The unearthly sweetness: recipes for the perfect Easter cake and Easter from Elena Chekalova
TV presenter and chef on how to prepare entrees to the Orthodox holiday, Easter as well as about the foundations of the Russian people.
The fact that the food sometimes is more than food, I even once in my childhood, explained a woman marrying, the grandmother of my best school friend. Baba Eugene that was selling homemade paper flowers at the gates of the cemetery Vagankovsky. But at Easter she had done real magic.
After all, Easter table, said Baba Jack, is the great sign of divine Providence: that the Creator commanded him to be rich and varied, and in order to do need to work hard.
I, honestly, don’t really like long and dreary concoction when you have something to measure, count, thoroughly knead or — even worse — spend hours standing at a hot stove. For me, the better to stir up anything at the moment, but with all the inspiration.
Only Easter has always been my exception. Every year I spend my spring harvest in memory of the woman Wife and thanks to another important children’s impression. After Easter I chose for myself when everything was against it: both parents and the grandmother of the Director of the school, and my grandfather — a Communist with pre-revolutionary experience, and all the Soviet state in the face of a pot-bellied TV with its indispensable concert of foreign music right during the Vigil.
Remember how I was confused, even angry, when in the late 90s, around the garden ring, the Moscow authorities have put up advertising banners “happy Easter!”, if it were to replace “glory to the CPSU!”, and the TV instead of the pop stars began to broadcast Easter mass.
Thank God, my Easter all that exactly nothing had. For many years, on Easter Sunday I cook a festive meal. After all, how many absolutely wonderful products I should get: the freshest beef for roast beef, tender lamb leg for roasting in the grass, a large white (older chickens) liver for pate.
By the way, to find liver in fact it is difficult, because the pink chicken, which is littered with supermarkets and markets, isn’t that noble, bold, almost “foie greshnoi” consistency this Easter Pat.
But the novel, I always put it off until Saturday to eat it is needed the most for the day. But already Wednesday-my house smells fresh leaves of rosemary, thyme and mint: I pre-marinated lamb leg and baked it on Friday. And on Holy Thursday, of course, paint eggs and bake cakes, real.
What a real cake? He is descended from Easter bread that is traditionally made from different dough and different shapes. In the Vologda region — even in the form of an open fruit tart. But most of all it made high, is decorated with a cross and the letters “XB”, and most importantly — in the test should be a lot of butter, eggs, sweet additives to it skoromniy and sdobnoe.
In the villages, especially in the South of Russia and Ukraine, the cake is often called the Pasca or pasochki. Cakes are always baked several: one for himself, another he gave to the priest, one for cattle, and even for the earth — he went to sow. When the hostess baked the Easter cake, she was thinking about the welfare of the whole family: if the crust is browned and the dough has risen well, the year will be happy and peaceful. In the old days, even Easter cake Easter greetings as eggs. And the Passover meal certainly begins with him: the head of the family gave all little piece of it and congratulated with the holiday.
Recipes for dozens of cakes. Some are very easy, yeast-free, like cupcakes, but I always bake those that are called “Royal”.
And in the evening of good Friday I usually typed pieces of commercials under 25 to have enough for gifts to all my family and friends.
Because for me, the real cake is not a cake with raisins. This is a work for one or two and wind up not worth it. After all, it’s a ritual.
Ingredients per serving (6 pieces) Royal cakes: