The sweet Polish kitchen : a celebration of home baking & nostalgic treats

The sweet Polish kitchen A celebration of home baking & nostalgic treats

Ren Behan

Book - 2023

A collection of traditional and modern Polish baking and dessert recipes including babkas, cheesecakes, tarts, pastries, and all things sweet and celebratory. A collection of traditional and modern Polish baking and dessert recipes including babkas, cheesecakes, tarts, pastries, and all things sweet and celebratory. Ren Behan takes you from everyday baking to celebrations in this comprehensive, modern take on Polish sweet treats, and draws on influences from across central and Eastern Europe. Honey, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, citrus peel, cherries, sweet whipped cheese... With these warming scents and flavors, Ren Behan takes you from everyday baking to carnival doughnuts in a comprehensive tour of Polish sweet treats. Traditional and moder...n Polish recipes include babkas, cheesecakes, tarts, pastries, and all things sweet and celebratory. With modern twists and bold, folkloric styling, The Sweet Polish Kitchen will link traditional recipes with current trends, designed to bring the spirit of Polish patisserie and bakes to a new audience. Poland's rich, multi-national cafe culture underpins these recipes, which draw on many influences; the first patisseries in Warsaw were opened by Italian and Swiss immigrants, and there are also borrowings from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia, Lithuania and Belarus. A new and delicious baking world is in your hands!

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Subjects
Cooking, Polish.
Cookbooks.
Genres
Cookbooks
Published
Northampton, Massachusetts : Interlink Books, an imprint of Interlink Publishing Group, Inc 2023.
Language
English
Main Author
Ren Behan (author)
Item Description
Includes index.
Physical Description
192 pages : color illustrations ; 26 cm
ISBN
9781623717179
  • Introduction
  • Polish baking basics
  • Polish classics
  • Layer cakes and sheet cakes
  • Carnival treats
  • Seasonal
  • Easter, Christmas, and other occasions
  • Pancakes and pierogi
  • Bread, loaves, and buns
  • Desserts, sweets, preserves (and a liqueur).
Review by Booklist Review

Drawing from her Polish background, Poland's history, and her personal love of sweets, Behan (Wild Honey and Rye, 2019) introduces readers to the influences in Polish food and the concept of Polish hospitality in this cookbook that's like looking through a fairy-tale cottage, with cakes and cookies set for teatime. Some readers may be overwhelmed looking at the instructions for these picturesque and whimsical bakes; the chocolate cream sponge cake, for example, is made up of five parts that must be created separately--the sponge, soak, jam layer, cream filling, and chocolate glaze. But Behan assures readers that although some recipes may be a project, each step is achievable for home bakers (she is one, too!). In other words, nothing is majorly difficult, just time-consuming, allowing a person to get lost in the process of creation. Helpfully, each recipe part is bolded, with its required ingredients listed below it for clarity. Readers should note that dry ingredients are measured in weight (grams), not volume. Home cooks and bakers into all things cottage-core and soft living will love cozying up to this beautiful and functional book filled with lovely, simply elegant bakes.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Polish British food writer Behan (Wild Honey and Rye) offers a cozy and approachable guide to creating Polish desserts at home. Traditional sweets, such as Easter babka, St. Martin's croissants with almond paste, and paczki ("classic Polish doughnuts with jam and icing") take center stage. Behan also includes enticing modern desserts, such as no-bake coconut and almond cake and poppy seed cinnamon buns with cream cheese glaze, as well as vegan and gluten-free options like stone fruit sheet cake and vegan chocolate hazelnut cake. Equally exciting is the rich historical and cultural context Behan provides: when introducing seromakowiec (cheesecake with poppy seed paste), she notes that poppy seeds symbolize prosperity, happiness, and fertility in Eastern European tradition, and that sernik (classic Polish cheesecake) was brought to Poland by King Jan III Sobieski after winning the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Most of the ingredients are readily available at the supermarket, but Behan also suggests helpful substitutions when necessary ("normal cream cheese is perfectly fine," for example, if traditional twarog cheese isn't available). Cooks of all levels will be able to follow Behan's straightforward instructions with ease. This memorable volume is a must for home bakers and Polonophiles alike. (Dec.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Food writer and blogger Behan first explored her Polish culinary heritage in Wild Honey and Rye. Now she returns to her home-baking roots with a thoughtful, thorough look at the sweeter side of Polish kitchens. Behan starts off with culinary tips, necessary equipment, and advice on stocking a Polish baking pantry and then delves into a full panoply of delicious treats, including double-plum crumble cake, stefanaka (chocolate-and-honey layer cake), and mazurek (lemon cream tart with white chocolate and rose petals). Recipes for babkas and pierogis, carnival treats, and seasonal sweet delights, such as those associated with Christmas and Easter, are also included. Scattered throughout are recipes with remembrances like that for quince or apricot jam with tea, which offer a fascinating glimpse into the culinary culture of Poland and Central Europe. While the employment of metric measurements might give American bakers a moment's pause, the sweet rewards awaiting within Behan's cookbook are worth dragging out a kitchen scale. VERDICT Infused with all the warmth and charm of a babcia, Behan's excellent introduction to the best of classic and modern Polish baking is a true delight.--John Charles

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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