Classic Apple Raisin Cake

Witamy!  Many classic Polish baked goods trace their roots to the country and farms where the harvest bounty and seasons often dictated what landed in the kitchen and on the table every week.  In our modern world of upscale grocery stores, most recipes can be prepared the year round.  Ingredients are transported from wherever on our planet they are plentiful to wherever they are scarce.  So, seasonality has become less of an issue.  Of course if you wish to “buy local,” farmers’ markets are the way to go for freshly harvested and locally grown items.  And yes they often do taste better – at least to this writer. 

There are few better combinations of flavors than apples, cinnamon and walnuts.  This is one of our absolutely favorite desserts and one that we often prepare for sampling at book signing events. Then, Laura makes it in a mini-cupcake size and it works beautifully.  It’s very easy to prepare and the recipe is almost goof proof.  And it doesn’t hurt that it’s super popular with all our friends.

½ pound butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cups raisins

4 cups cooking apples, peeled & coarsely shredded

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Beat the butter with the sugar until creamy. A standing mixer is perfect for this job but a hand mixer will work just as well.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat five more minutes (less if using a standing mixer).  Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and beat three more minutes.  Fold in the fruit and walnuts. 

Butter and flour a high 10-inch round spring form cake pan.  Pour in the finished batter and shake it around for even distribution.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour to an hour and a half (60 to 90 minutes).  Test at 60 minutes for doneness with a toothpick.  The cake is done when the toothpick comes out dry.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before releasing the pan.

Yields 12 to 16 portions, depending on size of slices and how hungry your guests are.  Smacznego!

Mama's Favorite Summer Salads -- Totally Polish & Totally Awesome

Witamy!
Peter's Mother loved the fresh salads of summer because they were so light, refreshing, and paired well with almost any meal.  She would make enough to last several days and we all loved it.  

Now that the hot weather is here, there’s not much better than a chilled salad to accompany lunch or supper. We get our vegetables fresh off the farm from a nearby  farmers' market, and they are always bright, crunchy, and delicious.  These salads are healthy, and with a slight tang of the sour cream, they are totally Polish.  The sour cream is a theme running through these recipes because sour cream is a very popular element of classic Polish cuisine. Used in moderation, sour cream is a great flavor enhancer and a very popular ingredient in Polish preparations - especially when topped with fresh chopped dill or parsley.   Smacznego!

Radishes With Sour Cream  (Serves 5)

3 bunches fresh radishes, sliced thinly

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

Lettuce leaves

1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill

Sprinkle salt over the radishes and combine with sour

 cream.  Spread artfully over lettuce leaves and sprinkle

dill on top.

Carrot, Apple & Horseradish Salad  (Serves 4)

6 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

2 apples, peeled, cored and shredded

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Salt and sugar

2/3 cup sour cream

Green parsley, chopped

Combine the carrots, apple and horseradish.  Season with both salt and sugar, fold in the sour cream.  Chill for 15 minutes, garnish with parsley for color.

Carrot & Rhubarb Salad  (Serves 4)

4 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

2 stalks of rhubarb, finely sliced

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sour cream

Lettuce leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle the sugar on the rhubarb.  Mix with the carrots. Season with salt to taste, mix in the Sour cream.  Arrange on the lettuce leaves.  Sprinkle parsley over the top for garnish.

Fresh Fruit Tart - Polish Style

Witamy!

Summer is here for most of us and fresh fruit is available everywhere.  Peter just came in with bags of beautiful peaches, aromatic plums and sweet nectarines.  These were shipped up from South America but that’s the beauty of a global markets...we can enjoy the harvests year round. 

A stunning way to enjoy the bounty of these harvests is in a delicious fruit tart.  The main stream grocery stores and commercial bakeries sell their versions for big bucks, but they’re usually very sweet, and often full of artificial ingredients.  Those store-baked tarts are often made with a cheap, lard-laden crust, they often contain a gooey pastry cream under the fruit, and the fruit itself has been drenched in some sort of heavy syrup. They are stunning to look at but maybe not the healthiest dessert around. 

Our way is to make a delicious yeasty shell and just fill it with sliced fruit – nothing more and nothing less.  Pure and simple.  Fresh and delicious.   All natural and better for you.  It’s the way to go!

Batter

• 1 packet dry yeast
• ½ cup milk, tepid
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• ¾ stick sweet butter
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs

Fruit Topping

4 cups sliced fruit (peaches, nectarines, apricots, Italian plums, apples, all berries, or mix & match)

¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

To prepare the shell, combine the yeast with milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Mix in ½ cup of flour and place the mixture in 150°F oven until it doubles in size.

Cream the butter and the remaining sugar until pale and creamy.  Add the egg yolks and vanilla, and beat for 5 minutes.  Add in the yeast mixture.  Add in the remaining flour in small portions, while beating.  Beat for 5 more minutes.  Whip the egg whites and salt until stiff.  Fold into the dough.

Butter (or use baking spray) a 9 inch x 12 inch baking pan and sprinkle with the bread crumbs.  Spread the dough evenly in the prepared pan and cover with a light cloth or dish towel; place in 150°F oven until the dough doubles in size.

Distribute all the fruit slices evenly on top of the dough.  Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.  Let cool.  Cut into serving portions while still in the pan.   Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Smacznego!

PS  We have plenty of outstanding fruit-based desserts that aren’t so sweet, in our Polish Classic Desserts book.   For a personally dedicated and autographed copy, just click on the blue book cover at the top of this page.