At the end of 2020 I looked at the statistics for my blog.
I found that over the five and a half years – sernik – baked cheesecake is my most looked at post and has been for a few years.
As today is The Epiphany – The Three Kings – I thought another version of a Polish Classic would be good.
Recently I got this recipe from my cousin in Wembley.
This is a simple version – not very different from my mama’s but does not have any added butter or soured cream.
The original recipe was on a packet of bought twaróg.
The original recipe used 1 kilogram of twaróg and as you can imagine it was large!
I have cut down the amount of ingredients to make a more manageable sernik.
I have adjusted some of the other ingredients as my own yoghourt cheese is always a little “wetter” than the bought twaróg.
There is no cake base at all in this recipe – but of course you can add one.
Be aware that the cake rises and then collapses on cooling.
Royal Grafton – Woodside – 1940-1959
Ingredients
500g twaróg – yoghurt cheese or cream cheese
4 eggs separated
140g icing sugar & 2 tablespoons & extra for dusting
1 tablespoon of semolina
2 tablespoons of potato flour (cornflour should be okay)
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence or rum
Method
Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160°C
Use a cake liner to line a loose bottomed 20cm or 22cm cake tin.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is pale and creamy.
Add the twaróg or yoghurt cheese and the vanilla essence or rum and whisk all together.
Fold in the semolina and the potato flour.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites till they are stiff.
Add the 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and whisk again till stiff.
Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the lined cake tin.
Bake in the oven for 60 – 70 minutes.
Check earlier and cover if it is starting to catch.
When the cake is ready switch off the oven and leave it in there for at least 40 minutes.
Take out the cake to cool in the tin.
Once it is cold – take the cake out of the tin by loosening the outer ring or placing the cake tin with the loose bottom on a tin can and sliding the cake tin down.
*
Dust the cake with icing sugar before serving.
*
I think this cake is best made the day before you want to serve it – so it is well cooled and set.
Options
You can use this basic mix with a number of variations:
Chocolate drizzle on top.
Mixed peel added to the mixture.
Different cake bases.
Fruit in thickened syrups served with it.
and so on ….
Served on a Vintage glass cake stand and Paragon – hand painted tea plates with a sauce made from thinned down raspberry jam.
In England there are some old fashioned sweets called chocolate limes, which I really like. They consist of a crunchy lime coating over a dark chocolate paste centre.
I have been making several chilled cakes – torcik – and thought I would try out a variation based on this chocolate and lime idea.
This torcik is a variation on ones that I made previously with different fruits and bases.
I tried out a few variations on the proportions of the ingredients and decided that just having two layers worked best with a chocolate flake decorations on the top.
Biscuit & chocolate base
Sweet curd cheese with lime jelly
Ingredients
100g of plain biscuits such as petit beurre, morning coffee or rich tea
40g butter
50g dark chocolate
*
300g twaróg or yoghurt cheese (could use full fat cream cheese)
150g icing sugar
80g butter
4 yolks
1 packets of lime jelly
*
Cadburys flake or grated dark chocolate to decorate.
Method
Use a 22cm diameter loose bottomed or spring-form tin.
This is a smaller size than for my previous ones.
Lightly rub the base with some butter.
*
Crush the biscuits into small crumbs.
Melt the butter and chocolate gently, stirring to prevent burning.
Add the biscuit crumbs and mix well together.
Put the mixture into the base of the tin and press it down firmly.
Leave till it is cold.
*
Dissolve the lime jelly in 150ml of boiling water and leave to cool.
The tricky bit is having the jelly at the right temperature to use.
*
Cream together the butter and icing sugar.
Add the egg yolks, one by one, alternating with the twaróg.
Mix thoroughly.
*
Gently mix in the cool jelly.
Pour the mixture over the base.
Level the top.
*
Leave for around 30 minutes so the jelly is starting to set.
Decorate the top with sprinkled grated chocolate or flakes or both.
Leave to set – best in the fridge – for at least 3 hours.
