< Previous86 Carnival Treats Doughnuts with Custard or Advocaat Cream If you’ve got yourself an egg-rich, brioche-like, buttery, sugary doughnut, why not fill it with more eggs, cream and booze? Class it as a pre-Lenten blow out. For the doughnuts, use the recipe on page 90. Custard- filled doughnuts are also particularly good with a chocolate glaze, so if you want to use that, you can find the recipe on page 44. As to the advocaat cream, there is a Polish version involving vodka, which is surprisingly popular around the doughnut shops of Warsaw. Advocaat is, of course, a bright-yellow Dutch liqueur made with eggs, brandy and cream. It is a bit like drinking a boozy custard, and it’s particularly good served warm with cream on top (also known as a bombardino in Italy – an eggnog-style cocktail with an additional slug of brandy that you often have when skiing). Advocaat is the Dutch word for lawyer, although the origins of the drink are thought to have originated in Brazil, where it was made from avocado and called abacate. Since avocados were not available in Europe, they made it using eggs. The Poles have their own version, called ajerkoniak, or adwokat (also the word for lawyer), but they make theirs with vodka, or spiritus – a 100%-proof clear spirit, which I would only recommend using with caution. Anyway, to make the most delicious doughnut filling, you make a krem adwokatowy, or advocaat cream, giving you a boozy custard-filled doughnut. If you want to go all-out, you can make your own home-made liqueur. If you simply want to buy a bottle and skip out the custard stage, there’s an even speedier version below using mascarpone cheese. Makes 8 filled doughnuts 1 x quantity of Classic Polish Doughnuts (page 90, omitting the fillings and toppings) 1 x quantity of Pastry Cream (page 26) 3 tbsp advocaat liqueur (optional) (store-bought or see page 178 for a home-made version) icing sugar, for dusting For a quick krem adwokatowy (advocaat cream): 200ml double cream 250g mascarpone cheese 150ml advocaat liqueur (store- bought or see page 178 for a home-made version) 4 tbsp icing sugar 2 tsp cornflour Make the doughnuts according to the instructions on page 92, but do not fill them or top them. Make the pastry cream according to the instructions on page 26. It can be used to fill your doughnuts as is, but for an advocaat version, when all the butter has been whisked in, stir in the advocaat liqueur and keep it chilled until you need to fill your doughnuts. For a quick version of advocaat cream, put the double cream into a bowl with the mascarpone and advocaat. Sift in the icing sugar and cornflour, then beat together until thickened, and use to fill your doughnuts (see page 90 for filling method). Dust with icing sugar to serve.86 Carnival Treats Doughnuts with Custard or Advocaat Cream If you’ve got yourself an egg-rich, brioche-like, buttery, sugary doughnut, why not fill it with more eggs, cream and booze? Class it as a pre-Lenten blow out. For the doughnuts, use the recipe on page 90. Custard- filled doughnuts are also particularly good with a chocolate glaze, so if you want to use that, you can find the recipe on page 44. As to the advocaat cream, there is a Polish version involving vodka, which is surprisingly popular around the doughnut shops of Warsaw. Advocaat is, of course, a bright-yellow Dutch liqueur made with eggs, brandy and cream. It is a bit like drinking a boozy custard, and it’s particularly good served warm with cream on top (also known as a bombardino in Italy – an eggnog-style cocktail with an additional slug of brandy that you often have when skiing). Advocaat is the Dutch word for lawyer, although the origins of the drink are thought to have originated in Brazil, where it was made from avocado and called abacate. Since avocados were not available in Europe, they made it using eggs. The Poles have their own version, called ajerkoniak, or adwokat (also the word for lawyer), but they make theirs with vodka, or spiritus – a 100%-proof clear spirit, which I would only recommend using with caution. Anyway, to make the most delicious doughnut filling, you make a krem adwokatowy, or advocaat cream, giving you a boozy custard-filled doughnut. If you want to go all-out, you can make your own home-made liqueur. If you simply want to buy a bottle and skip out the custard stage, there’s an even speedier version below using mascarpone cheese. Makes 8 filled doughnuts 1 x quantity of Classic Polish Doughnuts (page 90, omitting the fillings and toppings) 1 x quantity of Pastry Cream (page 26) 3 tbsp advocaat liqueur (optional) (store-bought or see page 178 for a home-made version) icing sugar, for dusting For a quick krem adwokatowy (advocaat cream): 200ml double cream 250g mascarpone cheese 150ml advocaat liqueur (store- bought or see page 178 for a home-made version) 4 tbsp icing sugar 2 tsp