Polish Classic Desserts Is Here!

No traditional Polish feast is complete without a sweet ending. As simple and inviting as a warm chestnut cookie or as elegant as a tall mocha torte, classic Polish desserts are rich in heritage and in flavor. The authors’ second classic Polish cookbook is dedicated to the legacy of desserts that those of Polish descent will remember from childhood. From casual and rustic to intricate and elegant, these recipes provide the perfect dessert for any occassion. 

Organized by type and with titles in both Polish and English, the desserts in this compilation are full of the intoxicating aromas of rich vanilla, fresh lemon zest, and the yeast of dough rising in the oven. From mazurkas and babas to pastries and beverages, these recipes are designed for the modern kitchen but retain their traditional roots. Each of the forty-five desserts are tested to perfection and paired with mouthwatering photographs and notes on Polish history and customs. Offered here is a sample of Poland’s favorite sweets passed down through generations.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Laura and Peter Zeranski are a husband-and-wife team who have been cooking and eating classic Polish food together for decades. Peter, a retired marketing professional, was born in Europe to Polish parents. His family’s love for Polish cuisine is showcased in The Art of Polish Cooking, the critically acclaimed cookbook by his mother, Alina Żerańska. Laura, a retired health records administrator, began learning to cook Polish dishes from her mother-in-law shortly after her marriage. As time went on, Alina passed her knowledge and cooking duties on to Laura, who began preparing Sunday family dinners and special holiday celebratory meals.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER Bob Rock is a self-taught photographer who enjoys portrait, landscape, and macro photography. After a thirty-five year career in the printing industry, Rock is now the owner of Bob Rock Photography & Digital Imaging. He resides with his family in Leesburg, Virginia.

Super Beets - Three Ways to Kick It Up

Witamy! 

Beets are the new “super food.”  Beets contain plenty of minerals and nutrients to make us healthier and to help stave off nasty diseases.  And, as a big bonus, they can also taste wonderfully.  Beets have always been a mainstay of Polish cuisine, and yes, we’ve met plenty of North-Americans who turn up their noses at the thought of eating beets, but many  also admitted that they’ve never tried a beet or only tried a sample of pickled beets out of the can --  not so yum! 

To help us dispell all bad thoughts about beets, here is a fresh marinated beet salad that was featured last year in Healthy Aging Magazine, in an article about the bounty of the garden.   It is a heritage recipe that has remained very popular for generations, even among the “doubters.”

Marinated Beet Salad - Serves 6

• 3 cups cooked beets, 1/4-inch Julienne
• 1 cup finely sliced green onion
• 2/3 cup currants
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
•  salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch leaf lettuce (optional)
• green onion for garnish

Combine beets, onion and currants.  Whisk the oil and vinegar and toss with beet mixture.  For a pretty presentation, arrange each scoop of salad on a lettuce leaf.  Garnish with finely sliced green onion.

Beets With Horseradish (Ćwikła)

Easter is just around the corner and we are looking forward to the traditional feast, with ham, kielbasa, maybe some roast pork, and all the usual sides.  Here is a very classic, truly unique Polish garnish that amazes everyone who tastes it.  It takes just a minute to prepare and adds this gorgeous red splash of color next to anything on your plate you’d like to enhance with a little extra kick.   And, if you make it a few days ahead of time, the flavors get richer with time as the horseradish infuses more thoroughly with the beets.  We always have a jar in the refrigerator since it stores well for a long time.

Yields 2 cups

• 2 14 ½ ounce cans of red beets, drained and coarsely chopped (not the pickled kind)
• 5 ounces prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Combine beets, horseradish and sugar.  Place in a tightly sealed jar and refrigerate.  Note: More horseradish may be added at any time to stimulate a more adventuresome palate.

Roasted Orange Beets – Dressed Up

Occasionally Peter gets in a mental zone to kick up the natural flavor of vegetables.  He’s probably been watching too many cooking shows on the Food Network.  Lately we’ve been playing around with infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  We are especially enjoying what sesame seed oil does to roasted vegetables and also the fresh kick that comes from drizzling some aged balsamic vinegar over roasted butternut squash.

 

Tonight’s dinner plan is an experiment:  broiled filet of rainbow trout with roasted orange beets.  One of our favorite dressings for trout filets is made by mixing a few tablespoons of mayonnaise with a bit of Dijon Mustard (the seeds-in variety is best) and some finely sliced green onion. 

 

We’ll mix it up well and spread that dressing thinly all over the trout.  That goes under the broiler for about 7 or 8 minutes (about four inches below the burner to avoid scorching the mayo yet long enough to cook the fish through. The fish will be done when the mayo mix starts to bubble and just char.

