Chicken Liver Pate

Thank you all for not being indifferent to my blog! I really value your opinion! So, I will proceed!
It is an easy recipe and you don't need too much time for it. Just cook it, blend it and put it into the fridge! You will need 1 lb (about 0.5 kg) of raw Chicken Liver. It can be found at any Meat Section at any Grocery Store. I found mine at Walmart and one jar cost me about $1. Also, you will need 1/2 of lb softened butter (200 gr), two middle-sized regular onions and a couple of gloves of garlic.


Re-heat the frying pan on medium heat. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to it. Drain chicken liver from any liquid and place it into the hot frying pan. Cook liver until it's golden-brown color. You don't want to see any read spots.


Peel off the onions and cut then into big pieces. Size really doesn't matter at this stage. It will be blended later anyway!


Add onions to the fried liver and cook them together about 5-8 more minutes. My chef-tutor once told me, "You will know when it is ready...It smells ready!" It will smell good (for those who likes liver :))


At the end, add you minced garlic. For non-LDS recipe it is recommended to add 1 teaspoon of cognac. But I didn't go that far!


Another secret from my culinary teachers: never add salt to the meat meals while it is cooking! It is better to add any condiments at the end, almost when you are ready to take it of the heat. So, I followed that advice and add some salt and pepper just when I took the pan away from heat.


Chicken preparation doesn't like very strong spice, but fresh grained Nutmeg is recommended. Just a pinch of Nutmeg will give your meal a new twist. Try it once and see if you like it.
When you liver is ready and all spices are in place, just set the pan aside to cool down. Now we came to the blending part.


I used Cusinart Food Processor, but the regular blender will do the work just fine. Actually, the meat grinder (мясорубка) will be useful too, just make sure you do it twice. So, blend the liver until it is homogeneous and without any lumps. Only then add softened butter and blend just another a couple of minutes. Correct you spices if needed. Place ready pate info the dish of proper size or form, or plastic container and place it into fridge for a couple of hours.


I like to eat pate when it is cold. This recipe is so rich to the taste that you don't need a layer of butter to your bread. Just enjoy it!

The secret of French crepes has been relieved

Hello, my dear readers! Today I'm going to relive the secret of making French crepes. Honestly, we call them Russian blintz. But, sadly, they are known here in the States as French crepes, so I will call them the same.
I checked with my favorite cookbook by Julia Child and it seems that we have some slight differences in preparation on crepes, but it is just because back in 1950's they didn't have such a wonderful thing as non-stick frying pans aka T-Fal. So, I will give you the recipe assuming that you have a good frying pan with non-stick surface.


For the ingredients part you will need: 1 egg, 1/3 of cup of sugar, pinch of salt, 1 cup of warm water and 1 cup of flour. This will make about 10-12 small pancakes. So, if you desire to make more, increase you dosage respectfully.

Don't forget to prepare a large bowl and whisker. Ready? Let's do it! Here is the FIRST SECRET: place the egg, sugar, flour and salt into mixing bowl and add (attention!) only a half of cup of water!!! Mix them together well. Make sure that you don't have any possible lumps. You will see that your batter is thick - that is good because it means your mixture is blended well. Now gradually add the rest of the water constantly working with your whisker. If you feel that you need more water, add it in very small portion. You don't want it to be very runny.
Quote from Julia Child: "The batter should be a very light cream, just thick enough to coat a wooden spoon."


Here is the SECRET NUMBER TWO: add a tablespoon of vegetable oil into the batter mix! In this case you don't have to grease you pan every time you pour a new portion on batter.

Julia Childs advised that, "Crepe batter should be made at least 2 hours before it is to be used; this allows the flour particles to expand in the liquid ind insures a tender, light thin crepe." But I never followed that advice and it always worked for me. You can fry them as soon as you make the batter. But if you want to try it after two hours, I guess it will work too! :)

SECRET NUMBER THREE: you frying pan should be really hot! Almost smoking. Remove the pan from heat, and pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the middle of the pan. Then, quickly tilt the pan in all directions to run batter all over the bottom of the pan, letting it to cover the whole surface.


Return the pan to the hot surface and watch the edges turning dry! It will take about 50-60 seconds. That is the sign that it is time to turn it over. In all Julia Child's movies she just flip it over with the sharp jerk! Don't try it! Without certain practice it is just a messy experience! Use a spatula or your fingers to turn the crepe over. The other side takes less time to bake. So, it almost looks undercooked - just white color with brownish spots.
SECRET NUMBER FOUR: I butter my each crepe and it makes it easy to pull them apart afterwords.


