Earlier this month, the cozy little space at 415 E. Pine St that is home to the CakeSpy shop was overflowing with eager bakers, their cheering friends and families, expert judges, and at least 20 different desserts competing in the Cake vs. Pie contest organized by CakeSpy, Jenise Silva and Edible Seattle.

Heading east on Pine, I craned my neck in an effort to spot the storefront, driving as slowly as I could without risking the ire of the police, who were right behind me. I drove a block, then another, realized that I must have missed the shop, parked around the corner, and, for a moment, was ready to panic when I thought that maybe I wrote the address down wrong and it was really 415 Pine, not East Pine, and that I would now have to drive downtown.

Then I saw a girl walking down Pine Street in the direction that I had just come from, a large cake carrier in her outstretched hands. “I think we’re in the right place after all!” I told my husband. “Quick, let’s follow her!” Sergey picked up my contest entry, which was packaged in our improvised version of a cake carrier – a flat cardboard box topped with a plastic cake cover that I’d gotten from the QFC bakery department that morning – and we sprinted to the corner before the girl with the cake disappeared from view.

Within moments, we were standing in the doorway of the CakeSpy shop, waiting to check in my cake. There were only a couple of people ahead of us, plus two or three more who had already registered their entries and were mingling in the back of the room. However, a line formed quickly behind us and was soon winding out the door and spilling out onto the street. The spilling-out-onto-the-street pattern continued throughout the night, with people periodically leaving the cute-but-crowded space to take a breath of fresh air, pet one of the adorable dogs who joined us for the occasion (and watch one of them try to lick a smudge of pie filling off the sidewalk), or simply enjoy their cake and pie samples while staying out of the way of the sugar-fueled masses.

Several bloggers have already described the contest in some detail, so I won’t repeat everything here. Instead, I am going to thank the participants, organizers, judges, and sponsors of Cake vs. Pie (with special thanks to the cake judges for awarding second place in the cake category to my honey cake with sour cream frosting – recipe coming soon on my website) and give you my notes on the six beautiful and delicious cakes and pies that I was lucky enough to taste.

Note: I realize that cakes are overrepresented on my list – four against two – but this is not because I favored cake over pie. On the contrary, I actually wanted to try more pies than cakes. I don’t eat pie very often and was excited by the variety of pies represented – Blue Hawaiian! Rhueberry! Ginger Peach! However, after the judges had done their sampling and everyone was finally free to dig in, the pies disappeared much more quickly than the cakes. In fact, many pies were consumed in their entirety, while sizeable chunks of all or most cakes remained on serving platters at the end of the night. I attribute this to pies’ smaller size and to the difficulty of cutting them into tasting-size slivers, which you can easily do with most cakes. I refuse to believe that there was any sort of prejudice involved!

