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A Romantic Russian Dinner
Blini with Caviar Chilled Vodka ~ Beef broth with Barley ~ Butter Lettuce Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese Russian Black Bread ~ Beef Stroganoff Sautéed Beet Tops ~ Strawberries Romanov Russian Tea Cakes ~ Tea
The feeling you want to create for this romantic Russian dinner is opulent, luxurious, sparkling and imperial. Set up a small table in front of the fireplace if your group is small. To dress your table, first add a layer of quilt batting or a double layer of flannel to soften the edges and add padding. Next comes a deep red velvet tablecloth that reaches to the floor. Overlay the velvet with a white square. Set the table with your most imperial-looking china and silver with large white napkins. Fill a cut-crystal rose bowl with deep pink roses for a centerpiece. If you have a Faberge egg or other jeweled box to add to the table, so much the better. Scatter a few clear crystals on the table for sparkle.
Make sure there is snow on your windows, either fake or real. Sew (or have a seamstress sew) white faux fur muffs lined in satin as party favors for the ladies. Depending on how far you want to go with this, you could rent three or four white birch trees from your local nursery to group together in a corner of your dining room, or perhaps in your entry to set the scene. Very Dr. Zhivago.
Your music could be Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, or even the Dr. Zhivago soundtrack.
A Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley would be my choice to serve with this dinner.
This menu serves 8.
½ cup lukewarm water ½ teaspoons sugar 1 ½ packages dry yeast ½ cup buckwheat flour 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups lukewarm milk 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar ½ pound butter, melted and cooled 1 cup sour cream 3 egg whites 2 ounces caviar Chives, cut into 4-inch lengths, for garnish
Mix warm water with ½ teaspoon sugar. Sprinkle in yeast, mix together, and let stand 5 minutes to proof. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together ¼ cup buckwheat flour and white flour. Add 1 cup of the milk and the yeast mixture. Mix slowly until combined, then beat until mixture is smooth. Cover bowl and let rise in a draft-free spot for 3 hours.
Stir remaining ¼ cup buckwheat flour into the mixture, cover, and let rise an additional 2 hours.
Sir batter and gradually beat in remaining 1 cup milk, egg yolks, sugar, salt, 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, and 3 tablespoons of sour cream.
In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into blini batter.
Heat a griddle over medium heat. Brush with butter. Make small pancakes with about 3 tablespoons of batter. Cook 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Brush each with butter before turning the pancakes over. Cook on the other side until golden brown. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and keep warm in a warm oven. To serve, top each pancake with more melted butter, a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of caviar. Place two chives across each one as a garnish. Accompany with ice-cold vodka. It doesn’t get more decadent than this!
The quality of this soup depends entirely on the quality of your stock, so it is definitely worth it to make it from scratch.
8-10 pounds veal bones 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 pounds onions 1 pound carrots 1 pound celery ½ pound leeks 4 bay leaves 1 sprig thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 28-ounce can of tomatoes
¼ cup pearled barley salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place veal bones in a roasting pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour vegetable oil over bones and toss to coat bones with oil. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour, until they are evenly brown and caramelized. Adjust oven temperature if necessary so they don’t burn.
Roughly chop onions, carrots, celery and leeks. Add to roasting pan and roast another 10 minutes. Transfer bones (leave the vegetables in the roasting pan for now) to a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring slowly to a simmer, skimming frequently. Add the vegetables, bay leaves, thyme and tomatoes (no salt at this point). Don’t stir the mixture, just add everything on top. Simmer very slowly 6-8 hours, adding cold water from time to time as necessary to keep the entire mixture completely submerged.
Strain stock into a large bowl and set the bowl into a sink containing several inches of ice water to cool the stock quickly. If you have used a chinois to strain the stock, it is probably clear enough at this point. If you used a larger-meshed strainer, you may want to strain it again through several layers of damp cheesecloth. Refrigerate stock overnight.
Bring to a simmer 2 cups of water with ½ teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Add barley and cook, covered, for 35-40 minutes, until barley is tender.
Remove the layer of fat from the top of the cold stock. Reserve 1 cup of stock for the Beef Stroganoff. Place 4 cups of the stock in a saucepan and freeze the rest for later use. Bring the stock to a simmer and taste. It will be bland at this point. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add the cooked barley and taste again for seasoning. Simmer about 10 minutes. (Soup can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated overnight.) Serve in small soup bowls or cups.
Butter Lettuce Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese
2 heads butter lettuce, washed and separated into leaves 4-5 medium-sized beets (if available, mix two colors on each plate – red and golden) 4 ounces goat cheese 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the vinaigrette, mix together vinegar and mustard. Dribble in olive oil, whisking constantly, until all olive oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Wrap beets in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until tender. Let cool. Peel beets with a knife and cut into thin slices. Arrange two or three leaves of butter lettuce on a plate. Top with a few beet slices and some bits of crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle on a tablespoon or two of the vinaigrette and top the whole thing with a few grains of coarsely ground black pepper. Place two thin slices of buttered Russian Black Bread on the side of each plate before serving.
