Polish Chocolate Almond (Tort czekoladowy)

Polish deserts are some of the best in the world!  Try this Polish Chocolate Almond Cake recipe that is low in sugar and happens to be gluten free for those who are sensitive.  The key to this Polish cake recipe is to not overcook it since the cake is a little like a brownie and can lose its moisture.  You can buy almond paste if it is easier, or use the Polish recipe below.  Top with a vanilla-vodka whipped cream.
Polish Chocolate Almond Recipe (Tort czekoladowy)

Cake Mixture:

• 6 eggs, separated 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups ground almonds
• 1/4 tsp salt 

Almond Paste Filling:

• 1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups super finely ground almonds
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

POLISH ALMOND CAKE RECIPE DIRECTIONS

1.  Separate the egg yolks and egg whites in two bowls.  For the egg whites, beat them together with mixer on high until a stiff peak forms.
2.  For egg yolks, mix together with sugar until thick and creamy.  Then gently fold in cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and finely ground almonds.  Fold together.
2. Gently fold a little of egg whites into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it, then fold in remaining egg whites.  It will be hard to mix at first, but just slowly keep adding and it loosens up.
3.  Pour blended mixture into two greased and lined 8 inch spring form cake tin pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes on 200, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.  Let it cool in the tin, but it continues to cook so you may want to loosen it a little on the side.
4.  While cake is cooling, prepare almond paste filling.  Add sugar and water in a heavy pan, then heat until sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil and let thicken, but not more than 5 minutes.  Stir in the ground almonds and bring to a boil again, but then remove from heat.  It will continue to thicken as it cools.  But if you boil too long, the paste later becomes dry.  Transfer to a bowl and add rest of ingredients. Mix well.
5.  Remove cake from tin and place on a nice platter.  Spoon almond paste on top  and spread evenly.  Place second cake on top.  Top with whipped cream.
6.  POLISH WHIPPED CREAM RECIPE:  blend 1 cup heavy whipping cream on high until thick peak forms.  Add 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons Polish vodka or cognac, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Mix well and serve.

Source:

http://www.polskafoods.com/polish-recipes/chocolate-almond-cake-tort-czekoladowy

Polish Cheesecake (Sernik)

I am not a dessert person, but this Polish Cheesecake recipe is so light and fluffy, my family couldn't resist devouring the entire cheesecake in one day.  The toppings are endless, any fruit works great to keep it on the healthier side.  Good farmer's cheese is a MUST ingredient, do not substitute.  It should not be runny, but somewhat dry and thick.  If you like souffles, you will love this cheesecake.  In fact, they should call it Sernik Souffle!

• 2.5 cups Farmer's Cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp rum extract
• 6 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind (Meyer Lemon best)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp semolina (or any flour)
• 1/2 cup raisins

CRUST (optional)

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter (at room temp)
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

POLISH CHEESECAKE DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  Mix all dry crust ingredients together to form a stiff dough, press evenly on bottom of an 8 inch round cake tin, and bake for 5-10 minutes till brown.  Remove and cool while you prepare the rest.
3.  Cream together the farmer's cheese, butter, rum, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.
4.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with 1 tablespoon sugar until stiff peaks form.
5.  In a third bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until creamy.
6.  Add all the ingredients together except the egg whites, including the corn starch and raisins.
7.  Gently fold in the egg whites, taking care not to knock the air out of the mixture.
8.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan (with or without crust), and bake (400) for 1 hour or until set and golden brown.
9.  Cool in tin and dust with powder sugar and favorite fruit topping.

Source:

http://www.polskafoods.com/food-blog/polish-cheesecake-recipe-sernik

Polish Apple Cake Recipe (Jakblecznik)

Everyone loves apple pie. Likewise, you will love this melt-in-your-mouth Polish Apple Cake recipe called Jakblecznik. It is moist and not too sweet--made with fresh apples!  We found this recipe from our friend Bogusia who brought it to a recent Polish party. This Polish apple cake is made from scratch, which is very typical of most Polish desserts and what makes them some of the best desserts in the world.  Great for parties, entertaining, or a dessert the whole family can enjoy.

