Clouds. Special issue - Shrove Tuesday by Zurnalas Debesys

Clouds SPECIAL ISSUE. SHROVE TUESDAY 2013

Free online food magazine Clouds Published by Imbiero debesys UAB, Lithuania ISSN 2029-980X http://www.cloudsmag.eu/en/ https://www.facebook.com/Cloudsmag

Editor-in-Chief: Asta Eigėlytė-Gunnarsson, Villa Alps, villa.alps@gmail.com Translation into English: Julė, Kepykla Nr. 5 Cover photo: Aušra, Vaikai ir vanilė Design: Asta Eigėlytė-Gunnarsson, Villa Alps

Photo: Beata, Braškės su pipirais Masks: artist Irutė Seselskienė (Prienai), Prienai Area Museum

EDITORIAL LETTER Dear readers, This year, winter was generous with both perishing frost and shining white snow. We remembered our childhood and made all our winter dreams come true. We took our sleighs and skis and wandered the white hills; we built the happiest snowmen; we fell into the highest snowbanks and we drew snow angels; we played snowfight and laughed until we could no longer feel our cold noses. And in the mornings we would take our shovels and would dig paths reminiscent of enormous white mazes. And then, back home, we would curl up in our armchairs with a steaming mug of our favorite tea and would travel where it was warm… To spring. Because Shrove Tuesday is on the way – it’s time to say goodbye to winter and invite sunny spring to our yards. The Lithuanian Shrove Tuesday carnival is not as well-known as the Venetian or Rio de Janeiro carnivals. However, it is very homey, dear to our hearts and not a bit less fun. Pure joy is on its way! We hope that you’ve got your masks and firewood ready, so all that’s left is to make some pancakes and sweets. And don’t forget to make enough to treat all your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors – you have to have enough energy to kick winter out! We have prepared for you, our dear readers, a handful of recipes: sweet and savory pancakes, delicious donuts and filled buns. We are sure that the crepe cake from the cover will grab your attention. And if you fancy something more elaborate, you can try the Swedish and Danish marzipan buns or Irish apple farls – there’s plenty to choose from! On the other hand, it would be a sin to limit oneself to only a couple of buns or pancakes on Shrove Tuesday… Today, don’t even attempt to resist the temptations. Bake, taste, enjoy; and amongst the treat-filled plates, don’t forget to shout out…

... Winter, winter, go away! Yours, Editorial Team

ASTA, VILLA ALPS

EDITORIAL

I’ve loved being in the kitchen since childhood, but only in recent years did it become a true passion. I have a light addiction to buying and reading cookbooks and cooking magazines. I experiment with tastes and forms, and guests are always welcome at my table!

JULĖ, KEPYKLA NR. 5 Where am I? Among contradictions - in the middle of numbers and dictionaries, black-rimmed glasses and bee stings, bikes and planes. But mostly - in the kitchen or in bakery number five, where for four years I’ve been co-writing about food, cities, sleep, maths and other essential ingredients of life.

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AUŠRA, VAIKAI IR VANILĖ

I became responsible for nourishing our large family at the age of fourteen. Since then, my obligations have remained the same. I cook a lot and for big crowds. I can proudly say that I’ve stuffed bellies of picky children and adults alike. The kitchen is my daily work and relaxation, my happiness, my love; it’s my element. I live in an American village where I spend the majority of my time over pots, and from time to time I share my kitchen creations with the rest of the world.

AUŠRA, TARP VĖJO GŪSIŲ

BEATA, BRAŠKĖS SU PIPIRAIS I could probably say that I love my life and its abundance of flavors. I call everything a flavor - feelings, emotions, events, travels, people met and known, mornings and evenings, days and nights. Finally - the actual tastes that charm when tasting new dishes and enjoying sophisticated drinks. That’s why I love cooking. Perhaps that is the way I express my lust for life and for what I experience.

DOVILĖ, DR FOOD BLOG Cooking is my biggest passion. I have a food mania: I love making it, talking about it, tasting it and reading all about it. Each time I enter the kitchen, I open a jar of the most important ingredient - love. Recently my husband and I have started living in a foreign country, so you might also find Danish recipes in DR Food Blog occasionally.

EGIDIJA, TINGINIAI IRGI VERDA... I live, I cook, I write from Palanga. There you’re most likely to meet me in the biggest tourist gathering, on the bike lane Palanga-Karklė or in the marketplace. I am miss lazybones extraordinaire! But all of this goes away when a thought about beet chips or cucumber ice-cream springs up in my brain.

