Estonian Strawberry Roulade Berry Swiss Roll

Im not claiming that Swiss Roll or Strawberry Roulade is by any means unique to Estonia. But I guess our most popular version of the roll - filled with a mixture of curd cheese and whipped cream, as well as berries, is rather typical and perhaps less common outside the country. Heres how I make it.

* If you live in the UK, try the Polish shops for tvorog. In the US, some of the farmers cheese look and taste very similar to our curd cheese (or buy tvorog from Russian shops). In Finland, use rahka and in Sweden kesella. Alternatively, try ricotta, but add a spoonful or two of sour cream and a squeeze of lemon juice to make it more similar to curd cheese.

Strawberry Roulade
(Rullbiskviit maasikate ja kohupiimakreemiga)
Makes about 10 slices



Sponge:
4 large eggs
100 g caster sugar
55 g plain/all-purpose flour
50 g potato starch/potato flour
1 tsp baking powder

Filling:
200 ml whipping cream (35%)
1 Tbsp caster sugar (or vanilla sugar, if you prefer)
250 curd cheese
300-400 g fresh strawberries

Garnish:
icing sugar
fresh mint or lemon balm (optional)

Make the sponge: whisk eggs and sugar until very thick, pale and foamy (this would take about 8-10 minutes or slightly less, when using a KitchenAid). Mix flour, potato starch and baking powder in a measuring jug, then pour through a sieve onto the egg foam. Using a wide spatula or metal spoon, gently stir until just combined.
Spread the batter onto a oven sheet covered with baking paper.
Bake in a preheated 225 C / 437 F oven for about 7-8 minutes, until the sponge is light golden brown on top. IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO OVERCOOK THE SPONGE, AS IT WONT ROLL NEATLY WHEN YOU BAKE IT FOR TOO LONG!
Take the sponge out of the oven.
Place a clean sheet of baking paper onto your work surface and sprinkle with some caster sugar. Carefully flip the cooked sponge onto the baking paper, upside down. Now peel off the "baked" baking paper, then replace on top, cover with a kitchen towel and leave to cool.
To make the cream, whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Then fold in the curd cheese, whisking again lightly to combine.
Wash and dry the strawberries, then hull and cut into slices.
Remove the kitchen towel and the "baked" baking paper from the sponge cake.
Spread the curd cheese cream onto the cooled sponge cake, leaving about 2 inches/5 cm of one of the long edges clean. Scatter strawberries on top.
With the help of the baking paper, roll tightly into a roulade, starting from the long edge covered with cream.
(You can put the undecorated roulade into the fridge for up to 24 hours, wrapped in clingfilm or parchment paper. It will be easier to cut into neat slices, when allowed to rest in the fridge for a while).
Decorate with fresh strawberries and some mint or lemon balm leaves, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Read More..

Purukook or streusel cake Estonian crumb cake recipe

This Estonian classic - purukook (crumb cake, streusel cake) - is another recipe request. Over the last few years Ive got several e-mails asking for this simple cake recipe, yet somehow Ive never managed to blog about it until now. The basic ingredients are few - butter, flour, sugar (for the crumb), and some kind of thick jam filling. That simple.

There are several "schools" of making purukook. Some use cold butter, some soft (I find using cold butter makes for a crumblier crumb). Some use just the crumb base, some add an egg to the bottom mixture to make it firmer (I do). Most jams would work, I prefer something tart like thick apple or apple and cranberry or apple and lingonberry jam. The cake on the photos is made with raspberry jam - in that case I also throw in a handful of shredded or desiccated coconut into the topping mixture.

Ive got a special question to väliseestlased aka Estonian expats. Have you tried making purukook before? Is it something that was popular among the expat Estonians? Would love to know that.

Estonian crumb cake "Purukook"
(Klassikaline purukook)



400 g (3 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour (1/3 to 1/2 can be spelt or wholemeal flour)
85 grams (3 oz) caster sugar
a pinch of salt
200 g (7 oz or 2 Tbsp less than 2 sticks) cold butter, cubed
1 egg

Filling:
500 g thick jam/marmelade

Line a 25x35 cm cake tin or a Swiss roll tin with a parchment paper or butter generously.

Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F.

Measure the flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and using a knife or your fingers, cut and mix until the mixture reminds of a wet sand. (You can do it in your food processor).

Transfer about 1/3 of the mixture into a small bowl and put aside - this will be your crumb mixture. (Feel free to add a handful of desiccated coconut to this mixture, or perhaps some cinnamon or other spices).

Add the egg to the remaining mixture and combine until wet crumbs form. Scatter into the cake tin, spread evenly and then press down with the palm of your hand.

(If your filling is on the soft side, you may want to pre-bake the base for about 15 minutes, until golden.)

Spread the filling evenly over the (partially baked) base. Scatter the crumb mixture evenly on top.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, until the crumb mixture is light golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before cutting into small bars.

