Tanzanie Cake

         A couple of months ago I have accidentally learnt that Adriano Zumbo, an extraordinary Australian pâtissier, had released a book. A recipe book, with his Willy Wonka style creations inside! The whole day I was trying to figure out how to get this magical book and (lucky me!) in the evening I was at the party where I met a friend of mine who was going on a trip to Melbourne. I told her about my new obsession and she saved me from loosing a good night’s sleep by promising to bring me the book.

While I was patiently waiting for it to come, I saw a post at a popular Russian food blog niksya.ru with a recipe from it - the girl from Saint Petersburg somehow managed to get the book and had already started to replicate Zumbo-ish creations in her kitchen!  As I looked through the recipe (11 pages long, by the way…ok, 10 without the introduction part of the blogger) I told my husband: “I know what we are gonna have this New Year for dessert!” He estimated the size of the folder with the printed recipe and gave me a skeptical look: “Are you sure?” “Totally!” – I tried to sound as convincing as possible…

No doubt, it was not that easy: there are nine elements in the cake, after all, and the assembling is quite tricky as well. At the same time, I wouldn’t label this dessert as “impossible to make”. It’s just…time-consuming. However, it’s great to spend time in such a way: as you work with chocolate gel and salted chocolate flakes, you can’t but feel enthusiastic about expanding your culinary horizons and stepping into unknown, other-worldly realm.

Master Stock Poached Chicken Breast

          If you compare European and Asian culinary traditions, you will see that they differ a lot in the use of ingredients and in cooking techniques. Even preparing a piece of lean meat by one of the simplest methods – poaching – will yield to different results if accomplished by chefs with dissimilar backgrounds: one will most probably use court-bouillon as a poaching liquid while the other one will go for something that is called Master stock.

            Master stock originated in Chinese cuisine and, no wonder, it has all the typical Asian flavours: soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, ginger, citrus peel and a number of spices – cinnamon, star anise and black peppercorns being the main ones. No wonder, in winter I prefer this aromatic broth with a very strong, sometimes even pungent taste, to a more subtle European style consommé. There is something very comforting in such a stew; and what I love most about it is the fantastic aroma from the mélange of spices that fills the whole house when the stock is simmering on the stove.

Recently I read that theoretically master stock should not be transformed into a soup: it is strained and kept refrigerated for future use as a poaching liquid. They say, some stocks in China are hundreds of years old and are highly praised as they have been accumulating the flavours and developing their rich and complex taste for such a long period of time. For me, however, the temptation is way too big: I can’t imagine leaving such an aromatic substance out of the plate! Believe me, it makes a perfect treat: light and fragrant, with a sweet note of cinnamon, a spicy touch of ginger and tangy undertone of a citrus peel. What else do you need on a winter day?

Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast

           I don’t know why, but peanut butter is not a popular ingredient in Russia…or, probably, I never paid attention to this condiment when I lived in Moscow – as I’ve mentioned, I was not interested in cooking and exploring grocery stores at the time. So, as I moved to India and discovered this product (as I caught a sight of it sitting on a shelf in a supermarket, I remembered that it was mentioned in the Western movies and decided to give it a try) I didn’t know exactly what to do with it. I was wondering how to incorporate it into our home menu and eventually decided not to invent a wheel: in the long run, most of people around the world simply spread it on a toast and top with banana to get a quick, healthy and nutritious breakfast (it has even got a special “code name” – PB&B toast). Later on I transformed it into a bit more elaborate dish – a stuffed French toast – and added chocolate sauce to it. I realize that the question of it being a healthy breakfast became arguable since then, but…it is so undoubtedly good that, I guess, I will definitely cook it for my friends in Russia – in order to popularize this condiment and yummy things one can make with it!

Lamb and Ratatouille

           There is a similar dish in a French, Italian, Georgian and, probably, come other cuisines which consists of stewed tomatoes, aubergines and, sometimes, courgettes. It is called ratatouille in France, caponata in Italy and adjapsandal in Georgia.