CONTRIBUTORS

I write my blog about a windy life in a place where my feet wade the waters of the Baltic sea, pockets are full of holey rocks and heavy thoughts are let alee... I write about what my kitchen smells of, about what is delicious and what I treat people with; about things that are simple but not necessarily ordinary; about what is new or is discovered de nouveau, about what is forgotten. I write my virtual recipe book, decorating it with colorful blossoms and sprinkles of everyday joys.

INDRĖ, KEISTAI PAPRASTA A friend encouraged me to start my blog, Keistai paprasta (Curiously Simple), after seeing my enthusiasm to cook, bake and stew healthy and sometimes weird dishes, and create simple desserts. I grew up eating homemade food, so that is what I believe in – I cook even when I am very tired! In addition, I believe in the impact of food to our health, our looks and our overall well-being. When I cook and try out new recipes, I relax, I express myself, I improvise and create.

PRIE ŠIO NUMERIO PRISIDĖJO

JOLITA, SURFING THE WORLD CUISINE I started my blog when I moved to Istanbul because the bounty of fresh vegetables the year around and the new dishes tempted me to try and cook. However, I enjoy various foods - not only Turkish cuisine. So one day it might be Turkish, then Chinese, Greek, Italian, Middle Eastern dishes. Finally, sometimes I even get back to the treasures of Lithuanian cuisine.

JULIJA, VILKO ŠAUKŠTAI I have been drawn to cooking for only a short period of time, but I dived deep. Stacks of cookbooks, blogs I follow and experiments in my kitchen satisfy me both literally and figuratively. Cooking, photographing and sharing my experiences in Vilko šaukštai (Wolf’s spoons) lift me up, make me happy and encourage me to grow.

JURGITA, DUONOS IR ŽAIDIMŲ I write about bread and circuses. About tastes, colors and dreams. About what’s in my cup of tea - not only figuratively, because making and serving food is one of the most enjoyable ways to express myself. And, undoubtedly, the most delicious.

MIGLĖ, MY KITCHEN AFFAIR I don’t remember exactly how, where, or when, but one moment in the silent past, food simply enchanted me. I was charmed and intrigued by its enormousness, infinite space for creativity, endless layers of ideas, and constant joy brimming with delicious surprises. Since then, my thoughts started spinning like crazy in a whirl of vanilla flavored dance, and my life became unimaginable without pots, spoons, and pans filling every corner; without shelves bending from the abundance of cookbooks. This is my kitchen affair.

I like traveling, tasting, experimenting and creating in the kitchen. While skimming through the books brought home as souvenirs, I attempt to adapt the tried dishes in my own kitchen. And I am so glad that my friends and family are happy to taste my dishes and are always waiting for the results of my experiments! Even a dish that is not 100% successful can inspire to keep on looking, learning and going on journeys to better know the foreign cuisines.

SKIRMANTÄ&#x2013;, IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING My motto is impossible is nothing. In my kitchen, I steam cakes, press yoghurt cheese, make peanut butter halva and prepare plenty of delicious and slightly unexpected dishes.

VIKTORIJA, RECEPTĹ˛ MEDIS I am a mother, a programmer, a lecturer, and a board game geek. I like taking photographs, jumping around the kitchen and entertaining friends. My blog has been around since 2009, but recently it has undergone some major changes. I hope that the young shoot of the Recipe Tree will grow strong and will help you discover new tastes and smells in your kitchen.

CONTRIBUTORS

ODETA, COCINA RENDEZ VOUS

Recipe and photo: MiglÄ&#x2014;, My Kitchen Affair

hrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is an absolute paradise for everyone with a sweet tooth. Here, among the piles of paper-thin crêpes, light as a feather pancakes, and cheerfully sizzled doughnuts, each can find his sweet happiness. However, this day does not have to be all about overeating and burdening the stomach. By enriching regular pancake batter with some whole-wheat flour, a few drops of Mediterranean Gods’ beloved olive oil and substituting banana for sugar, you can get a healthy and harmless Shrove Tuesday treat. We are sure that even the most adamant healthy eaters will not refuse these pancakes.

WHOLE-WHEAT BANANA PANCAKES WITH OLIVE OIL AND CHOCOLATE BITS Approx. 10 medium size pancakes ½ cup all purpose flour ½ cup whole-wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 tbs light brown sugar ½ tsp salt 1 egg 1 cup natural yogurt 2 tbs olive oil 1 medium banana 20 g dark chocolate olive oil for cooking

In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, lightly beat egg. Pour in yogurt, olive oil and mashed banana. Carefully mix dry ingredients into the flour mixture. Do not overmix! Add coarsely grated or chopped chocolate and once again stir everything only until chocolate is evenly incorporated. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a dry pan on medium heat warm some olive oil. Pour 1 tablespoon of batter in the middle of the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until one side of the pancake is done. Carefully flip the pancake and finish cooking on the other side. Place baked pancakes in an ovenproof dish and keep them in a warm oven until the remaining pancakes are done and ready to serve. Serve warm with a splash of honey or maple syrup. Keep leftovers in fridge for no more than a week. You can also freeze the pancakes; just warm them up in the oven right before serving.

