Nalesniki- Polish Pancakes

One recipe that hardly qualifies as such is my mother's nalesniki. I don't know how she does it- she never follows a recipe, but they always come out fantastic. I guess it's just an instinctual thing, but I still like to quantify, so I got her to measure her ingredients until I found what seemed to be the "ideal" starting combination of ingredients. One thing that amazes me is how she skips all the steps I assume to be essential, often not sifting the flour, never adding salt, and mixing the batter very thoroughly without loosing tenderness. But I'll accept this unorthodox lack of methods and materials consistency if it means my favourite pancakes in the world.

I've tried to make these myself a few times, but I fell into such pitfalls as assuming a greater need for eggs than there are (you really only need them to bind the batter) and adding too much milk relative to water (they shouldn't be too thick). You also need a really good, reliable pan- this can take a while, but once you find "the One" it'll never let you down.

The absolute best way to serve these, in my opinion, is with sour cherry preserves and sour cream. However, the options are limitless as what you have on hand- we use all types of jam, nutella, a mixture of cottage cheese with sugar and fruit, a spread made of ground walnuts, honey and cinnamon, and essentially whatever else looks like it might be good.

The only very important thing to remember is to use enough butter for both flavour and sticking-avoidance. It takes some practice to perfect these, but they become a second nature to make very quickly. It's good to have one person filling and rolling them up while the other works the pan, so it never gets left batterless- that would make it burn. Try doubling the recipe for extras- they freeze excellently.

If you haven't ever tried this style of pancake, it's pretty much the standard for Central and Eastern Europe, with every region and nation having its own variations, not to mention every household. Some are thicker and some are thinner- some have more egg or fat, and some are more watery. It can all be experimented with as you go until you get them exactly how you want. If you don't add sugar or vanilla, and add a half teaspoon of salt, you can also make them savoury with such fillings as spinach and cheese or mushrooms. They're delicate and soft but also just chewy enough, and are all-around my favourite for a reason.

Nalesniki
Makes about a dozen

675 ml. Milk, 3.8% preferred
2 TBSP Sugar (use homemade vanilla sugar if you want more flavour!)
1 TBSP Oil (we use almond or hazelnut oil, but any neutral oil is fine)
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
300 g. Flour (pastry flour is better, but AP is fine)
2 Eggs, medium to large
Water as needed (fizzy mineral water is better)
About 1 Tsp. butter per pancake, to fry
Filling- Jam, preserves, cheese filling, chocolate spread and so on
Optional: Sour cream etc. to serve, depending on the filling

Mix the milk, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add the eggs and flour, sifting if very clumpy. Mix with whisk attachment on medium-high (or by hand) until well-incorporated. Thin out the batter with about 1/2 C. water to begin, adding more if necessary.

Heat up a good crêpe pan (something that distributes heat well, especially good is a cast iron pan) on high heat, then reduce to medium and melt a piece of butter. Ladle on about 1/4 C. of the batter and tilt the pan to coat evenly. The first will take the longest to cook, and might not come out well, but they do get better with each attempt- flip once it no longer has wet spots on the surface and cook for another thirty seconds before flipping onto a plate and spreading with filling and rolling up.

Keep warm in a 80℃ oven until ready to serve- give any optional toppings on the side.

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Despite my pie-adverse parentage (I don't understand them either), this is still a beloved favourite that must grace the thanksgiving table. Even though we regrettably hardly observe thanksgiving (sigh), the Pumpkin Pie has to happen. With marzipan pumpkins. 

What makes it special is both the use of homemade roasted pumpkin puree (gotta write down the process for that here sometime) and heavy cream, which is much nicer than canned pumpkin (still passable in a pinch, though) or condensed milk. It's got my favourite flaky butter pastry, lots of creaminess and spice (plus rum) and is topped with both whipped cream and marzipan. It's very easy to make, despite the length of the recipe- I just went into a lot of detail. In addition, many of the steps can be done in advance- like making the marzipan pumpkins (a week in advance in the fridge, or even more in the freezer) or the crust (also can be pre-made, frozen and thawed already in the pan for straight-to-oven convenience). 

I made two crucial mistakes in my pie, mostly due to hubris- One, I forgot to turn the heat up as high as I should have for the blind-baking, so it didn't get as flaky as I wanted. Two, I used a little too much cream, so the filling was a little too liquidy and cracked on top. Still tasted great, though.

