost to a boil. In a small bowl whisk he egg yolks; gradually whisk in about half of the warm spiced milk mixture, stirring constantly. Combine egg mixture with a remaining spiced milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens. If using a culinary thermometer, it should read between 160º-170ºF. Quickly pour the mixture through the strainer into the bowl nested in the ice bath. Mix with a brown sugar, stir until sugar dissolves. Set a site to cool. Then refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight. Stir in pumpkin pure Press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you transfer the ice cream to the storage container, drizzle in the caramel after every few scoopfuls.

That’s what I call The Perfect Autumn Dinner. This recipe I’ve created special for the Chinet Baking Series, using Chinet Bakeware® Small Oval Pan 7.25 x 9.25 x 2 . I love this dish because it’s creamy, crunchy and very easy to customize. There are also no strict list of ingredients, you can use any mushrooms you like, add pancetta, vegetables or herbs to your taste. Don’t limit yourself and be creative.

By the way, I need to test three more Chinet Bakeware Pans, so expect three more delicious and simple recipes from me!

Mac & Cheese with mushrooms and truffle butter

By voloshyna, September 10, 2013

• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• mix of mushrooms - 12 oz (any mushrooms you like), roughly chopped
• medium shallot - 1, finely chopped
• butter - 2 tablespoons
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• For the topping: -
• bread crumbs, lightly toasted - 1 1/2 cups, I used the whole wheat crumbs
• dry garlic - 1 teaspoon
• chili powder - 1teaspoon
• grated Parmigiano-Reggiano - 2 tablespoons
• unsalted butter - 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons, melted
• truffle butter - 1-2 teaspoons, melted
• For the cheese sauce: -
• unsalted butter - 3 tablespoons
• all-purpose flour - 3 tablespoons
• whole milk - 2 cups
• mascarpone - 1/4 cup
• gouda, finally grated - 3 cups
• salt - to taste
• To cook the pasta: -
• elbows - 3/4 lb
• water -
• salt - to taste

Instructions:

In a large skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender about 7-9 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cook 1 minute longer and set aside. For the topping, put the breadcrumbs into a medium bowl, mix with dry garlic, chili powder and grated Parmegiano. Drizzle with melted butter and toss well to combine. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente (according to package direction). Meanwhile make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a heavy-duty saucepan. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk over medium-low heat, until the the butter and flour become golden-brown. Slowly add the milk, while whisking constantly. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and has consistency of heavy cream, about 5-6 min. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat. Cook for another 8-10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Gently whisk in the cheese, season to taste with salt. Add the sauce and sautéed mushrooms to the drained pasta and gently stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to a baking dish and evenly scatter the breadcrumbs topping. Bake at 350 F about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.