BAKED APPLE CRÊPES T

hin, delicious crêpes stuffed with stewed apples and drizzled with fragrant syrup is a great sweet dinner idea for Shrove Tuesday!

Serves 8 – 10 Crêpes: 60 g butter 1 ¼ cup milk 1 cup flour 3 eggs pinch of salt Filling: 3-4 medium apples 2 tbs sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 40 ml water Syrup: 40 g butter 60 g brown sugar 80 ml water 1 tbs lemon juice

First, make the crêpes. In a small saucepan, heat butter until it begins to brown. Leave to cool and strain. Beat eggs, add flour, salt and some milk. Mix well and add the remaining milk. Add butter, mix and let stand for a quarter of an hour. Fry crêpes in a buttered frying pan. For the filling, peel, core and finely chop apples. Put apples, sugar, cinnamon and water to a small saucepan and heat, stirring, on low heat until apples begin to soften. Put butter, brown sugar and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, add lemon juice and boil for several minutes. Add some of the filling on one side of a crêpe and roll it into a long roll. Twist it into a spiral and put into a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining crêpes. Pour syrup over the rolled up crepes and bake in a 180°C oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with heavy cream or ice-cream.

Recipe and photo: SkirmantÄ&#x2014;, Impossible is nothing

Recipe and photo: Viktorija, Recept킬 medis

CARROT PANCAKES E

very pancake lover has at least once thought about making this dish a tad bit healthier. It is indeed possible – and with stunning results! For example, one might add some grated vegetables to the batter. Since everyone loves carrot cakes and muffins, why don’t we try some delicious orange colored pancakes?

Serves 3-4 1 ½ cup flour 1 cup buttermilk 2 eggs 1/3 cup sugar ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 150 g carrots oil for cooking

Peel and finely grate carrots. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Stir in one cup of flour and buttermilk. Stir in carrots and cinnamon. Blend well. If the mixture is too thin, add another ½ cup of flour. Place a pan on small-medium heat and oil it. Pour about two tablespoons of batter for each pancake. Cook for about two minutes, or until the top of the pancake is set. If the pancake browns too quickly, reduce the heat. Flip and cook the other side until it is golden. Serve immediately with your favorite sauce.

OVEN BAKED MINI PANCAKES D

id you know that pancakes can be baked not only on the stove, but in the oven as well? This saves you the hassle of keeping an eye on the pan, all of the pancakes can be served hot, and so the whole family can sit down at the table at once. We are sure that these pancakes will be a real treat both for the young and old.

Makes 6 3 eggs 125 ml milk 60 g flour 50 g butter and some extra for baking dishes 1 tsp vanilla extract 30 g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180째C. In a small saucepan, melt butter and set aside to cool. In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cooled butter together with flour and vanilla extract, and mix to combine. Generously butter the baking dishes and divide the batter among them. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the pancakes are golden brown. Serve the pancakes warm with some powdered sugar on top. You can also serve them with pears or other fruit cooked in light sugar syrup and some chocolate sauce.

Recipe and photo: Jolita, Surfing the world cuisine

Recipe and photo: IndrÄ&#x2014;, Keistai paprasta

PINK OAT PANCAKES WITH POPPY SEEDS W

hile we are still waiting for spring, we can’t help but look around searching for colors. These pancakes will be a fun and colorful breakfast choice or a quick snack with a hot cup of tea. They may be simple, but they will definitely look spectacular on your plate.

Serves 2-3 1 cup (236 ml) oats or oat flour ½ cup raw buckwheat 3 eggs ½ cup beetroot puree 2-4 tsp liquid honey or unrefined sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 2 tbs poppy seeds 1 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt coconut oil for frying

Soak buckwheat for several hours. Blend oats and soaked buckwheat in a food processor. Put poppy seeds, baking powder, egg yolks, beetroot pure, vanilla and honey into the oat-buckwheat mixture. Mix well. Whisk egg whites with salt until thick. Fold in egg whites into the oat-buvkwheat mixture and mix carefully. Heat some oil in a pan. Pour a tablespoon of the pancake mixture for each pancake. Fry one side of the pancake until light brown, turn over and fry the other side until light brown. Do the same with the remaining mixture until you have fried all pancakes. Serve with a drizzle of honey or berry/fruit jam, sprinkle with cottage cheese, goat or feta style cheese. Keep leftover pancakes in an airtight box. Reheat in a pancake pan without oil, or in the toaster.

