Babos Receptai (Part 15)

Here's a recipe Tatjana got from her daughter—my Dad's twin sister—Jonė.

 Here's how I translated the recipe:

Streusel Kuchen

Streusel Topping:
1 to 1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter (not specified in the recipe, but I would add)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Cake:
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder (Tatjana probably used one of these)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 sticks margarine
1 stick butter
1 "cup" granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk 

Marmalade or jam 


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and adjust the rack to the center position.

For the Streusel: Mix together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the vanilla. Chill the streusel while you prepare the cake batter.

For the Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream the margarine, butter, and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla.

Alternately fold in the sifted dry ingredients and the milk, beginning and ending with the sifted dry ingredients. 

Spread the dough on a greased, flat baking pan (size not specified). Spread some marmalade or jam over the top.

Scatter the streusel over the top of the cake. Bake for about 40 minutes. If the cake is not ready after 40 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 10 minutes.

Babos Receptai (Part 14)

My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, baked only a few signature items. She often made (and I still bake) "Babos Pyragas." She also (over)baked Banana Cake. Occasionally, she made Devil's Food cupcakes from scratch. She never frosted the cupcakes, so they were quite dry. (I dislike cupcakes, by the way, because who wants to eat all that hard crust? Isn't it better to eat the soft, moist inside of a cake?)

Here's Tatjana's recipe for the Devil's Food Cupcakes (notice again the chemical formulas):

Here's how I wrote up the recipe:

Devil's Food Cake

(1) First, cream together:
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 whole eggs

(2) Second, sift together:
 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

 (3) Third, stir together:
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla

And now add to the (1) sugar/shortening/egg mixture the (2) sifted dry ingredients and (3) the liquid ingredients. Add the dry ingredients in three additions and the liquid ingredients in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

A cake (Tatjana used a 10-inch tube pan) bakes for about 45 to 55 minutes* at 350 degrees F.

ADDED: A reader tests this recipe.

*Baking time adjusted from the duration I originally had posted.

Babos Receptai (Part 13)

My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, prepared simple, daily meals. The food usually was somewhat bland because Lithuanians avoid assertively seasoned dishes. We rarely, for example, had garlic in the house, and my family shunned green bell peppers because the adults found them "spicy." Mr. Irene and I sometimes joke that Lithuanians season their food with bacon and dill.

Sicilian immigrants populated the suburb in which we lived, and I grew to love Italian food. My Best Friend's father, Dolfo, was from Genoa, and he taught me to appreciate northern Italian preparations like pesto and Genoese pizza (foccacia). I often ate dinner at my Best Friend's house and then went home to pick at the dull plate Tatjana had prepared.

Tatjana sought to please my adventurous palate by preparing Spaghetti and Meatballs. I don't think she made the dish more than once each year.

Here is the recipe Tatjana used; she likely adapted it from the 1956 edition of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook:

Here is how I translated the recipe:

Meatballs (Italian)

To make the meatballs:

one pound mixed ground meats
a little bit of garlic
3 eggs
fine, dry breadcrumbs
parsley
Italian cheese

Fry the meatballs in a pan. When the meatballs brown, pour them into the sauce.

For the Sauce:

1 large can tomato puree
1 large can tomato paste
some bay leaves or a leaf of basil
parlsey
1/2 clove garlic
a pinch of allspice
1-1/2 cans water

Cook until the sauce thickens.

*     *     *     *     *

There! You can see how bold this recipe was for our household: Tatjana used garlic and even suggested adding a basil leaf.

Babos Receptai (Part 12)

Whoa, you say! This is not the handwriting of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana! How can it be one of "Babos Receptai?"

This recipe was written for me by Tatjana's daughter, Jonė. It's a recipe for Lithuanian Crumb Cake. Although that treat is ubiquitous in Lithuanian cuisine (the crumb cake appears at weddings, teas, and fashion shows), my paternal Grandmother rarely baked it. Tatjana thought her cake, "Babos Pyragas," was much better. I disagreed, and I was disappointed we had no "family recipe" for the Crumb Cake. Fortunately, my Dad's twin sister had one.

Here is how I wrote up the recipe:

Trupininis Pyragas

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

about 1-1/2 cups lingonberry preserves, or other tart jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust rack to the center position. Preheat a baking stone for thirty minutes. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and dust it all over with fine, dry breadcrumbs. Shake out excess crumbs. Set the prepared baking pan in the freezer while you prepare the ingredients.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar thoroughly until very light in color. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and continue beating until very smooth. On lowest speed, or using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients, combining only until the flour disappears.

Reserve about half (approximately 3 cups) of the dough in a small bowl and set aside. Press the remainder of the dough into the prepared pan. Spread lingonberry preserves evenly over the dough. Carefully crumble the remaining reserved dough over the preserves.

Bake about 30 to 34 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack, and allow to cool completely on the rack. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

*     *     *     *     *

BONUS!

A few years after I tweeked this recipe, I started baking it with a cottage-cheese filling. The cheese version is my favorite; here is the recipe:

Trupininis Pyragas su Varškė

Crust:

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Filling:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

finely grated rind of one-half lemon

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

scant 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

scant 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) cottage cheese, drained (measure before draining)

3 tablespoons instant-blending ("Wondra") flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust rack to the center position. Preheat a baking stone for thirty minutes. Generously butter and flour a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. 

