Breakfast & Desserts

“Maslenitsa” is a Russian carnival week originating from pre-Christian times. It was celebrated around spring solstice and was dedicated to the boy-Sun named Xors becoming a man-Sun named Yarilo.…

Russians love to bake. My childhood home always smelled like sweet dough and we had bakes all year round. But of course fall and winter were special seasons for…

I will always remember from time to time, when coming from school, in cold and rainy autumn and winter days, opening the door and immediately smell the baking sweets…

“Lazy” dumplings (or “le-nee-vye va-re-nee-kee” in Russian) are gnocchi-shaped dumplings made by mixing ricotta cheese or farmer cheese with egg and white/wheat flour into a quick dough. It is…

As you know, I was born and grew up in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). From my childhood memories I remember most popular breakfast of the time – omelet with…

I use to love these little tea bread when I was a child and I still love them today. I buy them often in a Russian grocery store near…

When I was a child we were allowed to go by ourselves to the local food store for simple shopping such as getting bread or milk. Very often in…

Winter farewell is a time of awakening; the beginning of new life. Since ancient times, people have enjoyed this time of the year. Festivals and carnivals are held all…

I loved this cake when I was a child. It is not too sweet and has a perfect amount of chocolate. It was very difficult to buy in a…

“Povidlo”– Apple Butter is cooked from fruit or berry puree with sugar. Once fully cooked good povidlo looks like a homogeneous mass of brownish or dark golden color. In…

Sweet, buttery, laced with chocolate and fragrant with cinnamon, these beautifully twisted wheels is easy to prepare and you can serve them with a chilled glass of milk or…

The word “mannaya kasha”– semolina porridge, conjures up a lot of memories from my childhood and has a special meaning in the hearts of anyone who grew up in…

“Keks” – Russian tea cakes are a tradition in Russian households and have been since the last century when the technology was perfected for milling fine, smooth white flour.…

I’m entertaining this weekend, and when one particular friend of mine comes over, I always make sure this is on the menu – my ricotta pancakes with berry coulis…

Shrovetide (or “maslenitsa” in Russian) is celebrated in the last week before Christian Orthodox Great Fast, seven weeks before Easter. Shrovetide is the holiday preserved by Slavic peoples from…

“Khvorost” (i.e. brushwood) is the Russian name of semi-dessert deep fat fried pastry. It originates from Southern Russia of 17th century where bakers have borrowed it from Greek cuisine.…

Today we open our Russian Monday section with the recipe of “Medovik” – Russian Honey cake dedicated to all athletes competing at the Olympic Games in Sochi! The mere…