Text and photo: Asta, Villa Alps

ideas

When celebrating Shrove Tuesday, we play games and sing songs. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bring the fun inside by playing in our kitchen - with pancakes! The young ones will also be glad to join in the celebration. 1. Make some small pancakes and decorate them with small flags made from toothpicks and colored paper. 2. Pour the pancake batter into a squeeze bottle dispenser. In a heated pan, draw figures, letters and numbers. Or surprise your special someone with a sweet pancake-y LOVE for Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day. 3. Make some small pancakes. Thread them onto bamboo skewers with pieces of fresh or canned fruit. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or maple syrup, honey or chocolate sauce. Fresh strawberries, kiwis, bananas, watermelon, blueberries or canned pineapples, peaches and cherries can be used.

WHEATBERRY PATTIES WITH SPINACH AND PORCINI CARPACCIO P

ancakes for breakfast, crepes for lunch and donuts for dinner – is that how your Shrove Tuesday menu looks like? If you’re already getting giddy from the bounty of goods made from flour, look no further – we have an untraditional patty recipe for you. These wheatberry patties, with their peculiar texture and a side of barely fried spinach and boletus, will surely amaze you and bring on some diversity to the table. Serves 3-4 Patties: 1 cup wheatberries 1 onion 1 egg 2 large or 3 small potatoes pinch of salt fresh thyme Carpaccio: 300 g fresh spinach leaves 1 tbs oil pinch of salt ground black pepper 1 tsp red wine vinegar 3 frozen porcini 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

The day before, clean wheatberries and cover with water overnight. The next day, wash them thoroughly and pass through a grinder. Chop onion and fry it until it becomes lightly yellow, then grind and add to wheatberries. Peel potatoes and grate them finely. Squeeze out the excess moisture, and add potatoes to the wheatberry mixture. Beat in egg, add salt and thyme, and stir thoroughly. Form 1 centimeter thick patties. Bake in a 180°C oven for 20 minutes. Wash spinach and sautee it in oil for about a minute. Season with salt, pepper and red wine vinegar. Finely slice porcini and put it on warm spinach. Sprinkle with olive oil and serve together with the patties.

Recipe and photo: Odeta, Cocina rendez vous

Recipe and photo: Beata, Braškės su pipirais

oft, fluffy, nostalgic and reminiscent of summers at Grandma’s – this is what these pancakes are like. We won’t be surprised if they become your go-to weekend breakfast! And if you prefer sleeping in to lifting heavy pans, make these pancakes at least once a year - on a day which cannot be imagined without a pile of pancakes.

YEAST PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE Serves 6-8 Batter: 200 ml milk 275 g flour 40 g butter 50 g sugar 15 g fresh yeast 1 egg pinch of salt oil for frying Blueberry sauce: 250 ml blueberries (might be frozen) ½ tsp cinnamon 2 tbs sugar

Mix yeast and sugar. Melt butter. Mix all the ingredients except yeast. Add yeast and make batter. Place batter in a warm place for 1 hour to rise. Spoon batter into a pan with heated oil and fry pancakes on both sides. For the sauce, mash blueberries with sugar and cinnamon. Serve warm with blueberry sauce.

nce you get tired of sweet pancakes, recall that there also exist savory ones. Even though they are not made as often, by no means are they any less delicious! We are sure that you will be positively surprised by these yeasted potato pancakes: they are tiny, beautiful, and are perfect for a snack.

YEASTED POTATO PANCAKES WITH SALMON Serves 8 500 g leftover mashed potatoes 1 egg 100 g flour 15 g fresh yeast 75 ml warm milk 1 tsp sugar salt, pepper, nutmeg, dill to taste oil for frying smoked salmon Sauce: 2 tbs sour cream 1 tsp horseradish

Mix yeast with sugar and set aside for a while. Mix all the ingredients in one bowl and make dough. Place dough in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. Heat oil in a pan, form small pancakes with a spoon or pastry bag and fry on both sides until golden brown. To make the sauce, mix both the ingredients together. Place pancakes on a plate, drizzle with some sauce and put a small piece of salmon on top.

Recipe and photo: Beata, Braškės su pipirais

Recipe and photo: Julija, Vilko šaukštai

POTATO LATKES S

imple and very tasty potato latkes would be perfect even for a Sunday family dinner. Sour cream is almost a necessary accent for this dish.