For crust: Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar thoroughly until very light in color. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and sour cream; continue beating until very smooth. On lowest speed, or using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients, combining only until the flour disappears. The mixture will (and should) be crumbly.

Reserve about half (approximately 3 cups) of the dough in a small bowl and set aside. Press the remainder of the dough into the prepared pan.  Place pan in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

For filling: In the workbowl of a food processor, mix together the sugar with the lemon rind until the rind is finely chopped. Add the egg yolks and beat for about one minute, until the mixture becomes thick and pale in color. Add the butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process until smooth. Add the cottage cheese and process until the mixture is entirely free of lumps. Add the flour and process with 2 or 3 on/off pulses.

Spread the filling over prepared crust. Crumble the reserved half of the dough over the filling.

Bake for 30 to 36 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack, and allow to cool completely on the rack. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Babos Receptai (Part 11)

Here's a recipe in which my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, illustrated our tendency to mix the Lithuanian and English languages:

Tatjana also has written the telephone number and surname of a patient on the lower corner of the page. The patient must have called for Mom while Tatjana was baking.

Lithuanian newspapers regularly use English words in their stories (they do correctly conjugate or decline the words). For example: the Lithuanian word for "exhibit" is "paroda," and the word for "television show" is "programa." Articles now use the word "šou" (pronounced "show") to describe both. And "reality show" is "realybės šou."

Babos Receptai (Part 10)

One of the other cakes my paternal Grandmother made for Easter was a nut torte. I disliked the torte because it didn't resemble the sweet American cakes I favored. The nut torte was a big job because Tatjana ground the nuts using a small, hand crank, grinder. She insisted pre-ground nuts from the grocery store lacked the correct texture for the batter.

Here's how I wrote up the recipe:

Riešutinis arba Migdolų Tortas (Walnut or Almond Torte)

For torte:

8 to 10 ounces walnuts or unblanched almonds, slightly toasted and cooled

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon potato starch or corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 egg yolks (Baba used yolks from 16 eggs graded "medium")

1 cup granulated sugar

12 egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

For glaze and filling:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup rum

       3/4 cup (approximately) lingonberry preserves

For icing:

       2/3 cup (10-2/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter  

       2-2/3 cups brown sugar

       2/3 cup whole milk

       1/8 teaspoon salt

  

For garnish:   

       Whole walnuts or almonds 

Torte: Preheat the oven to 350^oF and adjust rack to center position. Butter a 10-inch (or 12-inch) springform pan (or two 10-inch layer cake pans or three 9-inch round cake pans) and dust with flour. 

In the workbowl of a food processor with the metal blade in place, grind the nuts with the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the 1 cup granulated sugar until the mixture is thick and light in color, about 10 minutes.

In another large bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until the mixer is stiff. Remove bowl from mixer. Fold half of the walnut mixture into the egg yolks and then, using a rubber spatula, gradually fold egg whites gently to the nut/egg yolk mixture. 

Pour into prepared pan(s) and level top(s). Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes for the springform pan (35 to 45 minutes for the layer cake pans). Remove from oven, place pan(s) on a rack and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.  

When cooled completely, slice into two (or three) horizontal layers (omit this step if you baked two or three layers).

Glaze: In a small saucepan, combine the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, add the rum, and cool.

Brush first layer with about half the liqueur glaze. Spread with a layer of the lingonberry preserves.  Continue with the remaining layer(s), also soaking with the liqueur glaze. Let the layers stand while you prepare the icing.

Icing:  In a medium saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Stir in the brown sugar until brown sugar dissolves. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Slowly increase heat and bring the mixture rapidly to a full boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  Beat with a wooden spoon until lukewarm and of spreading consistency. Spread icing over the torte. Garnish with whole nuts. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Here's how the cake looked when I baked it:

Verona, Wisconsin, April 2007. I may have "cheated" here and made a coffee buttercream instead of the icing Tatjana used to prepare.

Babos Receptai (Part 9)

My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, never transcribed the recipe for her signature dish, "Babos Vinegretas," into her collection. She had memorized the ingredients, so it's likely she didn't think it necessary to write down the recipe. In the early 1970s, however, she jotted the recipe down for my friend Kris, and Kris later have me a copy of Baba's instructions.

Here is that recipe:

Here's how I wrote up the recipe:

Babos Vinegretas

Salad:

3 to 4 "boiling" potatoes (500 grams), unpeeled

3 hard-boiled eggs

7.5 ounces frozen peas and carrots, thawed and drained on layers of paper towel

3 green onions (50 grams), sliced thin (or chives: Baba wrote, "arba 'chives'.")