Take great care when removing the torcik out of the tin.
Use a long thin spatula to ease the edge.
Use a tin to place the cake tin on to move it apart from the base.
The inspiration behind the flavours in this torcik is from a Black Forest Gateau, which is a chocolate cake with sour cherries and Kirshwasser – a cherry spirit, and often with cream.
It is claimed to have been invented in 1915 but other sources say it was in the 1930s.
It was very popular in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s.
This torcik is a variation on two that I made previously with different fruits and bases.
When making a torcik you need time to let one layer set before starting on the next.
I know I said this last year but I still cannot believe it! I posted my first post five years ago today – 4 July 2015. Time has gone so quickly but there is still much more to write about.
This will be post number 280 and there have been visitors from more than 130 countries.
Suddenly in the garden there were loads of alpine strawberries – time to use them in a recipe!
I had seen lots of cakes in Poland with a layer of fruits and jelly on top and decided now was the time to start trying some out.
Torcik – this is a word that I have just learnt.
There does not seem to be an exact English translation!
I have seen the terms icebox cake or no bake cake, which convey some of the ideas.
Tort is a layer cake, a gateaux and the -cik ending usually denotes a diminutive – something small.
A torcik is a dessert type cake which is not baked.
A torcik can be assembled cold from previously baked parts such as meringue circles, crushed biscuits or sponge fingers.
It usually has a mousse or custard layer or one which has been set with gelatine.
Sweet cream, either poured or whipped is not used in traditional Polish cooking.
Soured cream with the addition of a little icing sugar is often used to drizzle over sweet dishes such as pierogi with fruit fillings or with Polish style pancakes.
I have previously made a super beetroot & chocolate cake and topping this with a lemon butter icing.
This time I just wanted a lighter pouring sauce to go with the cake.
Ingredients
100g of yoghurt cheese or cream cheese
100g of icing sugar
Grated rind of 2 lemons
Juice from 1 lemon.
Method
Mix all the ingredients together to give a smooth sauce.
The contrast between the sauce and the rich cake is super.
Served on Royal Doulton – Counterpoint tea plates – 1973 – 1987
I have made it several times since as a larger version when I have had lots of my own yoghurt cheese. For this version I used Morello cherries from a jar.
You can use twaróg, curd cheese, cream cheese or yoghurt cheese, it is a bit different from my usual Polish baked cheesecake. as it does not have a cake/biscuit type base. Because of this you do need a one piece cake liner for your loose bottomed tin.
Ingredients
200g Butter
200g Caster sugar
4 eggs separated
3 tablespoons of potato flour or cornflour
150g Ground almonds
400 – 450g Twaróg , Curd cheese or Yoghurt Cheese
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
Morello cherries from a 460g net weight jar
Optional Topping
Juice from the cherries
1 tablespoon of potato or cornflour to thicken the juice.
Method
Line a 22cm diameter loose bottomed cake tin with a bought paper cake liner.
Preheat the oven to GM5 190°C
Drain the cherries from the juice – keep the juice for the topping.
Cream the butter and sugar until they are soft and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks one by one until you have a smooth mixture.
Add the vanilla essence and the salt and mix in.
Add the cornflour, ground almonds and the yoghurt cheese and mix together thoroughly.
Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.
Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture.
Put the cake mixture into the lined tin.
Place around half the cherries on top of the mixture.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.
Turn the oven down to GM2 – 150°C and bake for around another 30 minutes.
Switch off the oven but leave the cake in there until it is cool.
Keep the cake in the refrigerator but bring to room temperature for serving.
Dust with icing sugar
***
Make a runny sauce from the juice heated with a tablespoon of potato flour.
Serve portions with a few cherries on the side and some of the sauce poured on or next to it.
Served here on tea plates from a coffee service by Midwinter – Queensbury from the 1970s.
Pierogi arelittle semicircular parcels of pasta which are made with a multitude of fillings.
Even though I make these myself, it is the dish I always crave when I go to Poland.