INGREDIENTS FOR TOP & BOTTOM CAKE LAYERS

• 3 cups of flour (unbleached/nonbromated is best)
• 2 sticks of butter (soft)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of sour cream

INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE BATTER MIX

• 2 lbs of apples blended (squeeze the juice out)
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons potato starch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

INGREDIENTS FOR GLAZE TOPPING

• 1 1/2 cups (150 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted to remove any lumps
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

POLISH APPLE CAKE RECIPE DIRECTIONS

1.  PREPARE DOUGH AND DIVIDE IN HALF.  Mix all cake batter ingredients in a bowl until the dough is nice and smooth. Divide the dough in half. Put one mixture in the fridge and the other half on a baking pan.
2.  PREPARE APPLE FILLING. Chop and core the apples. Some may want to peel them too, but it is your choice. Using any regular blender, blend the apples and drain as much of the juice as possible (Tip:if using a VitaMix, don’t over blend, you want chunks.)  Add 2 tablespoons of potato starch, about a cup of apple sauce (250 g), and 1 teaspoon on cinnamon. Mix well.
3.  BAKE.  Bake half of a dough for 20 minutes at 365 degrees F. Take out and add Apple filling on top. Take out rest of the dough from the fridge, roll it and put over Apples. Bake it for another 30 minutes or until nice and golden.
4.  GLAZE TOPPING.  You can sprinkle with powdered sugar on top or use a glaze topping as shown in the photo.  Here you just mix one cup confectioners sugar with 2-3 tablespoons water or milk until it forms a smooth glaze.  You can add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Spread on top.

Source:

http://www.polskafoods.com/polish-recipes/polish-apple-cake-recipe-jakblecznik

Plum Cake (Placek Ze Sliwkami)

This simple Polish Plum Cake recipe is a family favorite.  It is a buttery-lemon cake with a fresh plum topping -- just sweet enough for a light dessert or morning pastry with coffee.  We adjusted this recipe so that the cake is less like a "bread" dough, which you will find in most European plum cake recipes, and more like a moist lemon scone texture.   We use fresh Italian plums from our yard, but if you happen to not have a plum tree, just make sure you use ripe fresh plums.  The plums should not be hard, but very soft.  Don't be surprised to have an entire batch of plum cake gone within one day!

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (or lemon rind from one Meyer lemon)
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 pounds of fresh plums

PLUM CAKE RECIPE 

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  Grease and flour one 9 inch pan.
2.  Separate the eggs.  First beat the egg whites in a small bowl until a stiff peak forms, and then move to another bowl for the egg yolks.
3.  In the second bowl, cream the butter with sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest, sour cream, and vanilla.
4.  In a third bowl, stir together flour and baking powder.  Then beat the flour mixture into the creamed egg yolk mixture until well blended.  Fold in the egg whites so that all bowls are now mixed together.
5.  Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.  You can arrange the plums skin side down (cut in half), or if you happen to have a lot of plums and want to use more, you can cut them in fourths and place them in side-ways so more can fit in the dough (we like a lot of fruit so we add as many plums as possible).
6.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and top with powdered sugar or plum sauce.

Source:

http://www.polskafoods.com/polish-food-blog/plum-cake-recipe-placek-ze-sliwkami

Polish Roasted Pork Lion With Prunes (Wieprzowina z suszonymi sliwkami)

I am always looking for new healthy dinner ideas, especially something healthy to eat with pierogi. Since pork loin is a very lean meat, I enjoy this roasted marinated pork filet stuffed with prunes. Prunes happen to be super high in phytonutrients called neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid (types of antioxidants)--which explains why they are getting so much attention in health research.  Try to find prunes with no sulfites.  Also, this Polish recipe uses pork tenderloin (or pork loin), which is a lean source of protein and loaded with more nutrients than chicken!  For instance, pork loin nutrition facts provide us with plenty of essential vitamins, with high levels of thiamin (52%), niacin (37%), vitamin B6 (30%), riboflavin (21%) and 8 percent of your daily value of vitamin B12.   Perhaps this explains why pork is the national meat of Poland!