The filling is very soft and silky, and contrasts well with the crust. There are a thousand variations of pumpkin pie I'd like to try, but this is the classic for sure. You also don't need to have ready-made pumpkin pie spice, which makes it easier- that stuff tends to sell out right around thanksgiving. Mmmmmmmmmm pie.

Here's a previous year's attempt for reference- poured in too much filling that time. It seems I just can't win.

Classic Pumpkin Pie
Adapted from Baking, by Peter Jameson

For the Crust:
1 Recipe All-star pie crust

Roll out dough and drape overtop a 9" or 10" pie pan or cake pan. Press into the pan as tightly as possible. Allow to refrigerate for about 15 minutes to relax, then trim excess dough, leaving about 1-2 cm around the edges. 

Press the edge until it just reaches over the sides of the pan, using a fork. You can also take the excess dough trimmings and roll out to cut small shapes with a cookie cutter, and overlap those around the edges. If you really can't get it to look good, don't worry- the whipped cream can be used to cover it up later on.

Poke the crust with a fork throughout and refrigerate another 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 200℃. 
To blind-bake, use baking parchment or aluminium foil to coat the crust and press down. Weigh it with baking stones or old inedible beans/rice- these will prevent the crust from puffing up too much. Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden. 
Remove the weighing insert and if too puffy in any place, push down gently with a fork. Return to oven for another 15 minutes.

For the Filling:
15 Oz. Pumpkin puree, preferably homemade
1 1/2 C. Cream, 30-35%
1 C. Light brown sugar (or a 1:1 ratio dark brown:white, or even 2:1 if you really like the brown sugar taste)
3 Eggs
1 TBSP Dark rum (optional)
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 /2Tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Ginger
1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp. Cloves
Pinch of cardamom
1/2 Tsp. Salt

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Mix eggs and sugar until well combined with a whisk. Add the pumpkin puree, rum and vanilla. Whisk in the dry ingredients.

Pour the filling into the pie crust- it might be a bit too much, but you can always bake the excess in ramekins or (if you're very daring with raw eggs) eat it as-is.

Bake the filled pie for 30 minutes at 170℃, covering the crust trim with aluminium foil if it is browning too quickly, until the filling is not liquidy but still jiggles a bit when the pan is shifted- the top of the pumpkin will be browned lightly, smooth and shiny.

Let cool at least an hour before adding whipped cream.

For the Decorations:
1/2 C. Cream, 30-35%
2 TBSP Powdered sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 Tsp. Rum extract, optional

200 g. Marzipan
Red, yellow and green food colouring
about 12-14 whole cloves

Beat the cream, powder sugar and vanilla until firm peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Divide the marzipan into 150 and 50 g. Add a couple of drops each of red and yellow food colouring to the 150 g. piece and knead in. Once the right shade of orange is achieved, divide into 12-14 spheres. Use a toothpick or chopstick to lightly press "segments" into the spheres to mimic the look of a pumpkin. If it becomes too soft or oily, refrigerate for 10 minutes before continuing.

Knead a drop or two of food colouring into the 50 g. piece, until it is the right "leafy" colour. Form small ovals and press down to form leaves- press these on top of the pumpkins, indenting slightly with your finger to form a concavity. Press in a clove for the "stem". Any excess green marzipan can simply be eaten, or used to roll out thin "vines" as an additional decoration. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble, fill a star-tipped pastry bag with the whipped cream and form rosettes or swirls around the edge of the (cooled!) pie. Make one rosette for each pumpkin, then place them in the centre. Keep the whole pie refrigerated until ready to eat.

Whole Wheat Butter Biscuits - Petit Beurres

Whenever my family goes to Europe, we somehow end up buying whole wheat butter biscuits. It's just a given. When we go to a grocery store to get some supplementary snacks for our touristing, it's always these- I suspect because the "whole wheat" gives them that health aura that overshadows the "butter biscuit" part for my dad. Well, it's still a biscuit- but I'm not complaining. They're delicious.