There are several theories as to how pasta style dishes came into Poland.
The general word for pasta especially noodles is makaron , which certainly has its roots in Italian; and as Italian cooking has influenced Polish cooking from the 16th century I used to think that was where the dishes originated. I find it amusing that ravioli in Polish are called pierogi włoskie (Italian pierogi).
After doing some research it seems however that pierogi were around in Poland in the middle ages, they are mentioned in the 13th century and the name comes from an old Slav word for feast or festivity.
Many people believe that they came to Poland from the Far East through Siberia and Russia.
When I was in China in the 1990s, imagine my surprise when I was on several occasions offered dishes which were called Jiaoxi (dumplings) and they were exactly the same shape and size as pierogi and cooked in the same way!
Whatever the origins, the Poles have made pierogi their own; there are lots of traditional fillings, both savoury and sweet, and several ways of serving them.
In a pierogi cookery book I bought in Poland there are around 40 traditional ones and more than 20 new style ones. In a pierogi restaurant I went to in Kraków there were around 30 options on the menu.
Home-made pierogi
Pierogi
Pierogi are made from a thinly rolled out dough using a circular cutter, about 7 cm in diameter, we used to use a medium sized wine glass. A largish teaspoon of the filling is placed on the circle and this is then folded in half and the edges pinched together to seal them – this is done to give them a slightly crimped edge.
You learn from experience how much filling to put into the pierogi as too much will make it hard to seal them and if not properly sealed they will burst on boiling. Do not worry if you have a few mishaps – it still happens to me even with experience – it is hard to salvage one that has gone wrong – just accept that there will be a few that you do not cook.
Pierogi Dough
Pierogi dough is made from flour, egg and water and I have seen many variations of the recipe. The following is my mother’s and I think it is the best I have ever used and tasted.
She never used whole eggs, just the yolks and this gives a dough which is soft and not tough and can be easily rolled out. The recipes which use whole eggs give a tougher dough which is much harder to roll out.
My mother originally used plain flour and added a tablespoon or two of fine semolina but now that strong flour or even pasta flour is readily available this is what I use the most.
Another point is that flour does vary and it is possible to add more flour to the dough as you are mixing it but you cannot add more liquid if it is too dry!
As you mix the ingredients in the first few minutes you should be able to tell if it will be too dry and you can add some more water initially but once it is all mixed together you cannot – if it goes wrong – just start again.
The quantities that I have given work well and but you should allow for extra flour if needed.
Ingredients
500g pasta flour or strong flour or plain flour & 2 tablespoons of fine semolina
300 ml water
1 tablespoon oil – sunflower or light olive
½ teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
Method
In a jug or bowl mix together the water, oil and yolks.
Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Pour the liquid mixture into the well and then with your hands incorporate the flour into the liquid until you have a large ball of dough.
Turn this out into a floured board and knead the dough for a few minutes until it is a smooth ball.
You can then use the dough straight away, cutting it into 4 quarters and rolling out a quarter at a time on a floured surface until the dough is thin. You can pull it out a bit at the beginning to give a more rectangular shape of even thickness.
You can cover the dough with a cloth and place it in the fridge till needed.
You can freeze the dough for a few days for later use, it is best to cut it into quarters and wrap these in cling film or plastic and place these in another bag or container.
Shaping The Pierogi
Rolled out the dough until it is thin and use a circular cutter, about 7cm in diameter, to make lots of circles. You can re-roll the cuttings to make more circles until all the dough is used.
A largish teaspoon of the filling is placed on to the dough circle and this is then folded in half and the edges pinched using your thumb and first finger to seal them – giving them a slightly crimped edge.
This quality of dough will make about 70 to 80 pierogi – depends on how thinly you roll the dough and the size of your cutter.
You can open freeze pierogi so sometimes I make a batch and open freeze half of them – then store them in a plastic box. They should be cooked from frozen just allowing a little extra time.