• 4 lb Pork Loin Fillet (Tenderloin)Healthy Polish Food Recipes Pork Loin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper
• 4-5 bay leaves
• 6-8 tablespoons Madeira (or white wine)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 oz prunes, chopped
• Salt & Freshly ground black pepper

PORK LOIN WITH PRUNES RECIPE DIRECTIONS

1.  Cut the fillet lengthways partially (do not cut in half).  Rub with salt, pepper, garlic, marjoram, and caraway seeds.  Stuff with prunes.  Put in a large Ziploc bag and add bay leaves.  Pour wine over top to cover.  Zip the bag tightly, making sure the marinade is touching all parts of meat, and marinate in fridge for two hours.
2.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add oil to roasting pan.
3.  Take the pork loin out of the marinade and lay it on the oiled roasting pan.  Make sure to restuff the prunes in the pork loin, fold the top half over and tie the fillet together with a string so the prunes do not fall out.
4.  Roast for 1.5 hours, or until the meat is cooked, basting occasionally with meat juices.
5.  Remove the meat from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.  Remove string, cut in slices and top with juices or favorite gravy (optional).   Serve with side of pierogi.

Source:

http://www.polskafoods.com/content/polish-roasted-pork-lion-prunes-recipe

Polish Cauliflower Soup (Zupa Kalafiorowa)

This is a healthy Polish soup recipe that goes with anything.  Some people will add noodles or polish dumplings to their soup to add the right texture.  I found at the end I had to add a little salt and thyme to get the perfect taste.  I also tried this without any dairy and it was a very good vegan soup.

• 1 tbsp butter (optional if vegan)Polish Cauliflower Soup Recipe
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 large celery stalks, diced
• 1-2 parsnips, diced (optional)
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 medium cauliflower heads chopped
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 5-6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper to taste
• Optional: 1 cup heavy cream (or 3/4 cup sour cream, or 3/4 cup plain yogurt)
• Garnish: 1 tablespoon fresh dill or parsley, minced

CAULIFLOWER SOUP DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat butter and olive oil till butter is melted.  Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, parsnips, and any other vegetables.  Saute until slightly softened.
2.  Raise the heat to medium high and add rest of ingredients except cream, flour, and parsley.  Make sure you have enough broth to cover vegetables (add water if needed).
3.  Reduce heat and add flour (previously mixed with water so there are no lumps).
4.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until slightly thickened for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  If too thick, add more chicken stock or water. Can use hand blender to make a nice creamy soup.
5.   Optional: keep on low heat and add heavy cream (or sour cream / yogurt).
6.  Taste and adjust seasoning, maybe add more thyme, nutmeg, or salt and pepper.  Cook for another 5-7 minutes.
7.  Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with fresh dill or parsley.

Source:

http://www.polskafoods.com/content/cauliflower-soup-recipe-zupa-kalafiorowa

Polish White Bean Soup

Surprisingly, the Poles eat many variations of bean soup, but we created this Polish White Bean Soup Recipe that is perfect for a cold winter night.  You can use any kind of beans, but cannellini and navy beans work best.  Make sure you really soak the beans over night since the fast cook method (boil in water and let sit for a few hours) never seems to work as well.  We added a cup of sauerkraut that really blends the flavors, which is also a very popular addition to bean soup recipes in Poland!

• 2 cups dried beans (Cannellini, Navy or Northern Beans)
• 3.5 Quarts water or chicken brothPolish White Bean Soup Recipe
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 leeks, minced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 can sauerkraut
• bone from 1/2 cooked ham 
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1/4 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon of chili pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 can sauerkraut
• 1/2 lb sausage or bacon (optional)

WHITE BEAN SOUP RECIPE DIRECTIONS 

1. Rinse beans.  Place in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Soak overnight.  Drain, and add more water, boil on medium high then reduce and simmer while you prepare the rest.  2.  Melt butter in a large pot.  Add onion and leek and sauté until browned.  Add rest of ingredients, including ham bone, all seasonings, and beans.  Cover and simmer until beans are tender--could take two hours.
3.  Remove ham bone.
4.  Taste and add salt, pepper, to taste.
5.  Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.

Source:

http://www.polskafoods.com/polish-recipes/white-bean-soup-recipe