cornflour Make the doughnuts according to the instructions on page 92, but do not fill them or top them. Make the pastry cream according to the instructions on page 26. It can be used to fill your doughnuts as is, but for an advocaat version, when all the butter has been whisked in, stir in the advocaat liqueur and keep it chilled until you need to fill your doughnuts. For a quick version of advocaat cream, put the double cream into a bowl with the mascarpone and advocaat. Sift in the icing sugar and cornflour, then beat together until thickened, and use to fill your doughnuts (see page 90 for filling method). Dust with icing sugar to serve.106 Easter, Christmas and Other Occasions Marbled Chocolate and Vanilla Bundt In Poland, a traditional babka is a yeasted recipe, but this one is a very simple no-yeast bake, enriched with eggs. The yeasted (and sometimes plaited) babka originated in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe in the early 19th century. They were a cross between a bread and a cake. Unlike the twisted-loaf shape of a Jewish babka, the Polish ‘cake’ version is baked in a bundt tin. This one has a luxurious, glossy, chocolate glaze. For a Jewish-style, plaited babka, try the Wild Blueberry and Babka Loaf on page 156. Serves 8 125g butter, at room temperature, plus 1 tbsp melted for greasing 100g cornflour, plus 1 tbsp extra for dusting 150g caster sugar 60ml vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 3 tbsp natural yogurt 125g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp cocoa powder For the chocolate glaze: 2 tbsp butter 100g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped 100g icing sugar 1 tbsp runny honey 2 tbsp boiling water Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4/350°F. Brush the inside of a 2.4 litre/10 cup bundt tin with the melted butter, then dust with the tablespoon of cornflour. In a bowl or a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and oil together for 3–4 minutes until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, and beat slowly. Add the vanilla bean paste and yogurt. Using a metal spoon, fold in the self-raising flour, cornflour and baking powder. Divide the mixture in half, add the cocoa powder to one half and mix until combined. Using a large spoon, spoon some of the vanilla batter into the bottom of the prepared bundt tin, then add dollops of the chocolate batter. Finish with the vanilla batter. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before carefully turning it out onto a serving plate. To make the glaze, melt the butter and chocolate in a pan, then stir through the icing sugar, honey and boiling water, and mix until smooth. The glaze will stay glossy if you eat it immediately, but will turn matt if left, therefore make and pour over the glaze when you are ready to serve the bundt. 106 Easter, Christmas and Other Occasions Marbled Chocolate and Vanilla Bundt In Poland, a traditional babka is a yeasted recipe, but this one is a very simple no-yeast bake, enriched with eggs. The yeasted (and sometimes plaited) babka originated in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe in the early 19th century. They were a cross between a bread and a cake. Unlike the twisted-loaf shape of a Jewish babka, the Polish ‘cake’ version is baked in a bundt tin. This one has a luxurious, glossy, chocolate glaze. For a Jewish-style, plaited babka, try the Wild Blueberry and Babka Loaf on page 156. Serves 8 125g butter, at room temperature, plus 1 tbsp melted for greasing 100g cornflour, plus 1 tbsp extra for dusting 150g caster sugar 60ml vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 3 tbsp natural yogurt 125g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp cocoa powder For the chocolate glaze: 2 tbsp butter 100g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped 100g icing sugar 1 tbsp runny honey 2 tbsp boiling water Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4/350°F. Brush the inside of a 2.4 litre/10 cup bundt tin with the melted butter, then dust with the tablespoon of cornflour. In a bowl or a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and oil together for 3–4 minutes until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, and beat slowly. Add the vanilla bean paste and yogurt. Using a metal spoon, fold in the self-raising flour, cornflour and baking powder. Divide the mixture in half, add the cocoa powder to one half and mix until combined. Using a large spoon, spoon some of the vanilla batter into the bottom of the prepared bundt tin, then add dollops of the chocolate batter. Finish with the vanilla batter. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before carefully turning it out onto a serving plate. To make the glaze, melt the butter and chocolate in a pan, then stir through the icing sugar, honey and boiling water, and mix until smooth. The glaze will stay glossy if you eat it immediately, but will turn matt if left, therefore make and pour over the glaze when you are ready to serve the bundt. 