Pierogi Fillings
The quantities that I have given should be enough for the 500g batch of dough. Many of the fillings once made can be frozen; I sometimes make the mixture and freeze it in 2 to 3 small batches for later use.
A good tip is not to make the filling too moist, as any liquid on the dough will prevent you getting a good seal.
Have a large surface such as a tray covered with a cotton or linen cloth which has been lightly floured ready and place the sealed pierogi on this until they are all made, do not let then touch each other.
Cooking The Pierogi
To cook the pierogi, use a large pan of boiling water to which you have added some salt and a drizzle of oil. Drop the pierogi in one by one and allow them to boil. I usually do about 6 to 8 at a time (I only do 6 at a time if using frozen ones). As they cook they will float to the surface, let them boil for 2 to 3 minutes, a bit more if they were frozen, and then remove them with a slotted or perforated spoon and put into a colander above a pan for a few seconds to drain and serve. Continue boiling batches in the same water.
Serving Suggestion
Traditionally savoury pierogi are served with melted butter, skwarki – crispy smoked bacon bits, small pieces of fried onion or melted butter and dried breadcrumbs (à la Polonaise).
If you want to make all the pierogi to serve together then you need to get a large shallow dish and put the melted butter or skwarki or fried onions into the dish and keep the dish warm in a low oven. As you take out the cooked pierogi add them to the dish, mix them with the butter, skwarki or onions to prevent them sticking. Keep on adding more as they cook and keep shaking the dish to coat and mix them.
Once your have had your meal and you have any left (I leave some deliberately) then they are wonderful fried up later. You need a hot frying pan and should be able to just use the butter etc that they are coated in, maybe adding a little extra oil if needed. Fry them till the dough is golden and crispy.
Tip – spread out the cooked and coated pierogi for later frying to prevent them sticking
Savoury Fillings
Below are some of my favourite fillings.
All the filling must be allowed to cooled before using them – you can make these in advance – even the day before.
Sauerkraut & Mushroom
These is often served at Wigilia – the Christmas Eve meal
Ingredients
Approx 500g of sauerkraut (I used to get small jars but have not seen these lately – use part of a large jar – use the rest for something else)
20- 30g dried mushrooms.
1 onion
1 bay leaf
Ground black pepper to taste
Method
Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water and leave them overnight.
Strain the mushrooms but keep the liquid and then chop the mushrooms into small pieces.
Strain the sauerkraut but keep the liquid and chop the sauerkraut into small pieces.
Put the sauerkraut with the liquid from the tin or jar into a pan and cover with boiling water. Add some of liquid from the soaked mushrooms and the bay leaf. Boil the sauerkraut gently for about 30 minutes. Then uncover and boil off as much of the liquid as possible – without burning the sauerkraut.
Allow the boiled sauerkraut to cool and remove the bay leaf. Strain it using a sieve and pressing it down with a spoon to get the mixture as dry as possible (If you want you can put the strained mixture into a clean dry cotton or linen teacloth, twist the ends together to squeeze it to get it really dry).
Whilst the sauerkraut is cooking heat the chopped mushrooms gently in a small pan with the rest of the liquor, stirring to prevent it burning but reducing as much of the possible.
Chop the onion finely and fry it till it is soft and golden and add this to the mushroom mixture and mix it well together.
Mix the sauerkraut, mushrooms and onions together and add some ground black pepper to taste; salt should not be necessary.
Note
If your sauerkraut is very sour, you can add a little sugar to the mixture or you can put it into a sieve or colander and wash it for a few minutes in cold water.water before you start cooking it – you might want to add a little salt at the end if you use this method – taste and see)
Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water, strain and mash, then leave to cool.
Chop the onion finely and fry it till it is soft and golden, allow it to cool.
Mix together thoroughly, the potatoes, onions, cheese and egg yolk.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cheese 2
When my mother did not have any curd cheese, she used Lancashire cheese, as that was the cheese most readily available to her. Both versions taste good, the secret with this one is to grate the cheese as finely as possible and mix it in well.
