This is another nostalgic recipe for me: vareniki. Think dumplings filled with cottage cheese from the Ukraine. You may serve these as a savory main dish, but you may also serve them sweet, traditionally filled with sour cherries. I was used to a rather hybrid version, we would eat them with tvorog or cottage cheese and served it with a sour cream sauce we knew as “shmargus”. Since everything was seasoned with salt and pepper, you may think of this as a savory dish. But it is also possible to serve with sugar sprinkled on top and some additional sour cream. As you can see on the last picture, my grandma actually passed on a recipe. This comes as a huge surprise as she normally did not write down any recipes she would make regularly. She knew them off by heart and thus did not see the need to document. So I am beyond grateful that she took the time to write down ingredients and amounts. Mind you, no instructions other than a list of ingredients, but at least this is a starting point. Since it is only the two of us, I halved the recipe, I have learned the hard way that my grandma always wrote down large amounts to feed a crowd. But at least there is something documented.
Today I am introducing Polish pierogi ruskie or dumplings with a potato and cream cheese filling! Recently I have had a craving for some of the Ukrainian, Russian, or Polish dishes my grandmothers used to serve. Neither of them are still alive. Thinking back, I have to say, I don’t even know how they did it. Many times when we came to visit, there would be a large family gathering with more than 15 people, yet they would always serve homemade food such as pelmeni, vareniki or pierogi. All of these require a lot of work and are dumplings that need to be formed by hand. I needed half an hour for two people, you can probably imagine how much time it took them for the amount of people visiting. My favorite are either pierogi or vareniki, which are either filled with cream cheese only or cream cheese with potatos. So today I am giving you the traditional pierogi ruskie.
I asked you on Instagram and you all agreed, you wanted to get the recipe for ths cheesecake with apricots and crumbs. So here goes. I decided to make my favorite cheesecake with a pie crust (this is a very German thing to do) and fill it with lots of apricots (two layers) and sprinkle with some crumbs. Yes, I love crumbs on about anything. If you are not that much into crumbs, you can just leave them out, no problem.
I love spring! I love the fresh and vibrant colors, I love that you will find rhubarb and strawberries. Aren’t they just the best combination ever? If you are up for it, below I will show you a very German cheesecake with a delicious rhubarb and strawberry sauce. You wonder what makes a German cheesecake German? We love using quark. I believe you find that in Lidl ind Aldi nowadays also in places outside of Germany. Sour cream, cream cheese, quark, we love the combination of a lot of dairy products.
Guys, I looooove fall. I just love this golden light, the rustling of leaves, I just love every aspect of it, including rainy days as these are so perfect for reading a nice book with a thick and snuggly blanket. I always get excited during fall and I snap pictures of everything, I wish fall was three quarters of the year. And for this reason I decided to make a simple and easy apple slab pie for picnics.
It is high season for apricots and for that reason I was in the mood for something with apricots. These apricot dumplings are a popular Austrian dessert, which is also common in the south of Germany. Since I am a huge lover of apricots, I decided to make these. Unfortunately, I don’t have that many apricot recipes on this blog yet. You may enjoy these apricot turnovers, this delicious apricot tart, or this apricot sheet cake. Homemade apricot jam is also delicious on this famous Austrian chocolate cake Sachertorte. Needless to say that it was about high time to introduce these apricot dumplings with caramelized bread crumbs on the blog finally. Continue Reading…
If there is a fruit I like to take pictures of, it is apricots! I am a huge fan of its color. The wall in our living room is in apricot color. Such a nice, warm color. So I am excited to present to you apricots turnover. They taste just the way they look: warm, juicy, summerish, and refreshing. I just love apricots. Funnily enough, the plain fruit is fine, but I usually prefer them baked paired with for example cream cheese.