Repeat the process until all butter is gone. At the end you should have a nice-looking stuck of French crepes or Russian blintz - either name works for me!!

Now, you are are ready to consume them! Crepes can be used as dessert: with jam, chocolate syrup, fresh or canned fruit, sour cream - you name it! Or they can be served with scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, or any filling that you have in mind. In Russia they are served with red or black caviar and smoked salmon - the best!


My personale favorite way to eat them - with Nuttela chocolate paste and fresh berries. Yumm!
But since I didn't have anything like that around, I just used canned mandarins and condensed milk:


It was really good! Paul liked them too!

I hope I didn't overwhelmed you with all the information and you are ready to try this easy and tasty recipe! Good luck! Call me if you have any problems! :)

Light Appetizer Inspired by a Book

I'm totally in love! With the book! To be more correct -with the author! The author who writes about cats!
I apologize for such an excitement. I know I need to explain what it is all about and do a little tribute to the author who inspired my cooking blog post. Last fall I was wondering around the Barnes&Noble book store. Suddenly, my eyes caught the book title The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers. I was mesmerized by the idea that someone will write about cats. Unanswered question drove me into a quiet frenzy. So I took the book and read the book cover ads: "Lilian Jackson Braun is the author of twenty-seven Cat Who novels and three short story collections". You know my love and admiration of cats, and the book was on sale...The long story short - I bought it and...loved it immediately! Mrs. Braun's writing style completely won my heart from the first page. It is witty, smart, mysterious, very clever and intelligent story about two Siamese who live with their owner James Mackintosh Qwilleran, the local newspaper columnist. The book tells in gentle and very well-educated manner about literature and cats! What mix can be better! After I finished the first book, I was hungry for more and made my trip to the Draper Library where I discover the whole book shelve by L.J.Braun!!!

Now we are back to the food matter. Today I finished the second book, The Cat Who Went Bananas. In first few chapter the book tells you about the local theater that decided to stage the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Qwilleran had to write some explanation notes about Wilde's play in his column. So, here it goes, "There is the matter of cucumber sandwiches! A young gentleman sends out invitations to an afternoon tea and orders cucumber sandwiches as refreshment. They are so good that he eats the whole plateful before the guests arrive. I asked food writer Mrs. Riker what is so special about cucumber sandwiches. She said, "To make that classic sandwich, cut a round of bread, spread it with softened butter, layer it with crisp cucumbers sliced paper-thin, and top it with another round of buttered bread. They are delicious! You can't stop eating them!"

I questioned the author credentials about cooking part and I made me a couple of those sandwiches with some innovation - only one piece of bread, and bread is specifically rye. Expect the unexpected, but they are so tasty and good that I need to give Mrs. Braun a torrent of applause! It is really worth of trying it. It is easy and so delicious...and I'm starting my third book by my favorite cat-writer L.J.Braun!

Easy Dessert - Cream Puffs or Заварные Пирожные

I had cooked this dessert for the Baby Shower we had on Saturday. Some women at the Shower asked me if it is too hard and too complicated to cook at home. So, here I want to prove that it is NOT hard to do at all!
All you need is a good oven and a little bit of your time. For the food part you will need: 1 cup of water, 1 stick of margarine, 1 cup of flour and 4 eggs. It will make about 15-18 cream puffs.


Bring water to boil in a middle size saucepan. Add a pinch of salt and 1 stick of margarine. Wait until the margarine is melted. Now you have to act quickly. Add one cup of flour to the boiling mix. You have to mix it very quickly and don't let it burn. Take the saucepan off the heat and put it aside to cool down. When the batter is not hot anymore, add the eggs - one at the time and mix well.


Now you need to prepare the baking sheet. Use Parchment Paper for Baking or any white paper available in your house. Generously grease the paper with vegetable oil.


To place the batter on a baking sheet you can use plastic Pastry Bags or Dessert Decorator. Or just use a teaspoon to make it simple.


Make sure you place your batter about an inch apart (2-3 cm).


Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Baking time is 30-40 minutes. Do not overcook you pastries, but you also don't want them to be raw inside. Your pastries will smell like a French Pastries Shop and they should be golden-brown in color when they are ready.