Ingredients
400g floury potatoes
1 onion
200g white crumbly cheese such as Lancashire
1 egg yolk
butter & oil to fry the onion
salt & ground black pepper to taste
Method
Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water, strain and mash, then leave to cool.
Chop the onion finely and fry it till it is soft and golden, allow it to cool.
Grate the cheese as finely as possible.
Mix together thoroughly, the potatoes, onions, cheese and egg yolk.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Note
My mother would boil extra potatoes on one day and save some to make these fillings the next.
In Poland you may see these savoury cheese ones on a menu as Pierogi ruskie – that is Ruthanian pierogi – from the old word for the Ukraine
Pork
Ingredients
300g shoulder or spare rib pork
1 onion
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of dried breadcrumbs
approx 250 ml of chicken stock – can be from stock cubes
butter & oil to fry the onion
salt & ground black pepper to taste
Method
Pre heat the oven to GM 3 – 1600C
Put the pork into a small casserole dish and cover it with the stock and put on the lid.
Put the dish in the oven for at least 1 hour, depending on the meat you might need longer.
I cook the meat until it is tender and can be broken up with a fork and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Allow the meat to cool. You can mince the meat but I find that if you cook it long enough you do not need to, you can just chop it with a sharp knife .
Chop the onion finely and fry it till it is soft and golden, allow it to cool.
Mix thoroughly together: the meat, onion, yolk and breadcrumbs and then add salt and pepper to taste.
Chicken
You can cook a piece of breast chicken as for the pork filling, however neither my mother or myself ever did this; we used leftover roast chicken from a roast dinner.
Ingredients
300g of roast chicken
1 onion
1 egg yolk
1 slice of white bread
small amount of milk
butter & oil to fry the onion
salt & ground black pepper to taste
Method
Take the slice of bread and remove the crusts removed and leave this for half an hour in a bowl with a little milk – do not use the excess milk just the wet slightly squeezed bread.
Finely chop or mince the chicken.
Mix together the chicken, onion, egg yolk and bread to get a uniform mixture.
Sweet Fillings
The dough and method of making sweet pierogi is just the same as for the savoury ones.
Once boiled sweet pierogi are dredged with icing or caster sugar and are often served with soured cream. They are best eaten straight away.
I must admit that when I was younger I did not really like sweet pierogi but now I think they are utterly delicious especially when with soured cream.
Sweet Cheese 1
Ingredients
200g curd cheese/twaróg or yoghurt cheese
40g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2 drops of vanilla essence
tiny pinch of salt
Method
Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.
Sweet Cheese 2
Ingredients
250g curd cheese/twaróg or yoghurt cheese
40g caster sugar
2-3 tablespoons of soured cream
tiny pinch of salt
Method
Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.
Red Fruits
In the summer in Poland, when all the fruits of the forests and the garden are ripe, that is when these pierogi are at their best. However bottled fruit is available all year round and I often make my sweet pierogi with these.
The following fruits are traditionally used –
Morello Cherries
Blackberries
Whinberries (bilberries) these grew in Lancashire near my home and also could be bought in baskets imported from Poland. (I think the larger American Blueberry is nowhere near as tasty.) When we went to pick these I know this always made my mother think of her childhood in Poland.
I tend to use half the amount of dough when making these fruit ones as they do not freeze well with fruit.
Depending on the size of the fruit, you need about 3 or 4 per circle.
Do not add sugar to fresh fruit as this will make too much liquid and the pierogi will not seal.
If using bottled fruit you need to strain as much juice away as possible.
Drenched the cooked pierogi in icing sugar and serve with sour cream. The sugar contrasts with tartness of the fruit.
A Variation ….
Knedle – Dumplings – With Plums
To me these are sweet pierogi – but I have been assured by my aunties in Poland – who made them for me on my last visit – that because of their shape – round balls – these are always called knedle.
The dough is just the same as for pierogi and they are boiled in just the same way but will take a bit longer to cook depending on the size of the plums.
