A tempting Polish braided sweet bread filled with a spicy apple filling and drizzled with icing. This delectable and fragrant coffee cake does take a bit of time to prepare, but is actually quite easy to make, and well worth the effort. Once you've made it, your family will ask for it again and again....
Rice and pulse cakes
Simple and very rich! These deliciously soft and creamy potatoes are worth the splurge on any special occasion. This dish is full of cream, and there's no acceptable substitute. For a gratin to make your guests say, "Wow!, I have to have more," and make you think, "Oh no, I hope they don't eat the whole thing--I want some for breakfast," you need real cream, and lots of it. Originally from my paternal (Polish) grandma, this version of potato gratin contains no cheese which, she said, "would compete with the delicate flavor of the leeks."
Polish honey cake is another dessert of my childhood. The cake is light and has a mellow honey flavor without being too sweet. It's easy to make, delicious to eat, and I highly recommend it. Traditionally, the recipe calls for buckwheat honey which adds a distinctive touch to this classic Polish cake. It's a unique honey, very dark and very strong...and it takes a bit of getting used to if you haven't had before. However, for those less adventurous, a flavorful dark wildflower honey may be substituted for an equally delicious result, albeit not authentic.
Fast, easy snack or lunch food. NOT a dietary food!
Some may say the result isn't really that great to look at...maybe so, the buckwheat flour does make it rather brown. But looks can be deceiving. Buckwheat crepes have a delicious nutty flavor which perfectly complements the rich apple filling that has been spiced with cardamon and vinegar and sweetened with molassess, rum, cider and cream. Cover all that with a creamy mascarpone based topping, sprinkle on some broiled cinnamon pecans and what you get is nothing short of astounding! What you get is my gramdmother's Apple Crepes which are what I consider to be the perfect dessert. They're not too sweet and have loads of apple flavor. And, despite the long list of ingredients that make for the masterful blend of flavors...these crepes are actually very easy to make.
One of my Non-Italian Favorites for years