INGREDIENTS

 ·  For Pastry Layers

·  4 Tbsp butter

·1 Tbsp sugar

·  2 egg whites stiffly beaten

·  1 cup sour cream

·  1 Tbsp vodka

·  pinch of salt

·  2 cups flour (approx)

For Custard Filling

·  1 egg white

·  10 egg yolks

·  2 1/2 cups sugar

·  6 Tbsp flour

·  6 cups milk

·  1 Tbsp vanilla essence

·  250 g butter

·

Serves 12

Depending on the size of the pieces and the appetites!

DIRECTIONS

Pastry Layers

Butter a baking tray and dust with flour. Divide the cake dough into 12. Set the oven to heat to 190 degrees C.

Roll or press out each portion to an 8 inch circle on the baking form making each circle is of even thickness as thin areas will cook quicker and may stick to the tray before the rest of the dough is cooked.

Bake each layer until golden brown, approximately 6-10 minutes. If dough blisters as it cooks, puncture blisters with a fork. As each layer is cooked, remove from the tray and set aside to cool.

Custard Filling

Pour the milk into a large saucepan and heat on the stove without boiling.

Beat the egg yolks, egg white and sugar until creamy. Mix well with the flour. Pour this mixture into the saucepan of milk and continue stirring until thick and creamy. Add the vanilla and butter and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Stir frequently as the mixture cools.

Preparation and Serving

Place one layer of the cooked dough in the bottom of an 8 inch spring form cake tin and cover evenly with a layer of filling. Continue to build up the cake in this way, layering the custard on top of the pastry, finishing with the 11th pastry layer. Crumble the remaining pastry layer on the top.

Refrigerate for 5-6 hours. The flavour improves after 12 hours of refrigeration when the custard takes on a stronger caramel flavour.

·  1 lb of beef for soup (e.g. beef bone in chuck, short rib, or any other type of beef)

·  1 beetroot

·  1 parsley root

·  1 potato

·  1 carrot

·  1 onion

·  ½ cup of dry beans of any kind

·  1 tomato or 1 Tsp of tomato paste

·   ½ of small cabbage

·  Salt, sunflower oil

Serves 6-8 persons

Put beans into a bowl, pour cold water into it and leave beans to soak at room temperature for several hours before you start making borscht

Drain water from the beans and add them to the boiling broth

Dice skinned onion, slice peeled parsley root. Add ½ of onion and all sliced parsley root to the boiling cooking pot

Warm up a frying pan with 1 Tbsp of sunflower oil; fry the other ½ of onion on low heat

Peel  carrot and grate coarsely, add to the onion in frying pan. Add diced tomato or 1 Tsp of tomato paste with water and fry everything for 10 mins stirring from time to time

Pour everything from frying pan to the boiling cooking pot

Peel and dice potato, add it to the boiling cooking pot

Peel  beetroot, and coarsely grate or slice into strips

Reduce the  heat, then add grated beet root to it

Let borscht cook until the potato starts softening

Meanwhile slice cabbage and add  to the cooking pot, then let it boil for 10 mins (or till cabbage becomes soft) Salt to taste, season with chopped green parsley.

The Borscht  is ready! Serve it hot.

·  1 lb of bologna (delicatessen)       If you cannot obtain use Xmas ham or luncheon for a cheaper option

·  1 can (15 oz) of sweet peas

·  3 middle size potatoes

·  4-5 middle size carrots

·  5-6 eggs

·  1 bunch of spring onions

·  1 bunch of fresh dill

· 5-6 middle size cucumbers (pickled with salt not with vinegar. Keep in fridge for a couple of days)

·  Ground black pepper

·  Salt to taste

·  Mayonnaise to taste

Serves 6-8 persons

DIRECTIONS

Boil carrots and potatoes without peeling & prepare hard boiled eggs in advance and make sure they all cool to room temperature when you start making the salad. Wash spring onions and dill

Skin boiled potatoes. Skin boiled carrots and dice all into small cubes of the same size

Put diced carrots and potatoes into a  big bowl

Open can of peas and remove liquid, - add to the bowl

Peel eggs and dice them into the same size pieces as carrots and potatoes -add to the bowl

Dice bologna, add to the bowl

Dice pickled cucumbers

Chop spring onions and dill - add to the bowl

Mix everything, season with ground black pepper and add salt if you feel it is needed. Add mayonnaise and mix everything again

Transfer the salad to the bowl you want to serve it in

Your Russian Salad Olivier is ready to serve

·  1 lb of beef for soup (e.g. beef bone in chuck, short rib, or any other type of beef)

·  1 beetroot

·  1 parsley root

·  1 potato

·  1 carrot

·  1 onion

·  ½ cup of dry beans of any kind

·  1 tomato or 1 Tsp of tomato paste

·   ½ of small cabbage

·  Salt, sunflower oil

Serves 6-8 persons

Prepare vegetables. Then prepare meat broth in a 6 quart cooking pot using all of the beef

Put beans into a bowl, pour cold water into it and leave beans to soak at room temperature for several hours before you start making borscht

Drain water from the beans and add them to the boiling broth

Dice skinned onion, slice peeled parsley root. Add ½ of onion and all sliced parsley root to the boiling cooking pot

Warm up a frying pan with 1 Tbsp of sunflower oil; fry the other ½ of onion on low heat

Peel  carrot and grate coarsely, add to the onion in frying pan. Add diced tomato or 1 Tsp of tomato paste with water and fry everything for 10 mins stirring from time to time

Pour everything from frying pan to the boiling cooking pot

Peel and dice potato, add it to the boiling cooking pot

Peel  beetroot, and coarsely grate or slice into strips

Reduce the  heat, then add grated beet root to it

Let borscht cook until the potato starts softening

Meanwhile slice cabbage and add  to the cooking pot, then let it boil for 10 mins (or till cabbage becomes soft) Salt to taste, season with chopped green parsley.

The Borscht  is ready! Serve it hot.

INGREDIENTS

·  1 big or 2 small whole herrings (pickled with a salt)

·  1 big potato

·  4-5 middle size carrots

·  3 medium sized beets

·  1 bunch of spring onions

·  Mayonnaise to taste

Serves 6-8 persons

Boil carrots, potatoes and beets for the salad, let them cool till room temperature and skin; fillet salted herrings

.

Take a big flat plate, coarsely grate boiled potato and form a round layer in the middle of the plate (make sure you have about 2 inches left on the the edge of the plate)

Dress layer of grated potato with mayonnaise (yes, you need liquid mayo which is easy to pour)

Dice herring fillets (and pick out bones if you see any) and layer it above the potato

Add chopped spring onions as third layer and dress with mayonnaise

Cover with an even layer of boiled carrots coarsely grated; use your hands to form the shape

Spread mayonnaise on the surface and cover the whole thing with an even layer of boiled beets coarsely grated. And again cover it with mayonnaise

Leave  salad to rest at room temperature for 2 hours, then put it in the fridge. Prepare this salad in advance; it needs at least several hours of “rest” after being assembled so layers can soak up the juices and mayonnaise.

Herring under Fur Coat is ready to be served.