Serve them dusted with icing sugar and serve with soured cream.
Plum Filling
500g fresh plums – small ones are best for the round shape & sugar – you will need about a half a teaspoon per plum.
Wash and dry the plums and remove the stalks. If the plums are small then use whole ones and if they are large use a sharp knife to cut them in half and remove the stone.
Cut strips of dough more than twice the size of the plum or plum half. Place the plum on one side and sprinkle with the sugar.
Fold over the other part of the dough and seal the edges well with your fingers – take care as the added sugar produces liquid – use excess dough to give a good seal then cut away the excess dough to give a more rounded shape.
Uszka
Uszka – means ‘little ears’ and they are much smaller and a different shape than pierogi and are always savoury.
They are made from squares of dough, about 4cm square. Half a teaspoon of filling is placed onto the square and then it is folded into a triangle and the edges sealed. The two ends at the folded side of the triangle are brought together and then pinched together giving a shape which is slightly rounded triangle with a pointed part, looking like a little ear.
When you have rolled out the dough until it is thin you cut the dough into squares no more than 4cm square. I used to use a sharp knife but have now found that using a pizza wheel to cut the dough is much easier. There is little waste dough with each rolling but you can still use all the scrapes to make one last batch.
The quality of dough will make about 150 and because of this I often only make half quantities – using 250g of flour, 150ml of water, 1 egg yolk and half a tablespoon of oil. (Except at Wigilia – the Christmas Eve meal, when I make the full amount)
The uszka are boiled in just the same way as pierogi, they are usually ready when they float to the surface.
The most traditional fillings are mushroom – see below – and Sauerkraut & Mushroom.
Uszka can be served just as pierogi with melted butter or they can be served floating in a clear soup such as rosól – clear chicken soup or in barszcz – beetroot soup.
Traditionally mushroom uszka are made for Wigila – the Christmas Eve meal either on their own with butter or served floating in barszcz (clear beetroot soup).
Mushroom Filling
In Poland these will have been made with just dried mushrooms, here in England my mother made them with fresh mushrooms with the addition of dried mushrooms when she could get them. I like them like this the best.
Ingredients
250g mushrooms – older open ones are better than button mushrooms.
Pour a small amount of boiling water into the dried mushrooms and leave these overnight.
You can remove the stalks from the older fresh mushrooms as these tend to be ‘woody’ and then cut them into thin slices.
Chop the onion into small pieces.
Fry the mushrooms and onions together in the butter. It does depend on the mushrooms and the way they are fried as to how much liquid is produced, if you get a lot, then let them simmer gently to evaporate as much as possible or strain some of this excess off (you can use this liquor in soups or sauces).
Allow the mixture to cool.
Chop the reconstituted dried mushroom (again you can save the liquor for other recipes) and add these to the mixture.
The mixture then needs to be minced which used to take me a long time and much effort. I now use a hand blender which works really well taking care not to liquidise it too much.
To the minced mixture add the egg yolk and then enough breadcrumbs to make a stiff filling.
Add salt and lots of ground black pepper.
Cut the dough into quarters
On a floured board roll out each piece until it is thin.
Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel cut the dough into 4cm squares (they can be smaller but they are harder to work).
Fold over each piece to form a triangle and pinch the edges together with your fingers.
Half a teaspoon of filling is placed onto the square and then it is folded into a triangle and the edges sealed. The two ends at the folded side of the triangle are brought together and pinched together giving a shape which is slightly rounded triangle with a pointed part.
They are cooked just as the pierogi in boiling water with the addition of salt and oil.
I serve them with melted butter.
If you are going to add them to soup do not coat them with butter – 2 to 4 are added to each serving.
Our New Tradition
After the Wigilia meal on Christmas Eve we always leave some uszka for the Christmas Day breakfast and we have fried eggs, grilled bacon with fried uszka – delicious!
PS
This must be my longest post as there is so much to say – I have only touched on the fillings that you can use & you can always make up your own.