1 cup water 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 tablespoons molasses 2 tablespoons butter ½ ounce unsweetened chocolate 1 envelope dry yeast ¼ cup lukewarm water ½ teaspoon sugar 2 cups rye flour 2-3 cups white flour 1 teaspoon caraway seed, crushed 1 ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon instant coffee ½ teaspoon onion powder ¼ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed 1 teaspoon cornstarch ½ cup cold water
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water, the cider vinegar, molasses, butter and chocolate, and heat until melted. Let cool. Stir ½ teaspoon sugar into ¼ cup warm water, sprinkle in yeast and stir. Let rest 5-10 minutes to proof.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine 2 cups rye flour, crushed caraway seed, salt, instant coffee, onion powder and crushed fennel seed. Mix for 30 seconds to blend. Add liquid mixture and beat for 2 minutes. Switch to a dough hook. Add white flour, ½ cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until a soft dough forms. You may not need all the flour. Continue to knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead with your hands a few times, shape into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a long, narrow loaf and place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the bread in the oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until loaf is well-browned and sounds hollow when thumped with your finger, about 35 minutes. Baking times can vary. If you are unsure, an instant-read thermometer plunged into the middle of the loaf should read 200 degrees when the loaf is done. While bread is baking, mix ½ cup cold water with 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil one minute. When bread is barely done, brush top of bread with cornstarch mixture and bake for 5 more minutes. Cool on a rack.
Although you might be tempted to use a less-expensive cut of beef for this dish, I recommend you try it with the tenderloin. It makes a world of difference and elevates this dish to the next level. Once you try it, you won’t want to go back!
1 cup kasha 1 egg, beaten 2 tablespoons butter ½ small onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt freshly ground black pepper 2 cups chicken broth
1 onion, finely chopped 6 tablespoons butter 1 pound sliced mixed mushrooms, such chanterelle, morel, shitake, oyster, Portobello, cremini, whatever is available at your market ½ cup red wine 1 cup reserved beef stock ½ cup sour cream 4 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
3 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into strips 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Stir the kasha and the beaten egg together. Sauté ½ onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan until soft and translucent. Add kasha and sauté, stirring constantly and breaking up kasha for 2 minutes. Bring the stock to a boil, add kasha mixture, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and keep warm.
Sauté 1 chopped onion in 6 tablespoons butter until light golden brown. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned.
Season the beef strips with salt. In another large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil. Stir-fry the beef quickly in small batches, just until nicely browned but still pink in the middle, adding butter and oil as necessary. Don’t overcrowd your pan or your meat will steam rather than caramelize, and will be overcooked by the time it gets brown. Remove beef to a plate. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up all the brown bits. Add the stock and simmer 1-2 minutes to reduce slightly. Add this sauce, along with the beef, to the mushrooms and bring whole thing very briefly to a simmer. Stir in the sour cream and 2 tablespoons chopped dill, and heat just until sour cream is hot, about 30 seconds. Be very careful not to over-cook the beef at this point.
Place a small mound of kasha on each plate. Spoon a mound of the beef mixture next to the kasha, so guests can mix them or not. Garnish with a sprinkling of dill. Place a third small mound of sautéed beet tops on the plate, and serve.
8 cups beet tops 4 strips bacon, chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 cups chicken broth Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wash, trim and remove the coarse ribs from beet tops. Chop roughly. Sauté chopped bacon in a pot until brown. Remove bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add chopped onions to the bacon drippings and sauté until soft and light golden brown. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beet tops, chicken broth and sautéed bacon to the pot. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Simmer until beet tops are tender, about 20 minutes. Taste again for seasoning.
4 pints strawberries sugar to taste ½ cup Grand Marnier mint leaves for garnish, if desired
Wash and hull strawberries. Leave the smaller berries whole and cut the large ones in half. Sprinkle with sugar to taste. Toss with the Grand Marnier. Let macerate for one hour in the refrigerator. Transfer to stemmed goblets, garnish with mint leaves, and serve accompanied by Cigarettes Russes. (Although not necessarily traditional, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top of the strawberries never hurts, either.)
1 cup butter ½ cup confectioner’s sugar plus 1 cup additional confectioner’s sugar for rolling 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups sifted flour ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add ½ cup confectioner’s sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Sift flour before measuring. Combine the flour and salt, and add to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix just until blended. Stir in the nuts.
Form dough into 1”
balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten cookies
slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake until edges are just
barely turning golden, 12-15 minutes. While cookies are still hot, roll
in confectioner’s sugar. Cool on racks. Roll in confectioner’s sugar a
second time when cool. |
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Copyright © 2008 by Charlotte Rose. All rights reserved. |