Makes approx. 30 1 onion 5 big potatoes 2 tbs fresh lemon juice 2 eggs Â˝ cup all purpose flour pinch of cayenne pepper pinch of ground nutmeg salt and freshly ground pepper to taste oil for frying

Peel potatoes, onion and coarsely grate them into a bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer to a kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as possible. Return potatoes and onion to a clean bowl and stir in lightly beaten eggs, flour, nutmeg, cayenne pepper. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Preheat a frying pan with a little oil. Spoon the mixture into the pan, flatten with a spoon. Fry each side for about 4 minutes, until golden brown. If latkes brown too quickly, reduce the heat. Keep latkes warm in the oven while you finish frying them all. Potato latkes are delicious with sour cream, mixed with mustard, spring onion and lemon juice.

urd cheese and poppy seeds is a traditional combination that we love so dearly. While the last (hopefully!) winds of the harsh winter howl outside our windows, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seize the moment, make ourselves some tea and enjoy these delicious meltin-your-mouth cakes.

SMALL CAKES WITH POPPY SEEDS AND CURD CHEESE Makes 8 Pastry: 200 g plain flour pinch of salt 125 g cold butter 125 g curd cheese 1 egg yolk

Butter 8 small cake tins and dust with some flour. Sift flour together with salt in a large bowl. Rub in cubed cold butter until you have a soft breadcrumb texture. Add curd, egg yolk and make dough. Bring the dough to a ball, wrap it in cling film. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Scald poppy seeds and mix with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix the remaining ingredients thoroughly.

Filling: 100 g poppy seeds 2 tbs sugar 400 g curd cheese 1 egg 100 g sugar juice of 1 lemon

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface, cut 8 circles and line the tins. Chill again. Preheat the oven to 180Â°C. Fill the tins with poppy seed mixture, then with curd. Bake for 30 minutes. Leave to cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Recipe and photo: Jurgita, Duonos ir 탑aidim킬

You can grind the poppy seeds to make the mixture less dry.

Recipe and photo: Aušra, Tarp vėjo gūsių

YEAST DOUGHNUTS P

uffy yeast doughnuts heavily coated with powdered sugar and cinnamon are a wonderful dessert for Shrove Tuesday.

Serves 4-6 350 g flour 70 g sugar 20 g fresh yeast 150 ml milk 2 egg yolks 20 g butter 60 g ground almonds grated orange zest (from 1 orange) pinch of salt 2 tbs vodka 1 l vegetable oil 2â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 tbs powdered sugar 1 tsp cinnamon for dusting

Heat milk in a saucepan just until lukewarm. Mix yeast with one teaspoon of sugar. Pour 100 ml of warm milk over yeast ant stir until it is completely melted. Sprinkle with some flour, cover and let stand for 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30 minutes until it gets foamy. Beat egg yolks with the remaining sugar, milk and a pinch of salt. Pour yeast mixture into a bowl and add remaining flour, egg yolks, vodka, orange zest, ground almonds. Knead very well. Finally, add melted butter. Transfer to a well oiled bowl, cover with cling film and let rise until doubled in size. Knead the risen dough for five minutes, then form walnut size balls. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper ant let rise one more time (for about 20 minutes). Gently lower the dough balls one at a time into boiling oil and fry for 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;7 minutes or until golden brown, and then carefully turn over. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. While doughnuts are still warm, dust with cinnamon and powdered sugar mixture.

Tastes best fresh!

Recipe and photo: AuĹĄra, Vaikai ir vanilÄ&#x2014;

rêpes are perhaps the most versatile pancakes. They can be prepared using all kinds of flour and served with all possible fillings, ranging from berry jam to smoked fish or caviar, and everything in-between. Crêpes can appear on the table in any presentation, depending on the occasion. They can be simply stacked or folded for a casual breakfast, or they can be extravagant and stylish, rolled and shaped in the most unexpected ways. You can even make a celebration cake out of crêpes. Gâteau de Crêpes is soft, moist, and sweet, filled with the smoky fragrance of browned butter and caramel between fluffy layers of whipped cream. It is beautiful, yet simple and unpretentious. It can be cut easily and is convenient to transport. But most importantly, this cake is absolutely delicious and it surpasses by far numerous traditional cakes. That’s not just an ordinary stack of pancakes!

GÂTEAU DE CRÊPES Serves 8-10 Crêpes: 60 g butter 1 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 cup flour 12 tbs water 3 eggs 2 tbs sugar pinch of salt Caramel: 1/2 cup sugar 1 tbs corn syrup 1/3 cup water 2/3 cup heavy cream 1/3 cup sour cream Cream: 1 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 tbs sour cream 2 tbs powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small saucepan set on medium heat melt butter and cook until it turns brown and fragrant. Take off the heat and let it cool. Place remaining ingredients into a blender, pour in browned butter, blend well. Place a 20 centimeter pan on medium heat, butter the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot and the butter begins to sizzle, pour a small amount of crêpe batter and tilt the pan so that the batter covers the entire bottom in a thin even layer. Cook for about 1–2 minutes, until the bottom and the edges of the crêpe become dry and browned. Carefully flip the crêpe and brown the other side. Slide the cooked crêpe onto a cooling rack. Proceed with remaining crêpes. For a given amount of batter you should end up with approximately 22–25 crêpes. For caramel, in a small saucepan heat cream and salt until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat. In medium saucepan set on medium heat stir sugar, corn syrup and water until the mixture comes to a boil. Stop stirring; occasionally wipe the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush, until caramel turns deep amber in color. Remove from heat. Stir in hot cream, then sour cream. Mix well and put aside to cool. For cream, using an electric mixer whip heavy cream and sour cream until the mixture begins to thicken. Sift in powdered sugar, add vanilla, and continue whisking until the cream becomes firm. Place one crêpe on a plate or a cake stand. Smear it with a teaspoon of caramel, top with a heaping tablespoon of cream, and place another crêpe on top. Continue with the remaining crêpes, caramel and cream. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh fruit or fresh berries. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving.