• Gateau a l’orange: If I had my camera with me, and if I could choose only one cake to take a picture of, I would pick this cake. The brightly colored sliced oranges against the backdrop of snow-white cream were so pretty! I once made a cake topped with candied lemon slices, and while it, too, was pretty to look at, it was a letdown when it came to eating because I did something wrong and the lemons turned tough and bitter. This cake, however, did not disappoint. The orange slices were soft, moist, and not at all bitter, and went perfectly with the delicate Bavarian cream.
• Chocolate fudge cake: The cake was very yummy – fluffy and not too sweet, just the way I like my chocolate cake. But, for me, it was the luscious chocolate ganache topping that truly made this dessert – it was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Jeanne – will you share the secret on your blog? (Update! Check out the recipe here!)
• Blueberry maple pie: What I loved most about this pie is that the berries remained intact inside the crust rather than disintegrating into a jam-like mash, as my berries usually do when I bake with them. Not that there is anything wrong with blueberry jam or with pie filling that’s a bit on the runny side, but the sweet, plump, fresh-tasting berries in this pie were a very pleasant surprise.
• Cheesecake with chipotle chocolate pecan butter swirls: I am not normally a huge fan of cheesecake. It’s not that I don’t like it – I’m just not passionate about it the way I am passionate about chocolate, for example. I’ve never had a cheesecake craving. I can take it or leave it. I’m pretty sure that during my 15 years in the US, I’ve eaten a total of fewer than 15 slices of cheesecake. This cheesecake, however? I could easily eat a slice every day – some days after dinner, other days as a before-bed snack, and sometimes even for breakfast. And I’m not saying this just because there was chocolate involved.  The subtle kick of chipotle lent the dessert extra sophistication and provided a great counterbalance to the sweetness of the cheese filling. Also, the graham cracker crust was extraordinarily good.
• Lemony chocolate cake: How do I even begin to describe this stunning creation? It was lemony, it was chocolaty, it was decorated with a magnificent flower (which, as I heard somebody say, was edible), and it was made up of so many different components underneath that robe of chocolate that every bite offered a taste of something new. Truly, an astounding accomplishment.
• Bourbon pecan tartlets: I actually took one of these home because I really wanted to try it but was physically unable to eat another bite while at CakeSpy. I had it the next morning. I have to admit, pecan pie has never been one of my favorites, mostly because it tends to be too sweet, sticky and rich for my taste. I wanted to see if this one little tartlet could change my opinion of pecan pie – and it sure did. The saltier-than-usual crust did a great job of offsetting the sweetness of the filling.

• Wraps or sandwiches with tempeh or tofu, homemade pickled radishes, sweet soy sauce, and mayo. During spring quarter at the UW, I discovered a new favorite food – tofu banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich). There are countless Vietnamese restaurants on the Ave, and one of them makes a particularly delicious tofu bahn mi. The wraps/sandwiches described above will be my homemade substitute until school starts again in late September.
• Red cabbage sauteed with apples, seasoned with celery seed. This sounds like a fall or winter dish, and I am sure it’s great during cold weather, but I started making it about a month ago and I’ve realized that I can eat it at any time. I especially like it cold or room-temperature.
• Salad from our garden. In the July recipe post, I mentioned our gardening efforts that take place on our deck and by the side of the house, but forgot to mention our rented garden plot. I’ll write more about it later, when it – fingers crossed – starts producing squash, beets, cabbage, potatoes, and all the other wonderful things that we planted there. For now, the only thing that can be harvested there is mixed salad greens – but ihey are so delicious that I am not complaining.
• Kale from our garden, quickly stir-fried with olive oil and garlic, then piled on top of rice or tossed with pasta (along with some lemon juice and ground black pepper).
• Sharlotka with nectarines. Sharlotka is a simple cake full of chopped fruit that is well-loved throughout Russia. It is normally made with apples, but in the summer I like to experiment with other fruit, such as nectarines, peaches, or apricots.

Here are the dates, times, and locations of my five classes:

• Sunday, October 3, 1 to 3;30 p.m., West Seattle
• Tuesday, October 12, 6;30 to 9 p.m., Greenlake
• Tuesday, October 19, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Issaquah
• Wednesday, October 27, 6;30 to 9 p.m., Edmonds
• Sunday, November 7, 1 to 3;30 p.m., Redmond

We will make pelmeni (small meat-filled tortelloni-like dumplings), vareniki (similar but vegetarian), and pozy (momo-like steamed dumplings).

I hope to see you there!

I’d never really had space to garden before, and I was itching to get started when we moved into the house. Our landlords asked that we preserve the space in front of the house as is but allowed us to use the side strip for growing produce. So, just days after we moved in, we planted two little tomato plants next to the house, and, in another week or two, added two or three cucumber plants. (We also planted peas that year, but either we did it too late or else they caught some kind of a disease – they never grew very well and produced maybe 10-15 pods at most.) Before we knew it, those little tomato starts grew into giant bushes nearly as tall as I am and produced abundant cherry and Health Kick tomatoes well into October or possibly even early November. The cucumbers did fairly well, too, although our harvest was not as plentiful, in part because some cucumbers mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night, usually right on the eve of when I was planning to harvest them.