120 Easter, Christmas and Other Occasions Katarzynki Traditional Gingerbread Cookies Katarzynki or pierniczki, cookie-like gingerbread cakes, featured prominently during my childhood. Almost every Sunday after church, we would go to the Polish Ex-Combatants Club (Polski Dom Kombatantów) in Manchester. After the Second World War, some 150,000 Polish armed forces personell and their families settled in Manchester; my father and his brothers among them. My dad would later meet and employ my grandmother, and then my mum, across the road in his factory, Tadlon Productions. Earlier, in 1949, after numerous community fundraising campaigns, an imposing red brick building, formerly a church, was purchased and became the focal point for so many of us. My mum, who was always leading various committees, would rally her own troops and host fundraising events there for the Polish School, or for the Polish Divine Mercy Church. On Sundays, it was my indoor playground, with long corridors, secret hiding places, a restaurant serving endless plates of pieorgi, a bar, a library, a snooker room and 10p Space Invader arcade machines. We took part in plays, recitals and concerts on the big stage, often dressed in Polish national costumes. Each Sunday, I would be given a few coins and I’d creep up to the bar to buy a packet of katarzynki. I’d sneak away and unwrap the squeaky cellophane wrapping before sinking my teeth into the little spiced cakes, coated in dark chocolate. Sadly, the building was lost to developers, but our memories live on. To make katarzynki to their traditional shape, you’ll need a cookie cutter called a foremka do ciasta katarzynka, but you could also make rectangular shapes or heart-shaped cookies. It is said that the Polish katarzynka originated in Toruń, a medieval town in Poland, known as the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus and famous for artisan gingerbread. The original recipe, dating back to 1380, is a closely guarded secret, but it contained honey, flour (a rye-wheat blend) and spices. Makes 20 200g runny honey 100g soft dark brown sugar 100g butter, at room temperature 100g white rye flour 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground allspice 2 tsp cocoa powder 2 egg yolks 400g good-quality dark chocolate, melted Put the honey, sugar and butter into a small pan, whisk together and heat gently until melted. Set aside. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, along with the egg yolks. Mix together, then pour in the melted liquid. Keep mixing until a dough forms. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4/350°F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Sprinkle a board with a little flour and roll out the dough (it’s easier if you roll it out between two sheets of baking paper). Using a cookie cutter, cut into shapes and place them carefully onto the lined baking sheet, leaving at least 1cm/½in between each cookie. Bake (in batches if needed) for 20 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden on top. They will puff up slightly and they will harden. They need to soften a little, so cool completely on a wire rack, then transfer them to a tin to mature for 2 weeks, before coating with chocolate. To coat, place the cookies on a wire rack and spoon the melted chocolate over them Once dry, store them in a tin.120 Easter, Christmas and Other Occasions Katarzynki Traditional Gingerbread Cookies Katarzynki or pierniczki, cookie-like gingerbread cakes, featured prominently during my childhood. Almost every Sunday after church, we would go to the Polish Ex-Combatants Club (Polski Dom Kombatantów) in Manchester. After the Second World War, some 150,000 Polish armed forces personell and their families settled in Manchester; my father and his brothers among them. My dad would later meet and employ my grandmother, and then my mum, across the road in his factory, Tadlon Productions. Earlier, in 1949, after numerous community fundraising campaigns, an imposing red brick building, formerly a church, was purchased and became the focal point for so many of us. My mum, who was always leading various committees, would rally her own troops and host fundraising events there for the Polish School, or for the Polish Divine Mercy Church. On Sundays, it was my indoor playground, with long corridors, secret hiding places, a restaurant serving endless plates of pieorgi, a bar, a library, a snooker room and 10p Space Invader arcade machines. We took part in plays, recitals and concerts on the big stage, often dressed in Polish national costumes. Each Sunday, I would be given a few coins and I’d creep up to the bar to buy a packet of katarzynki. I’d sneak away and unwrap the