Kitchen Epiphanies

KITCHEN epiphanies

Exploring diverse foodways...

Cakes

Melopita –Greek Honey Cheesecake in Phyllo-Nut Crust

Easter is cheesecake time at our house.  I prepare Ukrainian cheese desserts for the holiday each year and experiment with cheesecake recipes from other cuisines. This year, I am adding melopita to my dessert repertoire. Its Greek name, comprised of two words – mela, which means honey, and pita, which means pie, implies that it …

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Pumpkin Noodle Babka or Kugel

This Pumpkin Noodle Babka is my recreation of a fall dish Babunia, my Ukrainian maternal grandmother Julianna Bulawka, improvised for Didunio, my grandfather Vasyl Bulawka.  It unites sweet cheese, sour cream custard with egg noodles and pumpkin, Ukraine’s favorite fall ingredient, in a noodle bake (she called harbuzova babka* or kugel (гарбузова бабка or куґель) …

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Portokalopita – Greek Orange Cake

At the end of a recent seafood dinner in Washington, my dining companions and I were presented with a splendid arrangement of Greek desserts.  The assortment was familiar:  baklava —caramelized phyllo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey, ekmek kataifi –crispy, golden shredded phyllo with creamy custard, soaked in lemon scented …

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Pistachio Napoleon Torte – a Twist on a Ukrainian Classic

This Pistachio Napoleon Torte is my twist on the traditional Ukrainian Napoleon. In my childhood, Napoleon Torte was the epitome of a fancy dessert made only for special occasions by my aunt Titka Maria or Mama. Years later, when I began working in Ukraine, I learned this torte was adored by other Ukrainians and prepared …

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Apple Babka or Zapikanka or Sharlotka? – Ukrainian Apple Cake

This post presents a delectable apple and bread dessert known by various names. I call it Apple Babka, but similar recipes also are called Apple Zapikanka (pudding) or Apple Sharlotka (charlotte).  The names often are confused because the recipes include similar ingredients: apples, bread or flour, butter, sugar and some also add eggs and/or milk. …

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Cherry Almond Solozhenik — a Rustic Ukrainian Dessert

This Cherry Almond Solozhenik (вишнево- міґдаловий соложеник in Ukrainian) is a vintage rustic dessert now regaining popularity as Ukrainian cooks highlight their culinary traditions and practices, refuting Russia’s repeated declarations that Ukraine is an invented country, and has no distinctive ethnic culture or traditions.  The name “solozhenik” applies to a range of traditional Ukrainian sweets.  …

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No-bake Mocha Almond Waffle Torte –Pischinger, Andruty or Wafer?

This Mocha Almond Waffle Torte is made with thin, waffled-wheat-flour wafers.  Ukrainian cooks layer these versatile wafers, round or square, with an assortment of buttercream fillings, jams and sometimes almond or other nut pastes pressed together as a no-bake dessert.   Some versions are served as a torte; others are cut into bars as cookies.   I …

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Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake from Ukraine

Mounds of multi-hued pumpkins at a local farmer’s market are a sign that fall has arrived.  Unlike in America, where pumpkins are eaten primarily in the fall, pumpkins in Ukraine are an important year-round dietary staple featured in soups, pies, combined with millet or rice for porridge, baked with honey, savory tarts, cheesecakes and desserts.  …

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