I found that they tasted even better than the regular butter biscuits- more nutty and texturally interesting, with the whole wheat flavour complementing the butter well. I decided that I had to try to do it myself, before starting a mad search to buy them at Starsky or the like. They probably have them somewhere, but this way I can ensure they're really all-butter and free of additives.

I used graham flour (from hard red wheat) in my first batch- though I suspect the ones I bought were made with a mixture of whole wheat and white pastry flour, since the texture was way different. Not bad- but different. They're a lot less delicate, but taste fantastic, and everyone who tried them thought them superior to the bought ones. The taste of the butter works very well in the thin, browned biscuit, as well as the taste of toasted whole wheat. The cane sugar was a touch to give a little more complexity to the biscuit, but isn't necessary. The baker's ammonia is likewise an idea I had to make the cookies more biscuit-like and crispy, but baking powder will also work. I didn't roll all mine out to equal thinnesses, regrettably- next time I'll make sure they're all uniformly thin, since many turned out too thick. Getting them very thin will help make them crispy, which is one of my main goals.

The dough is nice in that it holds its shape well, allowing you to make all kinds of cut-outs. I tried out my new cookie cutters, courtesy of the magic of internet shopping, to make both the classic squares and some cute Miffy and panda shapes. Even after baking, the details were there- Nice. There's these stampers you can use to spell messages out on cookie dough that would work great here. It also reminds me of that Polish folk-design stamping rolling pin that I really want. Somebody stop me. 

In my next batch I'll try out soft, white wheat whole grain pasty flour. If that isn't quite right, I'll try a 50/50 blend of white and regular whole wheat and work from there. Until then, these are good enough to hold their own- they'd be awesome in the place of graham crackers for a richer, less sugary taste in crusts or for s'mores. Adding cinnamon or cardamom might also be nice, instead of the vanilla. I'll be making them again to have with tea regularly, freezing any extras for later since they've got enough wheat germ to go stale otherwise.

Even if you don't normally like whole wheat baked goods, try them. Whole wheat can be a very good thing, trust me. It belongs here.

Whole Wheat Butter Biscuits- Petit Beurres
Adapted from Simply So Good

100 g. Butter
1/3 C. Water
100 g. Sugar (I used 60 g. white and 40 g. cane)
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Baking ammonia, or baking powder
250 g. Graham flour, or any fine whole wheat flour

Melt butter in saucepan. Add water (reserve 2 TBSP), sugar and salt.

Let cool to room temperature. Dissolve ammonia in reserved water (this isn't necessary for baking powder) and add along with vanilla and flour. Knead together and refrigerate at least 3 H.

Preheat oven to 180℃.

Roll out very thin (about 2 mm) and cut into desired shapes. Bake for 8-10 min on parchment..

Vegan/Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

I normally avoid "healthy" adaptions of baked goods like the plague, on the grounds that they're usually only marginally better for you in reality, or not worth eating after the sheer amount of change to the original recipe making them a veritable Frankenstein of the trendy superfoods-du-jour. Or both. I especially abhor "skinny" versions of recipes for many reasons, mostly coming down to my hatred for the prevalent thinness-obsessed culture. But I digress! Healthy recipes are certainly a good thing, provided that a) they're supposed to be that way and not merely butcherings of classic recipes with less fat/sugar/more kale n' quinoa and b) actually taste good!

I was very suspicious of the idea of a healthy brownie from the start, but the thing about these is, I trust the presence of black beans to be a good idea. After all, I love all kinds of bean-filled sweets. Anko paste in mochi, red bean fritters and mooncakes, mung beans and black-eyed peas as well. I've even read some european recipes using white beans as a peasant-friendly, economical filler ingredient, and I hope to try that one day as well. A brownie with black beans didn't seem like such a bad idea, especially if it was promised to be moist and fudgey (my preferred state of brownie).

These are far from one-trick ponies. They don't only have the protein kick of black beans (and the fibre!) but also are both vegan and gluten-free. You can easily make them without nuts, too. The cocoa powder completely replacing flour makes them very chocolatey despite the absence of actual chocolate. The flaxseed binding them in the place of egg adds omega-3s to the mix. They're very accommodating to unrefined sugar, too. You can really use any oil you like to bake with- but a nut oil is the best in my opinion. I used almond. Along with the walnuts, they ensure that these brownies are moistened with only the healthiest of lipids.