            My mum cooks this ragout quite often, especially in summer when one tends to opt for lighter vegetable meals. This dish, however, has a non-vegetarian version (at least in Georgia where both versions have the same name). My mum used to cook something very similar to it as well but she used beef (a more likely choice for a Russian) instead of mutton  (which would be more traditionally Georgian) and she called the dish “Meat à l’arabe” (yes, I know, lamb is more typical for Middle Eastern cuisine as well!). Anyway, I really loved the combination of flavours and since whenever we have ratatouille at home, my husband feels disappointed by the fact that there’s no meat in it, I started to cook non-vegetarian version of it for him – with lamb. Of course, it is far from what my mum used to cook and more similar to a Georgian adjapsandal or French ratatouille with meat, but I’m really grateful to her for having me inspired to make a dish that always makes my carnivorous husband happy!

Fraisier Gateau

           

          The name “Fraisier” comes from a French word which means “a strawberry bush”. Indeed, this classical gateau is all about these bright and juicy fruits. And since the strawberry season is at full swing in India now I’ve got a strong resolution to make the most of it by cooking as many yummy and versatile dishes as possible, making “Fraisier” seems to be more than logical (I would even say “inevitable” in this case!).

            Actually this cake has always appealed to me: not because of any complicated technique involved in its preparation but because of its simple yet elegant look. In fact, it’s quite an easy cake to make since there are only two elements: a sponge and a mousse – and it is possible to squeeze the preparation even into the busiest schedule. The result is a stunning dessert: a “crown” of ruby strawberry halves embracing an airy mousse, with the layers of light, orange-scented sponge on the bottom and on the top. Gorgeous, isn’t it? A piece of delight with a true French flair!

Mimosa Salad

        There is a common belief that there is only one salad in authentic Russian cuisine (potato, carrot and peas with mayonnaise) – which, respectively, bears the name Russian salad (in our country we call it Moscow salad, by the way). But one should not underestimate the tradition of salads in our cuisine. When holiday time comes, the dining tables are overladen with different sorts of them and, apart from “Moscow Salad” a great range of multilayered salads are served. I don’t know whether you can find the same idea of layered, not mixed salads, in any other cuisine – I for one tend to believe that it is a Russian (or, probably, Eastern European) speciality.  

         

             The layered salads usually consist of boiled vegetables, eggs, fresh herbs, cooked protein (chicken, fish or beef) and even nuts, with some mayonnaise thinly spread between the layers. The salads are made at least one day in advance so that the flavour can develop and the layers hold together when cut through (just like multi-tier cream cakes!). Although usually such salads are assembled in big and deep serving plates or bowls, I prefer another way of serving them – individually portioned, in a form of a stack (it adds finesse to the dish, doesn’t it?). One of my favorite multilayered salads is Mimosa – it has a subtle taste of a poached salmon, which is complimented by fresh dill and spring onions. It’s definitely “a special occasion” dish which makes it easy to impress even the greatest gourmets!

Crepe Suzette with White Chocolate and Orange Ice Cream

Last year I was at a party which, to say true, was quite boring until I found a person who shared my passion for food and was eager to talk about it. It was a middle aged woman who traveled a lot in her life and, therefore, was familiar with different cuisines. As I mentioned France, she noticed that this country has always been associated for her with a simple, yet very traditional dish – Crepe Suzette. At that point it suddenly occurred to me: how did it happen that I had never ever cooked this classic dessert? It was definitely a gap in my culinary knowledge to be filled. So, that same week I was making the orange sauce and flambéing my lacy crepes for the first time.

Actually this dish turned out to be a perfect breakfast for our family since my husband loves oranges (there was even a period of time in his life when he started every single day with this fruit) and, well, show me a Russian who would refuse to have crepes for breakfast! Of course, it’s a bit abnormal to indulge in an ice-cream at 8 am, but I can repeat it again and again: I don’t see anything wrong in giving yourself a treat at any time of the day.

Last time when I made Crepe Suzette I had a homemade white chocolate and orange ice-cream which amazingly complimented the dish (in a much more stunning way than a traditional vanilla one). I guess from now on I will always place a scoop of this tangy ice-cream next to my flaming crepes!