On the last week before the Final Practical, we made Russian food. I loved all of it!! We made: Blini (Buckwheat Pancakes), Chahohbili (Georgian-Style Chicken), Borshch Moskovsky (Moscow-Style Beet Soup), Syrniki (Sweet Cheese Fritter with Berry Kissel), Kulebiaka (Salmon in Puff Pastry), Loby (String Beans in Sour Cream Sauce), Grechnevaya Kasha (Buckwheat Groats). I made the Syrniki and Borshch Moskovsky. I love beets and have never had hot Borscch, so I really wanted to make this dish. The prep was a little long. Everything was cut to 1/4 inch. However, the execution was simple. The sweetness and earthiness of the beets really came through. The chicken had a fantastic spice the matched perfectly with the rich creaminess of the string beans. Not being a fan of salmon, I didn't think I would like this dish. I was wrong. The puff pastry covered salmon, rice and mushrooms. The salmon was tender and juicy and the pastry was flavorful and crisp. The blini was good, although I wish we had better caviar to serve with it. The groats were a bit undercooked, but still tasty. The cheese fritters were tricky. The dough was still soft and sticky, even after being chilled. The recipe called for the fritters to be fried in 1/4 cup of butter. I did not use the full amount. The berry kissel was really quick to make. This could easily double as a berry pie filling. I have to say, the Russian menu was my favorite to make and taste. I could see myself making the menu again.
We used: oven, stovetop, refrigerator, scale, bowls, spoons & knives.
We used: oven, stovetop, refrigerator, scale, bowls, spoons & knives.