On a few occasions last year, we had enough of both kinds of our homegrown veggies to make tomato and cucumber salad. In the US, when you say “salad,” people typically think of lettuce-based green salad. In Russia, most people would conjure up an image of tomato and cucumber salad. It is served with lunch or dinner in homes all across Russia throughout the summer. The basic must-have ingredients are tomatoes and cucumbers, and most people add some chopped herbs, usually dill and/or parsley, the two most popular herbs in Russian cooking. Some also like to add thinly sliced raw onions. The dressing is usually oil, oil and vinegar, sour cream, or mayonnaise. A sprinkling of salt and, often, pepper finishes this simple dish.

This year, we are gardening again. We have three tomato plants by the side of the house and a bunch of cucumber plants in a large box on our south-facing deck. Dill and parsley are sprouting in their containers, also out on the deck. We got off to a late start this year because of the unusually wet and cold spring, and all the plants still have a long way to go until harvest season, so at this point our tomato and cucumber salad looks to be weeks away. However, if your plants are already bearing fruit or if you purchase your tomatoes and cucumbers at the store or at the farmer’s market, go ahead and give this recipe a try today!

Tomato and cucumber salad

Ingredients

2 medium to large tomatoes

½ large slicing cucumber or 2 smaller pickling cucumbers

5-6 sprigs each fresh dill and fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing: your favorite oil; oil and vinegar; sour cream (use full-fat plain yogurt to approximate the taste of Russian sour cream); or mayonnaise

Preparation

Chop the tomatoes into roughly 1 inch pieces. I like to cut each tomato in half lengthwise, remove the part where the stem was attached, cut each half lengthwise into 4 or 5 wedges, and then cut each wedge crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces.

Peel the cucumber if the skin is too tough or bitter; otherwise, leave the skin on. If using a large cucumber, cut it into quarters lengthwise, then slice ¼ inch thin. If using smaller cucumbers, halve them lengthwise, then slice.

Remove the tough parts of the stems from the dill and parsley and chop the herbs finely.

Mix the herbs with the chopped tomatoes and cucumbers and toss with salt, pepper, and your choice of dressing immediately before serving.

Serves 2

]]> http://www.moscowgourmetkitchen.com/2010/07/11/tomato-and-cucumber-salad-the-ultimate-russian-summer-salad/feed/ 2 http://www.moscowgourmetkitchen.com/2010/06/29/summer-menu-posted/ http://www.moscowgourmetkitchen.com/2010/06/29/summer-menu-posted/#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:28:48 +0000 irina http://www.moscowgourmetkitchen.com/?p=269 The summer 2010 dinner party menu is now posted here. It features eggplant rolls, cold borscht, vareniki, and berry cake – yum!

• Book a dinner party and invite two guests for free!

Here is how this works: Moscow Gourmet Kitchen dinner parties are normally available for groups of 6-20 people, and the price is calculated on a per-person basis ($50/person for conventional ingredients and $60/person for mostly organic ingredients). With this special offer, if you book a dinner party for six people, you will only pay for four people; if you book for twelve people, you will only pay for ten people, etc.

• Sign up for one cooking class and take the second one at half price

• Sign up for two cooking classes and take the third one free (Note: the number of participants in the third (free) class cannot exceed the number of participants in the first or second class, whichever is higher. For example, if the first class is attended by four people, and the second class is attended by six people, the third (free) class can be attended by a maximum of six people.)
  

Anyway, what follows is a list of most of the things that I recall making in the past 3-4 weeks. Enjoy!

• Chinese-style eggplant. Chunks of eggplant sautéed with lots of garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and red pepper, served over white rice.

• Quasi-Caesar salad with tempeh. Romaine lettuce, mayonnaise, parmesan, and cubed tempeh instead of chicken – a great summer lunch.

• Variations on the no-knead bread. I don’t know why I’m only getting around to it now, but this week I decided to try adding dried herbs and seeds to the classic no-knead bread that I’ve been making nearly every day since last December. So far I’ve tried a 100% all-purpose flour version with parsley and Italian seasoning (I think it contains rosemary, thyme, and oregano) and a 2/3 all-purpose flour / 1/3 whole-wheat flour version with flax seeds. I thought both were very good.

