This Poppy Seed Honey Babka is my variation on a traditional makivnyk (маківник) a poppy seed roll baked throughout Ukraine but has special significance during August harvest celebrations. This year’s Russian invasion interrupted the annual agricultural cycle in many parts of Ukraine. In the east, where hostilities were concentrated, farmers and gardeners planted when they …
This Cherry Tart, Ukrainian Style (vyshnevyi pliatsok – вишневий пляцок) is a popular summer dessert in Ukraine where the cherry season runs from June through July. The Ukrainian word pliatsok describes a flat pastry, sweet or savory. The English word tart is the closest translation since the finished product more closely resembles thin European …
Cherry Tart, Ukrainian Style — Vyshnevyi Pliatsok Read More »
This Mazurok — Lemon Glazed Almond Raisin Cake is a pastry baked just before Easter in Ukraine. It is one of several sweet treats often included on the Easter table. We are a week away from Orthodox Easter, usually the most joyous and uplifting holiday of light and resurrection, but for many Ukrainian refugees this …
This Rustic Cheesecake illustrates an ancient way of making cheesecake, producing a delectable dessert with simple ingredients. Unlike most American cheesecakes made with cream cheese, this Rustic Cheesecake (syrna zapikanka —сирна запіканка — which means “baked cheesecake” in Ukrainian) is made from fresh unaged cheese, a staple of Ukrainan home cooking for generations. Although specific …
This Strawberry Corncake with Labneh and Cream is my re-creation of a menu description I imagined but never tasted. On a recent trip to Louisiana, the New Orleans Museum of Art was advertising a fundraiser in City Park with food catered by Pat White, a local chef. The inspiring four-course dinner menu was filled with …
I first heard about Red Velvet Cake from Bobbie Lou, my Baltimore elementary school classmate. Bobbie Lou was a pretty, plump, dark haired girl who lived a block away with her colorful grandmother who raised her because Bobbie Lou’s mother worked night shifts and slept during the day. Bobbie Lou’s family had recently moved to …
We didn’t entertain much during the three years I studied law, but reading recipes provided a needed break from legal treatises and fueled fantasies about when and how I would prepare them. I was a pent-up hostess and when the last semester was ending, I invited friends for dinner I planned in my mind for …
With a few days left until Christmas, I am focusing on holiday baking. I am late this year and probably should not do much, but it’s a habit hard to break even though we eat fewer sweets each year. Nonetheless, an unexpected, spectacular dessert ending to a holiday meal is a special treat. Of course, …
Orange Christmas Cake with White Chocolate Frosting Read More »
I made this Viennese Poppy Seed Torte, Mohntorte, to assuage my longing for poppy seeds. I know it sounds strange. Why of all culinary ingredients available in the United States, would I miss poppy seeds? Well, poppy seed dishes were part of my Ukrainian-American childhood, often used for special occasion treats such as strudels and …
The annual appearance of firm red and green rhubarb stalks in farmers’ markets heralds that winter is finally over. Knowing rhubarb season is fleeting, I usually buy enough to fill my baking and cooking cravings. This year, it’s time for a Strawberry-glazed Rhubarb Yogurt Cheesecake. My affinity for rhubarb started early. In our first small …