AVOCADO AND HAM CRÊPES O

nce you fill regular crepes with an interesting combination, they become an amazing dish.We suggest this savory idea for Shrove Tuesday, but, truth be told, it would be perfect any time of the year, any day of the week! Try to choose as ripe an avocado as possible.

Makes approx. 12 Crêpes: 2 eggs 1 tbs oil ½ tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 350 ml milk 150 g flour lard for greasing the pan Filling: 300 g hot-smoked ham 150 ml cream 1 avocado pinch of cayenne pepper salt and pepper to taste

For crêpes, beat eggs with oil, salt and sugar. Add 1/3 of milk and mix well. Add flour and mix well. Batter wil be very thick. Gradually add the remaining milk, mix once more and let stand for 30 minutes. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Before each crêpe, grease the pan with lard. Fry very thin crêpes. Keep the crêpes warm while you make the filling. Cut ham into sticks. Fry it in a frying pan and add cut avocado and cream. Simmer for several minutes or until the avocado is heated through and the filling thickens. Season with cayenne and black pepper and taste for saltiness. Put a tablespoon of the filling into each crêpe and fold any way you please. Serve immediately.

Recipe and photo: Egidija, Tinginiai irgi verda...

Text and photo: Asta, Villa Alps

SHROVE TUESDAY IN NORTHERN COUNTRIES I

n Sweden and Finland, Shrove Tuesday is called Fat Tuesday, and it is celebrated 47 days before Easter, on the last day before the fast. In Denmark, Norway and Iceland, this occasion is called Lent Monday and is celebrated one day earlier. Unlike in Lithuania, there are no songs, dances or other typical festivities to celebrate Shrove Tuesday in Sweden. There exists, however, one specialty – marzipan filled and whipped cream-topped cardamom buns, called semlor. When eaten at home, they are most often accompanied by a bowl of warm milk. In Finland this same dessert is called laskiaispulla. At times raspberry jam is substituted for the marzipan filling. There remains another tradition since old pagan times: on Fat Tuesday, children and the young ride the sleigh downhill to find out whose harvest is going to be the biggest. Similar traditions (and buns!) exist also in Estonia. There they are called vastlakukkel. However, there exist more Shrove Tuesday specialties in Estonia, and vastlakukkel are not the most important accent of this celebration. In Denmark, Iceland and Norway buns are made of choux pastry as well. Danish buns are called fastelavnsbolle, and the Icelandic ones - bolludagsbollum. Buns are filled with whipped cream and a little bit of jam, and topped with a powdered sugar glaze. In Latvia, similar buns are also made and eaten during Shrove Tuesday. So if you want to have a sweet and filling, yet different, meal for Shrove Tuesday, try our interpretations of the Danish fastelavnsboll or the Swedish semlor. We promise a carnival of tastes in your mouth! No wonder these buns can be found anywhere from New York to London. Just don’t be as greedy as the Swedish king Adolf Frederick who died after a substantial meal which ended in… 14 semlor with hot milk.

BLACK CURRANT SEMLOR

Recipe and photo: Asta, Villa Alps

e have updated the traditional recipe to include white chocolate and black currant – this is a perfect opportunity to finish those berries from the freezer and make room for the upcoming bounty! Since semlor have to be sweet, the sourness of the currants is masked by sweet white chocolate. The yeasted dough is a bit untypical, as it includes both baking powder and eggs. This mixture of raising agents makes the buns extremely light and fluffy. And given the heaviness from the marzipan filling, heavy cream and powdered sugar, there could be no better solution! Truth be told, these buns are mighty tasty on their own, and they are great for breakfast or with a glass of milk. P.S. The recipe has been tested and happily approved by three Swedes – try it out and see for yourself! Makes 10 35 g butter 150 ml full-fat milk 1 tsp cardamom pods 35 ml sugar ¼ tsp salt 1 egg 3 g instant yeast or 12,5 g fresh yeast around 420 ml flour ¾ tsp baking powder Filling: 50 g white chocolate 50 ml heavy cream 150 g marzipan handful of frozen black currant Topping: whipped (sweetened) cream powdered sugar