• Russian-style fried potatoes. There are actually many different ways to make “Russian-style fried potatoes.” Some people fry the potatoes with onions; others don’t. Some slice the potatoes into rounds, while others prefer elongated pieces. Some use salt as the only seasoning; others add black pepper, garlic, and/or fresh herbs. As you can see, this dish is not that easy to define… Based on my experience of eating fried potatoes in many Russian homes, I would say that, to qualify as “Russian-style,” fried potatoes have to meet the following criteria:

Peeled

Fried in oil, not butter

Sliced into rounds or strips, not cubed

If seasonings other than salt are used, they do not overwhelm the taste of potatoes

In case you’re wondering how Russian-style fried potatoes are made in my kitchen, my version is the most basic one there is – potatoes cut into strips and seasoned only with salt. If I happen to have fresh dill or parsley in the house, I might sprinkle some on top of the potatoes after they are done.

• Shchi. The Russian word shchi generally means cabbage soup, although the word is sometimes used to denote other types of soup that do not contain cabbage (confusing, I know). Again, there are many ways to make this soup – each family has their favorite recipe. Cabbage and potatoes are a must, and meat (usually beef) is typically a part of the soup as well. Carrots and tomatoes are fairly common additions, but are by no means required. Other possible ingredients include onions, garlic, herbs, parsley root, celery root, and even mushrooms. Shchi is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, and, per his request, I keep the soup simple: meat (usually chicken), cabbage, potatoes, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and a bit of vinegar to give the soup its distinctive acidic taste.

• My grandmother’s apple cake. Click here for the recipe.

My grandmother’s apple cake/pie

Ingredients

Batter

1 stick butter (the original recipe calls for 125 grams, which is 1 stick plus about 1 tablespoon)

1 egg

½ cup sugar

5 tbsp sour cream (I use full-fat; other kinds might work but I haven’t tried them)

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

Optional: 1 tsp white vinegar

Filling

2 large tart apples, such as Granny Smith

2-3 tbsp sugar

1-2 tbsp flour

Optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

To make the batter, melt the butter and let it cool to room temperature. Whisk the butter, egg, and sugar by hand or with a mixer until well-blended; then whisk in the sour cream. Mix the baking soda directly into the batter or, if using vinegar, pour the vinegar over the baking soda and then mix into the batter. (The vinegar activates the baking soda and helps it dissolve; my grandmother always used this technique). Lastly, stir in the flour, about ½ cup at a time. This is best done with a wooden spoon as the batter will be quite stiff. (My grandmother always summoned my grandfather to do this final mixing, as it requires strong hands/arms.) Separate about 1/3 of the batter to be used for making the lattice on top of the cake/pie.

To make the filling, core and coarsely grate the apples (do not peel them) and mix with flour, sugar, and vanilla extract (if using).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter the bottom and sides of a fairly deep, medium-sized pan – I use either my 2.2 quart/2 L rectangular glass pan (the bottom is about 6 by 10 inches) or my 2.5 quart/2.3 L oval-shaped ceramic casserole dish (the bottom is about 7 by 9.5 inches, measured where it is widest). Using your hands, spread 2/3 of the batter on the bottom of the pan. Spread the filling on top of the batter. Roll or stretch the remaining 1/3 of the batter into several long and skinny “sausages” and place them diagonally across the filling, first in one direction and then in the other. I usually have 3 to 5 “sausages” going in each direction.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until lattice is golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. I usually just leave this cake/pie in the pan and keep it on the kitchen counter for a couple of days, covered with a cloth towel, but if you prefer to remove the cake from the pan, it should come out easily once it’s cooled.

Note: my grandmother normally used apples as a filling in this cake/pie, but sometimes she used jam or cocoa powder mixed with sugar. All the versions were delicious, but the apple one is my favorite.

Serves 8-10