I am, and always have been, crazy about the Olympics. I love them. I even love the so-called boring sports that don’t get prime time screening.
During the 2012 London games, I watched handball from Copenhagen. I was just wrapping up a study abroad in Northern Germany and Scandinavia, it had been a great day of adventuring by myself in a city I loved, and at the end of the day, I rushed back to the apartment to catch the Olympics.
I also love celebrating, so it should come as no surprise that I’m planning to celebrate the Opening Ceremonies of the games in Sochi, Russia with an entirely Russian menu. After all, food is one of the best ways to celebrate, and if you think Borscht and black bread are the only things Russians eat, you’re in for a surprise. Today, celebrate this way too, and use these recipes.
Both are adapted from an old Russian cookbook my mom has had since before I was born, titled Please to the Table.
Aleksandertorte
Delicate shortbread jam sandwich cookies
These light and melty cookies are buttery, sweet from the jam, and tart from the icing. Sour cream is a traditional
ingredient in Russian baking and often replaces eggs.
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, chilled
3 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 2/3 cups
1 cup red berry jam (I used 1/2 cup lingonberry and 1/2 cup raspberry)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Cold water, as needed
Combine flour and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and cut together until the dough forms into
crumbs. For this, use a pastry cutter, knives, or your fingers. Mix in the sour cream and knead the pastry on a
lightly floured surface. It will take a few minutes to come together, but don’t worry, just keep working for a
minute. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill 1 hour.
Split the pastry in half and roll each half out into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle. Transfer to parchment paper and
pierce the dough all over with a fork so that bubbles don’t form in the dough when it bakes. Place dough (on top
of parchment paper) on cookie sheets. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.
Whisk remaining 1 cup powdered sugar with lemon juice to form a glaze.
Let the cookies cool slightly, then spread jam over one sheet. Carefully place the other cookie rectangle on top. Glaze pastry evenly and let set for a minute, then cut into squares.
Decorate with crumbs from edges of the pastry.
Makes 35 to 40.
Kissel
Red berry custard
Soup-like custards made of red berries are common in northern Europe — in Denmark they are known as Rødgrød med Fløde, in Germany, the dessert is called Rote Grütze. Some cultures serve it with vanilla sauce — Russians eat it with whipped cream.
2 cups red berries (I used raspberries)
5 cups water
1/4 cup potato starch
Sugar (to sweeten to taste — all berries are different)
Put berries and 4 cups of water in a pot. Bring to a
boil and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the
berries are soft and the water has taken on the
color of the fruit. Put a strainer over a bowl and
pour mixture through, so that all you have is the
clear red liquid. Return the liquid to the pot and
sweeten to taste with sugar. Dilute potato starch
with remaining cup of water and whisk in until the
mixture is thick.
Chill and serve with whipped cream.