Crush cardamom pods, remove shells and mash seeds thoroughly. In a saucepan, melt butter, add milk, sugar and salt. Mix and heat to 37°C or until it is not too hot to hold your finger in. Beat egg and add 2/3 of it to milk mixture. Mix well. In a bowl, crumble fresh yeast or add instant yeast. Add several tablespoons of milk mixture and leave for some minutes. Add the remaining milk mixture, flour and baking powder. Knead dough. If it is still too sticky, add flour a little bit at a time and knead until dough is elastic and does not stick to your hands. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise for 40 minutes. Lightly knead dough and divide into 10 equal pieces. Form each one into a ball and put on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover once more with a towel and let rise for 20-30 minutes. Heat oven to 220°C. Brush buns with the remaining eggwash. Bake in the middle of the oven for 6 minutes until buns are golden brown. Be careful not to burn them. Remove from the oven and let cool. For the filling, melt white chocolate with heavy cream. Add marzipan and mix until the mixture is homogenous. Add black currant and mix well. Cut off tops of buns. With a teaspoon, remove some of the pulp from inside. Add some of the filling to the holes. Using a pastry bag, decorate the sides with heavy cream. Replace tops of buns and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Prepare only as many buns as you are going to eat immediately. Serve with warm milk. Keep the remaining buns in an airtight container and the filling in the fridge. Use within several days.

n Denmark, Shrove Tuesday is called Fastelavn. On this day the streets fill with princesses, zombies and fairy tale characters who go from door to door asking for sweets. People gather in main squares to eat sweet filled and glazed fastelavnboller (Shrove Tuesday buns), play games and have fun. One of traditions of Fastelavn is beating a hanging barrel with a wooden stick until it breaks and candy pours out. Earlier, a black cat used to be placed in the barrel. The cat symbolized all the evil and failures, and the barrel was beaten until the cat died. However, as time went by, the macabre traditions went away and only a picture of a cat remains on the barrel.

Makes 12 Dough: 270 g flour 90 g cold butter 1 egg 100 ml milk 20 g fresh yeast 2 tsp sugar pinch of salt eggwash for brushing Filling: 90 g marzipan 80 g powdered sugar 85 g butter Icing: powdered sugar cocoa powder lemon juice water red food coloring sprinkles

Melt yeast in warm milk. Lightly beat egg and sugar. Mix flour with salt, add cubed butter and rub them together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add yeast mixture and egg, and knead dough. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. For the filling, mix all ingredients until blended. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll them out. Add a teaspoon of filling in the middle. Form round buns and put them on a baking tray lined with parchment. Cover with a towel and let rise for 20 minutes. Baste with eggwash and bake for 30 minutes in a 200째C oven. For the chocolate glaze, mix powdered sugar, cocoa and water until it is thick. For the pink glaze, use powdered sugar, lemon juice and food coloring. Top cooled buns with glaze and decorate with sprinkles.

FASTELAVNBOLLER Recipe and photo: Dovilė, DR Food Blog

Photo: Beata, Braškės su pipirais Masks: 42 property of Prienai Area Museum, artist Irena Gedminaitė (Prienai region, Pakuonis)

ven though our guest - Kristina the cook and Laura the photographer - do not have a blog, they are an awesome team! Kristina is very interested in food, its history, foreign cuisines and agreed to share with us several Shrove Tuesday specialties. And she even decorated our pages with authentic Shrove Tuesday masks from Prienai Area Museum.

Isn’t a kitchen full of colors, aromas and tastes similar to a workshop? And not only because it is full of improvisation. Each time I encounter the world cuisine, I cannot help but be amazed by the creativity of the world. To me traditional dishes are a way to know foreign cultures, the culinary ABC. I gather information by reading, cooking and taking notes. And, truth be told, it wouldn’t be worth too much if it weren’t for Laura who encourages me, tastes, criticizes and, most importantly, photographs. Do you ever wonder if what you know would interest others? Could we create a nice text and a pretty blog? We are thankful for Clouds for giving us the opportunity to test ourselves.