 

So the experiment part of tonight’s dinner will be to roast some orange beets which are a bit milder and sweeter that the traditional red varieties, and just before serving spread some of the mayo mix on top, as a dressing.  With the fish and beets on the plate, we’ll sprinkle more of the finely sliced green onion over all of it as another garnish.  It should be great!

If you try this, or have your own interesting twist on roasted beets, we’d love to hear about it in the comments box below.    SMACZNEGO! 

New Year’s Day Comfort – Pork & Sauerkraut

Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku - Happy New Year!

 

New Years Day is for recovery.  Whether you partied hard the night before, or not at all, it is a day to relax, “chill,” and just hang out.  The comfort of pork and sauerkraut is just perfect whether you will be planted in front of the TV cheering for your favorite team, or enjoying friends and family in some other way.   Taking a mid-afternoon snooze would be a luxury! 

 

In years past, we’ve often invited friends and neighbors over for Hunters Stew (Bigos), thought of by many as the national dish of Poland.  That’s it on the cover of our book and the recipe is on page 45.  It’s a delicious stew of sauerkraut, pieces of pork and smoked sausage (kielbasa) and flavored with dried mushrooms, bacon, maybe a bit of apple, and some crushed tomatoes.  The beauty of Hunters Stew is that it cannot be screwed up because it doesn’t matter what are the proportions of the ingredients.  We use whatever leftover meats are in the freezer, saved for just this purpose.  Hunters Stew is best reheated so it can and should be made a few days early when you have more time.  Serve it with young boiled potatoes on the side (drizzled with melted butter and fresh chopped dill) and shots of icy Polish vodka or a hearty red wine.  OMG – so awesome.

But this year Laura chose to go a slightly different route – a rolled pork loin roast with the sauerkraut – a delicious change of pace.  Again, this is one of those dishes you probably can’t screw up, but a few tips may serve you well.  The advantage of a rolled pork loin roast (usually seen in two pieces tied together with butchers’ twine) is the thin layer of fat on the roast and often between the pieces that will keep the meat moist.  These days pork tenderloins and some center cut chops are so lean that they don’t have much flavor.  We’ve been trying to buy pork with the bone in, or at least with some fat on it.  A four-pound pork roast will only serve four or five people because it will shrink while cooking.

Take a handful of dried mushrooms and rehydrate them in a cup of hot water.  Let them sit in the water for at 30 minutes.  Save the mushroom water.

Open two or three pounds of good sauerkraut and wash it well.  Rinsing and draining a couple of times will take away a lot of the sharp briny tang.  Set aside.

Salt and pepper the roast generously.  Heat two tablespoons of cooking oil in a very hot skillet and brown the roast on all sides.  Peter controls the roast with two pairs of tongs and not a fork to avoid making holes for the juices to leak.  Three to five minutes on each side should give you a nice dark crust on the roast which seals the juices.  Set the roast aside.

Slice a medium onion.  Scrape the skillet with a wooden spatula to loosen the residue from browning.  Add another tablespoon of oil if needed and sauté both the onion and sauerkraut in the hot skillet until golden.  Add the dried mushrooms and their water, and mix well.  Taste and decide how else you’d like to flavor the sauerkraut.  For a slightly sweeter flavor add half of a tart apple which has been cut into small slices, and a tablespoon or two of tomato paste.  For a more savory flavor, add a handful of sliced fresh dark mushrooms, and a tablespoon or two of caraway seeds instead of the apple.  Taste again and adjust the flavorings as desired, keeping in mind that the flavors will intensify as the roast braises.

Depending on the skillet you used, either place the roast into the sauerkraut or transfer everything to a small oven-proof braising pan.  For the roast to stay moist and braise properly be sure to have an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan and push the sauerkraut up around the sides of the roast.

Braise the pork & sauerkraut low and slow for about two hours at 325°F.  Check your pan every half hour or so to make sure it’s not drying out.  Add liquid as needed...any good bullion is great.  The pork will be done when you stick a fork in it, twist and the meat will be almost falling apart – about two hours.  Some more time won’t hurt it but if time is short please be absolutely sure the internal temperature is at least 160°F.

Serve with a salad or your favorite fresh vegetables.  Pair with a nice hearty red wine, European-style beer or icy shots of Polish vodka.

FYI, Polish Classic Desserts will be released around February 15th and it contains amazing photography and awesome classical dessert recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation but updated for modern kitchens.  You can reserve your own autographed and personally dedicated copy now (no money due) by clicking on the RESERVE button at the top right.  We’ll send you an email on the day the book becomes available.
Smacznego!