This recipe was featured on:
Countlan magazine, issue 4 (Summer 2013)

Similar recipes in other food blogs:
Purukook by Mari-Liis @ Siit nurgast ja sealt nurgast (recipe in Estonian)
Kodune purukook by Ragne @ Kokkama Ragnega (recipe in Estonian)
Purukook õunamoosiga by Sandra @ Taimetoit.ee (vegan, recipe in Estonian)
Mustade ploomide ja rummiga purukook by Sille @ Toidutegu (recipe in Estonian)
Šokolaadi ja Beluga läätsedega purukook by Anneli @ Kiilikese toidulaud (recipe in Estonian)
Rukkijahu-õuna purukook by Silja @ Jagatud rõõm (recipe in Estonian)

Read More..

Estonian Cabbage and Mince Stew

I realised today that I havent been posting many Estonian recipes lately, which doesnt mean I havent been eating lots of local food recently. I have. Especially cabbage dishes, as the new seasons cabbage has hit the stalls. Todays dish is not strictly seasonal per se - it can be made in the middle of a rainy autumn, dark winter and promising spring. But somehow I always crave this dish in the early to mid-summer, when the cabbage tastes sweetest.

Estonian Cabbage and Mince Stew
(Hakkliha-kapsahautis)
Serves 4

1 large green cabbage (about 2 pounds/1 kg), finely shredded
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
about a cup of freshly boiled water
salt
freshly ground black pepper

400 g (leanish) beef mince
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

fresh parsley (optional)
boiled potatoes, to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots and the cabbage, season with salt and sauté for a few minutes, until the cabbage wilts a little. Add the boiling water, cover and simmer on a medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, until cabbage starts to soften.
On a frying pan, heat the oil, then add onions and minced beef. Fry, stirring regularly, until the mince is browned all over. Add the whole lot to the softened cabbage. Give it a quick turn and continue simmering for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the cabbage is nicely softened.
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, if you wish, and serve with boiled potatoes.

Read More..

Estonian recipes Condensed Milk Cookies kondenspiimaküpsised

Im continuing with sharing Estonian recipes with you this month, in anticipation of the national holiday later this month. Heres a small baking project for the weekend - small, delicious and crispy-tender condensed milk cookies. The recipe is adapted from a classic Estonian cookbook "Valik toiduretsepte" (the 1974 edition), where theyre called simply "milk cookies". The sweetened condensed milk gives those cookies not only a desired sweetness, but also a slight dulce de leche flavour, which I find very appealing.

Condensed Milk Cookies
(Kondenspiimaküpsised)

250 g all-purpose/plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
150 g cold butter, cubed
175 g sweetened condensed milk
2-3 Tbsp water

a small egg whisked with some water, for brushing

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla sugar) in a bowl, then add the cold cubed butter. Using a knife, cut the butter into the flour mixture, until it resembed wet crumbs. Now add the condensed milk and using your hands, knead into a ball (you may not need the water at all).
Place the dough into the fridge for half an hour, so the gluten can relax a little.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 3-4 mm thick (1/8th of an inch). Cut into shapes (I cut into diamonds, using a roller cutter).
Transfer the cookies into a lined baking sheet and brush with an egg wash.
Bake in a preheated 200 C / 400 F oven until light golden brown.

Read More..

Things to do with Estonian black pudding aka verikäkk

Someone left a comment on my blog this morning:

Just brought back home from Estonia some Verikäkk and still wondering what to do exactly with it :D Aitäh also from Spain for your blog ;)

I thought Ill help Enlil out and share some of the recipe ideas and photos with him :)

Verikäkk is basically a dense black pudding (also known as blood pudding or blood dumpling). Its a mixture of (usually pigs) blood, flour (rye, barley or wheat), fried onions, lard/bacon and seasonings. Here in Estonia its sold widely, and it comes in large dumplings, weighing about 450 grams. Traditionally it was made in late Autumn/for Christmas, but is now available throughout the year. I personally dont think of verikäkk as a Christmas product at all (as opposed to verivorst or black sausages), and happily buy it all year round.

Here are some of the ways of consuming black pudding.

Fried black pudding with sour cream:



1 black pudding
lard, butter or oil for frying
250 g sour cream

Cut into thick (about 1 cm) slices, fry in butter until browned and crisp on both sides. Pour the sour cream on top at the end and heat gently. Serve at once.
Pickled pumpkin salad and lingonberry or cranberry jam/sauce work well as condiments.

Fried black pudding:




1 black pudding
lard, butter or oil for frying

Cut into thick (about 1 cm) slices, fry in butter until browned and crisp on both sides. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and/or lingonberry jam. (If you forgot to buy that in Estonia, then head to your nearest IKEA food isle).

Fried black pudding crisps:



Ive already blogged about this, see recipe here.

MÕNED EESTIKEELSED VIITED:
Ülle tore ood verikäkile
UMA MEKK video verikäki tegemisest

Read More..