allokumja – a special cookie coming from the city of Elbasan. It is a true gem of the Albanian cuisine. Even though Albania is a muslim country, its pagan roots are extremely strong: after the fall of the Soviet Union, the 14th March, the ancient Spring celebaration (alb. Dita e Verës), was declared public holiday. This celebration is similar to our Shrove Tuesday. However, its specialty is not pancakes, but these cookies, reminiscent of the Sun. The cookies may seem very simple at first sight. It is thus crucial to use the best quality ingredients and pay attention to the process. The most exotic ingredient is the homemade lye which not only raises the dough, but also gives the cookies a specific crunchiness which is not obtainable with baking soda or baking powder. The most laborious part of the process is probably beating the butter as it can take up to a whole hour. It is said that hand mixers cannot be used for this! Sugar cannot be substituted with powdered sugar, and since (in the ideal case, at least) it has to fully melt in the butter, Albanians have thought of different tricks: heating the ingredients; kneading the dough in a copper bowl; mixing it with a hand instead of a wooden spoon. Some experience is also needed to determine the amount of flour since it depends on the size of eggs, the type of flour and the quality of butter. If too much flour is added, the resulting cookies will be tough; if, on the other hand, the cookies spread too much and the tops do not crack – too little flour was used. All things considered, baking the perfect ballokumja will take some practice. However, it’s definitely worth it – if you succeed, the cookies will simply melt in your mouth! Makes 6 300-330 g cornmeal 30 g wheat flour 250 g butter 250 g sugar 2 eggs 1tbs lye Lye: 1 tbs wood ash 180 ml water

Prepare lye in advance: sift wood ash and add it to a pot (not aluminum!). Add water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a dense cloth. Keep in an airtight container in a cool place. Heat butter over low heat until it melts completely. Add sugar and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Then add one egg and keep beating for 5 minutes. Add another egg and beat for 5 more minutes. Add lye and give the mixture a final beating. Add wheat flour and 300 grams of cournflour. Mix well. The dough might seem too thin, so it’s best to let it rest for 15 minutes. If the dough is still too soft, add the remaining flour. It should be soft and slightly sticky, but should hold its form. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Form 6 sizable balls; their surface should be rough, so there’s no need to knead more. Put the cookies into a large parchment lined baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes in a 160°C oven. Tops of the baked cookies should crack, but they should brown only slightly. Let cookies stand for 10 minutes before removing them from the baking pan. They can be eaten both warm and cold. Ballokumja remain tasty for several days, and are usually served with tea or coffee.

CORNMEAL BISCUITS BALLOKUMJA

IRISH POTATO FARLS WITH APPLE FILLING

otato farls are a true classic of the Northern Irish cuisine. And it is such a pity that the version from Armagh County - made with a sweet apple filling â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is far less known. In Armagh County, famous for its vast apple tree orchards, it is made autumn to spring - during the whole apple season. It is sometimes served for breakfast using leftover potatoes. And even though crepes sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar are the usual Shrove Tuesday delicacy in Ireland, this wonderful dish may be a fierce competitor!

Meakes 2 (20 cm diameter) 4 medium potatoes (around 350 g) 30 g butter 1 tsp salt ~100 g flour 4 medium apples (preferably sour) sugar and cinnamon to taste oil for frying Optional: powdered sugar, syrup, etc. for serving

Wash potatoes thoroughly and boil them, unpeeled. Once they have cooled slightly, peel potatoes and mash well, so that the mixture is as smooth as possible. Add butter and salt. Leave potatoes to cool completely. Peel and core apples. Cut them into thin slices and add to a saucepan with a tablespoon of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until apples are tender but not fully cooked. Add cinnamon and sugar to taste. If there is a lot of juice, turn up the heat and boil for several minutes so that the liquid evaporates and the mixture remains rather dry. Let cool completely. Gradually add flour to the potato mixture and knead dough (it is important not to overwork it!). The amount of flour depends on the amount and humidity of potatoes. Dough should be soft and should not stick to the hands. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Form them into balls and lightly dust with flour. Roll out four patties, 20 centimeters in diameter. If the dough gets sticky, lightly dust the rolling surface and the patties. Divide the apple mixture into two parts and spread it over two patties, leaving around 1 cm around the edges. Cover the filling with the remaining patties and press and fold meticulously. Heat some oil in a frying pan and add one farl. Fry it over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the surface forms a nice golden crust. Turn over with a wide spatula and fry for 3-4 minutes until the other side is done. Repeat with the second patty. The farl is served hot. Before serving, it can be cut into 4 pieces. This dish can be eaten with no condiments, or it may be served as a warm dessert, sprinkled with powdered sugar, your favorite syrup, decorated with fruit boiled in syrup, etc. Farls go great with tea.

Photo: Beata, Braškės su pipirais Masks: artist Irutė Seselskienė (Prienai), Prienai Area Museum

MEASUREMENT UNITS USED IN THE MAGAZINE tbs - tablespoon, 15 ml tsp - teaspoon, 5 ml cup (250 ml) ml - milliliters l - liter g - grams kg - kilograms

Bon appetit! NEXT ISSUE - MARCH 2013

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