And they really are nice and moist! While not really much like a typical brownie, they've got a nice chocolatey taste and go down great with a cup of tea. I won't be stopping my search for the perfect (butter-containing) brownie anytime soon, but these are going to the permanent collection of recipes-to-return-to. Even if you're skeptical, try them out- they're definitely tastier than a protein bar and far cheaper to make. It's good for you and tasty. Fantastic.

Black Bean Brownies
Adapted from Minimalist Baker

1 3/4 C. Cooked black beans, drained and rinsed if from a can
3/4 C. Cocoa powder
2 TBSP Ground flaxseed
5 TBSP Water
3 TBSP Coconut oil, or other favoured vegetable/nut oil (e.g. walnut, almond)
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 C. Fine raw cane sugar 
1 TBSP Agave syrup
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking powder
1/3 C. Walnut pieces, or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180℃.

Line a muffin tray with paper cups, or grease with oil. Combine water and flaxseed in food processor and let sit about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients (except for the toppings) and blend well. Make sure there's no bean pieces left whole. You might want to add a tablespoon or two of water if it is too sticky.

Distribute between muffin cups with a spoon. Push any nuts or chips into the top with a spoon. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Let cool in pan for half an hour before removing.

On the Preparation of Lupini Beans

A while ago, I bought some lupini beans out of curiosity. I had never eaten them before, but figured that they wouldn't be so different from other large, pale beans- I'd cook them in tomato sauce or the like. But after boiling them, I found myself corrected- they were bitter as Hell and very firm, too. No matter how long I boiled them, they wouldn't get soft or lose that bitter taste.

So, I turned to the internet. I was surprised to learn that this ancient bean beloved by the Romans centuries back has an issue with alkaloids- bitter, toxic compounds that make the bean inedible without proper preparation. Considering that I now had a kilogram of boiled, uneatable beans, I was very eager to know what I had to do to make them taste good. The general theme of the many guides that I saw was to gradually draw the alkaloids out by repeatedly soaking the boiled beans in water over the course of about a week.

So, I did. I changed the water 5 or 6 times a day, rinsing the beans thoroughly in between, keeping refrigerated at night. On the sixth day, the beans seemed just about ready, but I boiled them one more time to make sure. I then soaked them in salted water (about 2-3 TBSP for the kilo of beans) and topped them with a broken-up dried red chili, a spoonful of oregano flakes, and a jar of black olives. I refrigerated the whole lot overnight and, in the morning, found my efforts finally rewarded.

At first, they didn't seem like much. But they really are addictive- popping them into your mouth out of their tough skins is oddly satisfying (though I like them skins and all), and they have a subtle flavour unlike any other bean that goes very well with the olive brine and pepper. They also have a fantastic firm texture despite the days of boiling and soaking. 

Lupini beans are high in protein and fibre, to boot. It makes them a pretty ideal snack, and though they can often be purchased ready in jars, I find that the home-prepared ones are slightly better since they don't need an acidity regulator. Try them yourself- there isn't much active work involved, just rinsing and draining, and the reward is delicious and nutritious.

How to Prepare Lupini Beans

1. Soak overnight.
2. Boil until tender but firm, about 45 minutes.
3. Drain and cover with water.
4. Change water 4-5 times a day for 5-6 days, or until all bitterness is gone. In between water changes, rinse beans for about 30 seconds at a time in a colander.
5. Give one last quick boil of about 15 minutes. Drain and cover with water that's salted to taste, and any other desired flavourings:

• A jar of olives added to the brine
• A couple of spoons of red chili flakes, dried oregano, or other herbs and seasonings

Honey Custard French Toast with Chocolate Honey Sauce and Pecans

I normally don't use so many eggs in my French toast, but I wondered if I could get a better result if I was more extravagant. Indeed- this is the richest, custardiest, pillowiest french toast I've ever had. It's soft but not soggy, not too eggy, and does my nice brioche loaf justice. The cinnamon compliments the mild sweetness of the honey, and it practically doesn't need any toppings.

Of course, it's better if you do. I made a simple sauce of chocolate and honey, puddinglike and bittersweet, creamy and perfectly balanced with the gentle flavour of the toasts. A topping of crunchy nutty pecans seals the deal- definitely a worthy weekend breakfast. 

