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Buckwheat pancakes with pike caviar

  Good morning! I guess, pancakes is the most wanted breakfast on Earth. 😀 No matter how you call them in your country, whether you like thick or thin pancakes, sweet or savory – they are all delicious! Today, I’d like to share the recipe of Russian buckwheat oladushki (small pancakes). In Russia we like buckwheat grain and consume it in enormous amounts; it is not only the tasty grain but also very healthy (it contains no gluten, and a good source of protein). So buckwheat flour is also popular and widely-used in preparation of various pancakes, vareniki or cakes.Buckwheat pancakes

 The flour is a bit heavy itself, plus I used wholegrain one, and as you can see from the photos: my pancakes turned out not very thick. But if you like them thicker and fluffier, add less buckwheat and more plain flour.
 These pretty dark and so-healthy pancakes go great with a dollop of fresh sour cream and slice of homemade cured salmon! I brought a can of pike caviar from Russia, and garnished pancaked with it. It’s not very salty and suits perfectly here. Of course I understand that it’s not easy to get pike caviar (at least find it Russian store), but you can substitute it with salmon or any other fish caviar you like, or a thin slice of smoked salmon is another awesome option.
Buckwheat pancakes with pike caviar

Buckwheat pancakes with pike caviar

Ingredients
100g buckwheat flour (I used organic wholegrain)
100g plain flour
1 egg
200g sour cream (20% fat)
3 tbsp full-fat milk
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
sunflower oil, for frying
Garnish
sour cream
pike caviar (sub it with salmon caviar or cured salmon slices)
chopped chive, optional
Method
  • In a large bowl, whisk egg with salt, milk, sour cream and oil. Sift plain flour, add buckwheat flour and soda. Mix all ingredients to combine.
  • Heat a frying pan or skillet of a high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil, if needed. Using a ladle or cup, drop some batter on a pan until desires size of pancake is reached (I made 7-8cm). Cook until edges begin to look dry and bubbles start to form, about 1 minute. Then flip the pancakes and cook 1-2 minutes more on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream, top with a few teaspoons of caviar and sprinkle with chive if desired.
Enjoy Russian Breakfast!

Sunday Dairy Breakfast

 Do you remember I told you last Sunday that better not to skip breakfast? And I do hope you have eaten something every morning! Have you? 😉 Was it something tasty? Mmm May be pancakes.. I made onion-chilli cookies twice this week (the recipe here). Once with spring onion, another with leeks, both times they were so good! I love gentle hit from chillies, it helps me to stay awake for a long time!
 Yesterday I didn’t have a plenty time, and my choice was quick-but-healthful breakfast: Greek yogurt with raspberries and honey. But on the picture, you can see another delicious thing – Russian prostokvasha with colorful raspberries and blackberries. Prostokvasha is a dairy product, similar to thick yogurt, which is made from a fermented milk (milk prepared by bacterial fermentation). When it’s prepared from a regular milk it has a pale milky color, but prostokvasha can be also made from baked milk and thus it has beige color, similar to “coffee with cream” (as on the photo). Baked milk is called ‘toplenoe moloko’ in Russia, it’s traditional Russian dairy product. For this milk, regular milk is boiled, and then simmered for a long time to get a special color, taste and smell. Originally it was prepared in Russian pech, nowadays all milky produce can be bought in any Russian store. I do love toplenoe milk and prostokvasha for its unique taste, so I ate it every single day while I was on holiday.. Russian Prostokvasha
 Whether you chose an yogurt with berries or savory cookies for breakfast, I’m sure that better to consume something easy-to-make than nothing. Prostokvasha with colorful raspberries

Figs baked in ricotta cream

 If you follow me on Instagram, then you know it was +40C a couple of days ago in Dubai. Add 80% the humidity and it feels like +60C. Now you can imagine, that when I went out to meet up with a friend I felt like I’d been in a steamer room. Generally over the half of summer lasts in this way; don’t know what has happened this year but I remember only few humid days.. What was I talking about? Ahhh, I got fresh figs! I remember the very fist time when I have tried them. 😀 Figs aren’t often sold here, especially for affordable price, so I prefer to consume them as is or in a simple salad: figs-prosciutto-nuts-arugula. But you know what? I wanted a pie or tart. It’s a normal thing for me, I always have a craving for pies! 😀 Desire and lack of butter did the job: you can see my sweet creation!
Figs baked in RicottaCream

 Sweet figs baked in a smooth and delicate ricotta cream, topped with chopped pistachios&almonds and drizzled with honey! That’s what we have here.FigsRicottaCream

Figs baked in ricotta cream

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
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*I used dry-fried nuts.
Ingredients
2 large figs
1 tbsp cognac (or brandy/rum)
1 tsp lemon juice
6 quail eggs
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g ricotta
1 tbsp chopped pistachios*
1 tbsp chopped almonds*
1 tbsp natural runny honey
Method
  • Make a ‘x’ cut in each fig or cut into fourths. Drizzle with cognac and lemon juice. Leave to marinate for 10-15 minutes.
  • In a bowl, beat eggs with sugar and vanilla. Mix in ricotta.
  • Divide the ricotta cream between two baking dishes, or pour into one. Arrange figs on top. Sprinkle with nuts.
  • Bake in preheated 200C oven for 15 minutes. Drizzle with honey. Serve warm.
Enjoy!