2 fresh, pickled cucumbers* (not sour: Baba wrote, "ne labai rukšcius"), chopped very fine

1 to 3 tablespoons fresh dill weed, to taste

crabmeat**

Dressing:

1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. sour cream

1 teaspoon (no more) Dijon mustard (a little: Baba wrote, "truputi")

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar, to taste

salt and freshly-ground pepper

Cook the potatoes in boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt until done (about 20 minutes). Drain potatoes thoroughly and allow them to cool. When potatoes have cooled, peel them and dice neatly into small (1/3-inch), uniform cubes. Place the diced potatoes in a large bowl.

Dice the hard-boiled eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in the drained peas and carrots, green onions, cucumbers,* and dill weed. Mix well.

Prepare the dressing by mixing together 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise, sour cream, and mustard very thoroughly. Stir in the lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper and adjust, to taste. Stir the dressing into vegetables to coat evenly. If mixture seems dry, then add up to the additional 1/4 cup mayonnaise. (Salad may be prepared in advance. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least four hours until serving time.)

*To make "Fresh Pickled Cucumbers:" Stir 3 tablespoons white vinegar and 1 teaspoons kosher salt in a small bowl until salt dissolves. Place one pound English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced and 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add vinegar mixture; seal bag. Turn several times to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.

**Tatjana added crabmeat or shrimp to the salad on special occasions.

Babos Receptai (Part 8)

My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, sometimes added other people's recipes to her collection. She received a recipe for "Karališkas Mazurkas" (Royal Mazurka) from a friend; that recipe became a regular feature of our family's Easter menu.

Poles commonly bake Mazurkas, but I've not seen a recipe similar to this one.

Here is our version of the recipe (Note: My Mom later wrote "5 eggs, 1/4 pound butter, 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar" in the margin): 

Karališkas Mazurkas

8 ounces (1-3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder*

8 ounces (1 cup, or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (my addition)

5 eggs

3 ounces (3/4 cup) blanched, slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and adjust rack to the center position. Generously butter a 9 x 9-inch square baking pan (reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees if using a glass pan). Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugar very slowly, beating mixture until it is very thick and pale yellow, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract and the almond extract. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. (Mixture may appear curdled at this point; that is okay.)

Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, gently fold in the dry ingredients (do not overmix or the cake will be dry). Fold in the blanched, slivered almonds. 

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 33 to 37 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  

Cool in the pan and slice into squares. 

*A later version uses 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, instead.

Babos Receptai (Part 7)

Yes, Paczki season has passed. My paternal Grandmother occasionally baked them, but we called them "Pončkai" (the pronunciation is similar to the Russian "Ponchiki"). I don't remember Tatjana associating Pončkai with Fat Tuesday, but I recall it was a big deal when she made them. We rarely ate fried foods, and Tatjana considered deep frying a messy and smelly process. She therefore would not fry food in the kitchen. When Tatjana made Pončkai, she instead took the dough and the oil to the basement, where she used a primitive deep fryer, set on an old kitchen table, to cook the Pončkai.

When I was a child, I didn't like Pončkai because Tatjana filled them with cherry preserves. I hated biting into the eggy, yeast dough and feeling the sensation of cherry skin rubbing against the roof of my mouth. I wanted American-style, pastry-filled donuts.

Here is Tatjana's recipe for Pončkai:

Here is how I wrote up the recipe:

Pončkai (Grandma's tested recipe)

1-1/2 packets [fresh, cake] yeast, bloomed with 1/2 cup water

1 cup flour heated with 1 cup boiling milk, allowing to stand and mixed well

[1 tablespoon sugar]

[1 cup warm milk]

7 egg yolks beaten with 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

[about 2 pounds flour]

1/3 to 1/2 pound [unsalted] butter, melted

4 egg whites, beaten until stiff 

[lard and Crisco, for frying]

Note in side margin: Some people in Lithuania add 1/4 cup sour cream.

Add the bloomed yeast to the heated milk mixture with 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix well; then add 1 cup warm milk and mix again, after that add the egg yolk/sugar mixture and [ ... ] some flour, then the warm butter and again flour, then the beaten egg whites, and again more flour. 

Note in side margin: add 1/2 teaspoon salt (definitely).

Add 1/3 stick of real vanilla (finely chopped). In all, mix in about 2 pounds flour (1 small package), it's possible to add 1 cup more.

It's good to fry these in a mixture of half fat (lard) and half "Crisco."

Babos Receptai (Part 6)

It's almost New Year's Eve, so it's time to think about the užkandžiai, or appetizers, that will grace the table. We always served "New Year's Eve Eggs" when our family hosted the party. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, also liked to prepare her version of shrimp cocktail, "Amerikoniškas Shrimp Cocktail."

Here is her recipe (note the chemical formulas at the bottom of the page):

Here is how I wrote up the recipe:

First Courses

Shrimp with Rice and Pink Sauce

Wash canned shrimp* in cold water and place on cheesecloth.

Cook the rice as though you were making chicken (and rice with white sauce).

Make the sauce from mayonnaise, sour cream, red horseradish, tomato paste, and a bit of salt and sugar.

Place the shrimp in the center of the plate [and surround with the rice]. Pour the sauce around the shrimp and the rice.

Let stand in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

*This recipes is from the 1950s. Midwestern grocery stores rarely carried "fresh" seafood. It was not uncommon to serve luxury foods, like shrimp and lobster, from cans.