Russia - Blinchiki, Oladushki, Sirniki, and Makivnek

For this week, we were fortunate enough to get Please to the Table, by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman.  This is my favorite cookbook so far, not least because it has an entire chapter devoted to breakfast in Russia and the now-former Soviet states. (The book was first published in 1990, and so has a map of the USSR in the front, something I'd not seen for quite some time!).  We will probably be returning to this book later on as we get to some of the other post-USSR countries.

Before we get to the breakfast itself, take a look at the Wikipedia entry for samovar, which explains why there are two teapots on our breakfast table.

For the meal itself, the authors describe weekend brunch:

These occasions will include a variety of little pancakes or fritters (oladyi); sirniki—sweet cheese patties; blinchiki—mouthwatering filled crêpes; and freshly baked rolls and buns eaten with fruity homemade preserves. (464)

With the plan so neatly set out for us, we couldn't really leave anything out.  I have adapted all of the recipes to make a more sensible amount of food for us, but honestly we could have fed four with no problem.  We were pretty pleased with everything, with the sirniki being the big favorite.  But the thing we'll probably make again is the bread; the recipe is so adaptable, and the bit of lemon in the makes it really special.  And don't worry, Whit is saving the extra pancakes for tomorrow, and I'll take the remaining poppy-seed bread to work tonight, so nothing went to waste!

Time Management
This is quite a lot of things going on for a Sunday morning, so in order to successfully make all four recipes, some advance planning is helpful.  We approached the problem as follows:

• Day before –
• Make dough and filling for makivnek, let dough rise
• Prepare sirniki up to step 2
• Bake makivnek
• Day of –
• Make batter for oladushki, let rest
• Make crêpe batter, let rest
• Shape sirniki into patties
• Set table, make tea, slice makivnek, etc
• One person finish oladushki, one person cook crêpes (don't forget to add the club soda first!)
• One person make blinchiki from crêpes, one person finish sirniki

Everything went pretty smoothly considering, and we even had time to take some photos.  So, on to the recipes...

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Sweet Yeast Dough for Makivnek

• ¾ cup warm milk
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 2 large egg yolks, beaten
• 4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 3 - 3½ cups all-purpose flour

1. Combine milk and yeast in mixer bowl and let sit until it starts to bubble a bit (just a few minutes).
2. Mix in sugar, egg yolks, butter, and lemon zest using whisk attachment on low speed. Gradually mix in 2 cups of the flour.
3. Change to dough hook, continue at low speed, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans the sides of the bowl, adding more flour by spoonfuls if necessary.  Continue to knead on low speed for 2 minutes.
4. Remove dough from hook, shape into a ball, and put in a well-buttered bowl, turning to coat the whole ball.  Cover with a lint-free towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about one hour).
5. Punch down and refrigerate dough until ready to use—up to 24 hours.

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Makivnek

• 2 cups poppy seeds
• about 2 cups milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 5 tbsp chopped almonds
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 recipe Sweet Yeast Dough for Mini-Makivnek (above)
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp milk

1. Place poppy seeds in a small saucepan and just cover with milk.  Cook, stirring, over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes (do not allow milk to boil).  Drain off nearly all of the milk.
2. Grind poppy seeds in a food processor with the remaining milk.  Add sugar, honey, raisins, almonds, and lemon zest, pulse just to combine.
3. Flour a nonstick dough mat or sheet of waxed paper.  Roll dough out into a 12" x 12" rectangle, about ¼" thick.  Spread with filling, leaving a ½" space along the edges, then roll up into a log.  Cover with a lint-free towel, and let the roll rest for 25-30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Place the roll on a greased baking sheet, and brush with egg yolk and milk mixture.  Bake 45 minutes, until browned.  Cool before slicing.

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Sirniki

• 3 tbsp brandy, hot
• 3 tbsp raisins, chopped
• 1 (7.5 oz) package farmer's cheese (look near cottage cheese at the supermarket)
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten
• 2 tsp sour cream
• ¼ tsp real vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tbsp farina
• 2 tbsp sugar
• dash salt
• 2 tbsp butter

1. Soak raisins in hot brandy/juice for 30 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.
2. Press the cheese through a fine sieve.  Combine in a large bowl with raisins, egg yolks, sour cream, vanilla, flour, farina, and sugar.  Mix well, then salt.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Form cheese mixture into six round patties about 3½" across.  (It's easier to pat them out on a piece of waxed paper.) Dust both sides of each patty with flour.  Refrigerate until ready to cook.
4. Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet.  Fry patties (in batches if necessary) until golden brown on both sides.  Serve immediately.

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Oladushki

• 1 egg, separated
• ¾ cup cultured buttermilk
• 1½ tsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• dash salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda

1. In a large bowl, combine egg yolk, buttermilk, and vegetable oil; mix well.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together and add by small portions to the buttermilk mixture.  Beat until well combined.  Let stand one hour.  Chill egg white and beaters.
3. Beat egg white to stiff peaks and gently fold into batter.
4. Heat a few teaspoons of oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet.  Drop batter into skillet by 1½ tbsps.  Fry until golden, about 3 minutes per side.
5. Repeat with remaining batter.  Keep cooked oladushki warm in 225° F oven.

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Blinchiki

• 1 large egg, beaten
• ½ tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup milk, room temperature
• 1½ tsp sugar
• pinch salt
• ½ cup plus 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup club soda
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• ½ cup cherry pie filling (better to make your own filling, but we had a lot going on this morning!)
• 1½ tbsp vegetable oil
• confectionery sugar, for dusting 

1. Whisk together egg, milk, sugar, and salt.  Add the flour by tablespoons, mixing until batter is free of lumps.  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then stir in club soda.
2. Set your crêpe pan over medium heat (the recipe suggests a skillet if you lack a crêpe pan, but we have not had much success with crêpes in the much higher-sided skillet).
3. When the pan is very hot, brush with about ½ tsp of the clarified butter.
4. Remove pan from heat.  Pour about 2½ tbsp of batter into the pan, swirling around until it completely covers the bottom.  Cook this side until golden, about 1 minute.  Turn and cook 10 seconds more (this side will be paler).  Set aside and repeat with the remaining batter.

5. With the darker side up, spoon 1½-2 tbsp of filling on a blinchik, slighly below the center.  Fold the nearest end up over the filling, then fold each side in to the middle and roll up like a burrito.  Repeat for each remaining blinchik.
6. Heat the oil over medium heat in a larger skillet.  Fry blinchiki on both sides (in batches if necessary) until golden, about 5 minutes.  Keep cooked blinchiki warm in the oven.  Dust with confectionery sugar before serving.