Honey Custard French Toast
From Mr. Breakfast

10-12 Slices of brioche or challah
1 3/4 C. Whole milk
1/2 C. Honey
1 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 TBSP Rum
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
6 Eggs, beaten
About 2 TBSP Butter
Oil, to fry

Whisk together the salt, cornstarch and cinnamon. Set aside.

Mix the eggs, milk, honey, vanilla and rum. Whisk in the cinnamon mixture. Pour the mix into a shallow pan to a depth of about 2 cm.

Soak the bread slices for about 30 seconds per side. Heat a skillet pan with oil on medium and fry until golden brown, about a minute on each side. 

Pat the excess oil off the finished pieces with a paper towel. Overlap the slices with a small sliver of the butter on top of each. Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.


Chocolate Honey Sauce

1 C. Whole milk
2 Tsp. Cornstarch
1 Tsp. Vanilla sugar
1/4 C. Honey
40 g. Semisweet chocolate

About 1/2 C. Toasted pecan pieces, to serve

Heat 3/4 of the milk until steaming. Mix the cornstarch, honey, remaining milk and sugar in a small bowl. Pour into the hot milk and whisk thoroughly, cooking on medium-low until thickened. Stir in pieces of the chocolate until all are dissolved. Serve warm with the french toast. Serve pecans on the side.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies I

Although I usually prefer a completely different genre of cookies (namely butter biscuits, nut-based shortbreads and gingerbread- anything that resembles the Central European Christmas standbys) I still do like the occasional batch of American, chewy, sugary, almost fudgey cookies flavoured predominantly by vanilla, brown sugar and whatever mix-ins are added. Of all the varieties that entails, one of my all-time favourites is the white chocolate-macadamia cookie. I've always been a lover of white chocolate (whose rep is constantly being shredded by sugar-vegetable fat impostors used in glazes and cheaper baked goods) and it pairs well with the subtle, buttery flavour of macadamias, too. Embedded in a soft and tender dough casing and served with a glass of milk, it's not only delicious- it has a matching colour palette. I think it's fate.

However, to find a good version of that cookie is pretty elusive. Ultra-sweet by nature, it walks a fine line on the best of days- there's no dark or semisweet chocolate to balance out the inherently sugary dough. But you also can't just reduce the sugar- it's an integral part of the chewy texture that makes the perfect chip-type cookie, in my opinion (I'm not about the cakey kinds- though a cookie-like cake is fine). I remember eating some really good ones as a kid, but now it seems far harder to match the criteria of the perfect cookie, perhaps because I've become nitpicky and obsessive about the details. I want it sweet, but not too sweet! Made with butter! With lots of real white chocolate and a generous amount of nuts!

I chose this recipe due to the absence of shortening- I never have it around, and didn't want to be stuck with leftovers after using only a small amount for one recipe. While the texture was pretty spot-on with what I wanted, and the cookies themselves were delicious, it still wasn't the ideal white-choc macadamia cookie of my dreams. Had I only imagined such a thing in the sugar-gluttony of my childhood? Could a perfect balance of sweetness, texture, flavour and richness really have ever existed except for in my dreams?

I've come up with a few plans of action to modify my next batch- And I'm determined to succeed. The perfect cookie will evade me no longer! Until then, these ones will go down just fine. Mmmmm.

• Less sugar, or perhaps more butter; so far as chewy texture will remain
• A mixture of AP flour and vanilla pudding powder in place of the flour mix
• A little more salt
• Actual white chocolate chunks instead of chips, since they aren't stabilized for high temperatures and will melt better

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies I
Adapted from The Chunky Chef

1 1/2 C. AP Flour
1/2 C. Pastry flour
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Baking soda
3/4 C. Butter, cubed (170 g.)
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Dark brown sugar
1 Egg plus 1 yolk
2 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 C. White chocolate chips
1 C. Toasted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped (toast 7 minutes at 180℃)

Cream butter and sugars using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer. Add vanilla, egg and yolk.

Sift together flours, salt, and baking soda. Incorporate 1/3 at a time into the wet ingredients with the motor on low.

Add nuts and chips. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 170℃. Form balls with an ice cream scoop or tablespoon and bake 8-10 minutes on parchment-lined sheets, until golden. Let set on sheets.