Sunday Breakfast

 I think, breakfast is one of the most important meal of the day. I never miss breakfast; even if I woke up at 12 or 1pm – I prefer to eat something from breakfast category whether it’s mushroom kasha or sweet pancakes.
 I know that lots of people skip breakfast or have only coffee and sort of to-go bar; some say they are not hungry enough, or another reasons are lack of time or motivation. But eating breakfast can help you to wake up, to boost your energy and metabolism. Moreover, experts say that people who eat breakfast tend to have a lower risk of many health issues. Breakfast should be around 30% daily calories intake. So, skipping the breakfast leading to seek out higher calorie food later in the day.
 Thus, I decided to start a series of ‘Sunday Breakfast’. Why breakfast? – that you’ve read above. Why Sunday? – because it’s usually weekend, no need to hurry – you’ve got plenty of time to prepare any breakfast you/your family like. I’m going to post breakfast recipes that I’m cooking and enjoying. And I’d be more than happy if you share with me your breakfast ideas and recipes; if you decided to take part in this series – send me links to your posts or articles in the internet with your favourite morning meal. You can also write recipes and send me by email, so I could choose a suitable for me and taste them.
 Let’s begin a healthy way to start the day, especially if you haven’t had a breakfast for a long time!
Sunday Breakfast: Zucchini oladushki
I’m quite sure that almost everyone loves zucchini fritters. We call them oladii/oladushki in Russia, that means small pancakes (have a look another recipe by clicking here). These zucchini oladushki are more healthier, because I used fine oats instead of plain flour and fried them almost without oil. As you can see from the photos: they are served with fried quail eggs, which can be substitute with regular ones; herbs add a nice and aromatic touch – to wake up your senses!Zucchini oladushki with fried quail eggs

Sunday Breakfast: Zucchini Oladushki

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
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*I didn’t use salt, because I used parmesan which is salty itself, but you can add some salt if needed.
**If zucchini oladushki don’t stick to your frying pan- omit the oil.
Ingredients
1 large zucchini, grated
few spoons of fine oats (or wholemeal flour)
*3-4 tbsp grated parmesan
3 quail eggs or 1 regular egg for the zucchini mixture
2 tsp lemon juice, optional
2-3 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
**1-2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil for frying
quail eggs for serving, as much as you like
some grated parmesan for garnish, optional
  • In a bowl, combine all ingredients, except oil. Heat the oil (if using) in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Using a tablespoon pour a spoonful of the mixture into pan, making oladushki/fritters, fry for a 2 minutes on each side.
  • Keep zucchini oladushki in a warm place: put them in warm 50C oven or cover with foil. Meanwhile, fry quail eggs (you may use the same pan).
  • Top oladushki with fried quail eggs, sprinkle with parmesan if desired.
Enjoy your breakfast!

Zucchini oladushki/yellow flower

The duo cake

Cheesecake or chocolate cake? This cake is perfect for those who can not choose! I called it ‘the duo cake’ because it combines both the chocolate cake and cheesecake. It turned out great from the first attempt, moreover this cake is so delicious, smooth chocolate part shades nicely into the cheesy-one. The cake has amazing aroma of dark chocolate, sweet vanilla and sunny orange. I hope you will give it a try! 🙂Chocolate orange squares

The duo cake

  • Servings: 8-10
  • Difficulty: easy
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All ingredients should be at room temperature.
For the recipe I used 20cm square cake tin, but round tin is also can be used.
Ingredients
Cheesecake part
500g cream cheese (Philadelphia)
70g white sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg
50ml double cream (30%), optional
1 tsp vanilla exctract
zest of one orange
Chocolate part
160g flour
40g cacao powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
100g brown sugar (or white sugar)
2 eggs
70g butter, melted
200g sour cream
Top
1-2 tbsp chopped dark chocolate (70-75% cacao)
orange zest
Preparation method
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar and cornflour, mix in egg until just combine, then fold in cream if using. Add vanilla and orange zest.
  • In another bowl, sift flour and cocoa powder, add salt, baking powder and soda.
  • In a bowl, beat eggs with brown sugar. Mix in melted butter and sour cream.
  • Pour egg mixture into flour, combine but don’t overmix.
  • Line 20cm square baking tin. Pour in chocolate mixture. Then pour cheesecake mixture onto the top of chocolate one. Sprinckle with chopped chocolate and orange zest.
  • Bake in preheated 180C oven for 45-50 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool complitely, then cut into squres.
  • I served mine with cranberries, their sourness suits well with the cake.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Godiva.com

The duo cake

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