American Tastebuds

I've been thinking about American foods that I couldn't stomach when I first moved here. For the longest time I could not eat Mac & Cheese. What was this powdered orange stuff? Cheese? Really? It wasn't until I had my daughter that I finally gave it another shot and it's still not my fave, but it's easy and kids seem to love it so now I buy it in bulk at Costco and it lasts about a year. I remember school lunch. Oh my. Sloppy Joes? Ick. That mess oozing out. How could anyone eat that? And what about celery and peanut butter? Still can't eat that. Green stick with a brown glob on top. Really? I don't mean to knock on American food, but I think many of us are probably hesitant about trying out new things, fearing a volcano might erupt if we take a single bite. So I was a little nervous yesterday while cooking up a few Russian dishes for a playdate at my place with some of my American friends and their kids. While it was a great chance to test my Russian food on American tastebuds, my brain was in "I hope they like this" mode. I shouldn't have worried. I mean, take a look at this picture:

Oh and I do have to add, that while I spent all morning trying to get my dishes just right, when it came to cooking up some of that good ol' American Mac & Cheese for the kids, I completely failed. Dumped the entire contents of the box (inluding the cheese package) straight into the boiling water. Epic. Shows how often I make it...

Below are the recipes of last night's winners. I brewed some kvass, but I didn't use rye bread and raisins like real kvass recipes call for, instead I made a "cheater" version that's much faster and tastes pretty good. Maybe when we actually have some sunshine and I get my hands on some really good rye bread, I'll try and make a real kvass. Oh, and kvass is gonna hit a ton of American tastebuds pretty soon thanks to Coca-Cola. For dessert, I made blinchiki, which are basically cheese filled crepes. This morning I heated the leftovers in some butter on a frying pan and it made for an extremely delicious, if not exactly healthy, breakfast.

Cheater Kvass


1 can frozen apple juice
3 tbsp. instant coffee
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. yeast
water

1. Combine apple juice, coffee, and sugar in a 6 quart stock pot. Add water to fill almost to the top. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for about 15 minutes.


2. Cool until barely warm. Sprinkle yeast over the top of the liquid, cover, and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours. Refrigerate. (For a stronger buzz, brew longer at room temperature).

Blinchiki with Blueberry Sauce

For the crepes
makes approximately 25 crepes

5 eggs
3 cups milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups sifted flour

1. Whisk all ingredients together. Let batter rest for 30 minutes before using.
2. Brush a non-stick skillet with some vegetable oil and heat it before starting to make crepes.
4. 3. When the skillet is hot, pour about half a ladle of batter into the skillet and twirl it so the batter spreads evenly in a thin layer. Cook about 30 seconds, then loosen the edges with a rubber spatula. Gently flip it with your fingers and cook on the other side for another 30 seconds. (If the first one doesn't come out right, it's okay. My first one always ends up in the trash. Try again.)
   

For the filling

10 oz. cream cheese, softened

7 oz. condensed milk (1/2 can)

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and condensed milk using spoon or fork. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth, since it'll be inside the crepe anyway.


Assembling the crepes

1 stick unsalted butter

1. Generously butter bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Melt half of the remaining butter in the microwave and set aside. Stick the rest of the butter in the refrigerator (it's easier to slice when it's cold).


2. Cut the crepes in half.

1. 3. To make a blinchik, spread the cheese filling on the half-crepe, fold in thirds, and then in thirds again (see pictures...this is hard to explain). Place seam side down in the baking dish.

4. Once you have a layer of blinchiki, brush them generously with the melted butter. Then slice half the cold butter (from the fridge) and scatter on top of the layer. Repeat with another layer on top until you use up all the crepes and filling. The butter keeps the crepes from sticking to each other.


5. Cover the blinchiki with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. (For make ahead, you can cover with foil and stick them in the fridge until you're ready to use them. I usually make them a day ahead and then all I have to do when the guests arrive is stick them in the oven right before dessert time).


For the Blueberry Sauce

2 cups blueberries
3 tbsp. sugar
juice from 1/2 lemon

Combine ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat until blueberries start to break down and get liquidy. Pour over blinchiki.