squeaky cellophane wrapping before sinking my teeth into the little spiced cakes, coated in dark chocolate. Sadly, the building was lost to developers, but our memories live on. To make katarzynki to their traditional shape, you’ll need a cookie cutter called a foremka do ciasta katarzynka, but you could also make rectangular shapes or heart-shaped cookies. It is said that the Polish katarzynka originated in Toruń, a medieval town in Poland, known as the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus and famous for artisan gingerbread. The original recipe, dating back to 1380, is a closely guarded secret, but it contained honey, flour (a rye-wheat blend) and spices. Makes 20 200g runny honey 100g soft dark brown sugar 100g butter, at room temperature 100g white rye flour 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground allspice 2 tsp cocoa powder 2 egg yolks 400g good-quality dark chocolate, melted Put the honey, sugar and butter into a small pan, whisk together and heat gently until melted. Set aside. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, along with the egg yolks. Mix together, then pour in the melted liquid. Keep mixing until a dough forms. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4/350°F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Sprinkle a board with a little flour and roll out the dough (it’s easier if you roll it out between two sheets of baking paper). Using a cookie cutter, cut into shapes and place them carefully onto the lined baking sheet, leaving at least 1cm/½in between each cookie. Bake (in batches if needed) for 20 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden on top. They will puff up slightly and they will harden. They need to soften a little, so cool completely on a wire rack, then transfer them to a tin to mature for 2 weeks, before coating with chocolate. To coat, place the cookies on a wire rack and spoon the melted chocolate over them Once dry, store them in a tin.166 Desserts, Sweets, Preserves (and a Liqueur) Elena’s Layered Banana Dessert My daughter Elena loves making these for a family treat at the weekend. It is a very simple deser bananowy. If you top it with caramel, it becomes a bananowa krówka, for those times when you want a quick sweet hit without too much hard work. You can make these simple desserts in glasses and keep them in the refrigerator in advance of serving them. Serves 6 150g rich tea biscuits, herbatniki or shortbread cookies 50g butter, melted 4 ripe bananas 300ml double cream or whipping cream 250g cream cheese or twaróg sernikowy (see page 20) 3 tbsp soft light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla bean extract 50g good-quality dark or milk chocolate and/or Caramel Sauce (see Baking Basics, page 28) In a food processor, whizz up the biscuits until you have a sandy texture. Tip into a bowl, pour in the melted butter and mix. Divide this mixture among six glass tumblers. Slice two of the bananas and divide them among the glasses on top of the biscuit crumbs. Whip the double or whipping cream until just thick but still soft, then add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, and whisk until incorporated. Divide this evenly among the glasses over the sliced banana. Slice the remaining two bananas and layer on top of the cream mixture. Drizzle over a little caramel sauce over the bananas and/or grate the dark or milk chocolate on top. 166 Desserts, Sweets, Preserves (and a Liqueur) Elena’s Layered Banana Dessert My daughter Elena loves making these for a family treat at the weekend. It is a very simple deser bananowy. If you top it with caramel, it becomes a bananowa krówka, for those times when you want a quick sweet hit without too much hard work. You can make these simple desserts in glasses and keep them in the refrigerator in advance of serving them. Serves 6 150g rich tea biscuits, herbatniki or shortbread cookies 50g butter, melted 4 ripe bananas 300ml double cream or whipping cream 250g cream cheese or twaróg sernikowy (see page 20) 3 tbsp soft light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla bean extract 50g good-quality dark or milk chocolate and/or Caramel Sauce (see Baking Basics, page 28) In a food processor, whizz up the biscuits until you have a sandy texture. Tip into a bowl, pour in the melted butter and mix. Divide this mixture among six glass tumblers. Slice two of the bananas and divide them among the glasses on top of the biscuit crumbs. Whip the double or whipping cream until just thick but still soft, then add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, and whisk until incorporated. Divide this evenly among the glasses over the sliced banana. Slice the remaining two bananas and layer on top of the cream mixture. Drizzle over a little caramel sauce over the bananas and/or grate the dark or milk chocolate on top. Next >