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!