Let them cool down and fill them up with any filling of your choice. I used the same whipped cream with powdered sugar which I used for my previous recipe. Powdered sugar on the top and - Abracadabra! - it is ready. Pretty simple, huh?

Tasty Appetizer for Any Ocassion

Today I want to share with you the recipe of one of my favorite appetizers. This recipe has so many modifications and variations that I'm really puzzled which one to choose??? So, today I will give just one and when I will cook it differently, I will just add postscriptum (P.S) to the original recipe. Deal?

So, today I felt like using French bread or Italian Bread with Cheese. Cut the bread 1/2 inch wide (1-1.5 cm).

Use vegetable oil and slightly fry your croutons from one side. (Some people prefer to fry it from both sides...To my opinion, one fried side is more healthy because of less fat you use and it doesn't dry so fast because bread doesn't loose its moisture too quickly).
Let it cool down a little bit. While your croutons are cooling down, you can cat vegetables for the topping. My favorite set of vegetables is fresh tomatoes, bell pepper and green onions. Sometimes I feel like adding cucumbers too. Salt, pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan if you wish to. Your topping is ready. Take a glove of garlic and rub all your croutons.

Carefully spread mixed topping on your croutons. I like to shred a little bit of cheese on the top. If you have fresh dill or parsley or basil at hand it will be helpful too. But it is tasty even without herbs. Your meal is ready!


The best is to eat this appetizer as soon as you prepare it. If you are planning ahead and want to prepare it before, just make sure you keep croutons and topping separate until the last minute. Bread gets soggy so quickly. So, when you are ready to consume it - just spread the veggies on the top of croutons and enjoy delicious appetizer any time of the day!

Complicated Russian Dessert

I didn't mean to make my posts seasonal on this blog. :) But somehow, it turned out to be once in a season! So, this is one of my new bakery recipe for Spring - Tartelettes with Fruit and Whipped Cream aka Песочные Корзиночки с Фруктами и Взбитыми Сливками.I went through both books - Russian Baking Cookbook and Julia Child's version and came up with the following updated recipe adjusted for American measurement and produce. Ready to start?First, you need to make sure that you have baking forms. I bought mines at Spoons'n Spice Store. They are about 40 cents a piece.

For 15 tartelettes you will need: 1 big egg, 1/2 cup of sugar, 150 gr (one and a half stick) of margarine or butter (softened) and 1 and a half of cup of flour. That is for dough!

Mix egg, sugar and softened margarine together. Then add flour and mix again.

Sprinkle some flour on the kitchen table and dust your rolling pin with flour as well. Are you ready to roll?
Gently roll your dough to about 1/4 of inch width. Then cut into 15-16 squares.

According to any cookbook baking forms don't need to greased since the dough itself has enough margarine for non-stick purposes. So, no baking spray is needed. Just carefully take the piece of dough and place it into your tartelettes form.

Then gently push the dough inside of the form and delete the rest with your fingers.

When you fill all your forms, place them on a baking sheet.

Baking temperature is the most important factor of this complicated Russian cooking. Your oven should be heated to 420 by Fahrenheit or 230 by Celsius. Baking time is no more then 15 minutes! Otherwise, you will end up with over-cooked Russian cookies! Your tartelettes are ready when they have slight-brown edges! Take them out! NOW!

Take hot patties and while they are still hot gently (AGAIN!) turn them out letting baked dough out of the form. Let them cool down.


Now we can prepare the filling aka whipped cream. You will need 1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream and 2/3 of a cup of Powdered Sugar.


Use KitchenAid mixer or any other electrical mixer to whip them together until soft picks appear. I added a little bit of Yellow Food Coloring - just to make look more like spring.


Fill the confectionery bag with ready whipped cream and set it aside.

Now let's go back to your cool-down tartelettes. They are ready for decoration part. I used some canned fruits - pears in light syrup and canned mandarins. Plus some fresh strawberries.

Place a piece of fruit in the middle of you tartelette.

Then finish up decoration with whipped cream and some other pieces of fruit.

Also if desire you can use some cocoa powder for variety. Place Cocoa powder into a small shifting shaker and gently shake it over your pastries.

Who is ready for dessert?
Thank you for all your effort of reading such a long recipe! But in case you want to try to make it - here it is! With detailed instruction and even pictures following every step!!!