Newsletter

Subscribe to receive Poland Travel Guide Infographic

Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

Fruit

5 Polish Flavored Liqueurs (Nalewki)

by 5 Comments

Friends have noticed my passion for Polish flavored liqueurs (nalewki). Commercial versions are available, but my favorite are the homemade variety. I enjoy them so much that I’m willing to painstakingly type Polish recipes into Google Translate to try them out.

Nalweki translates to tinctures (medicines made by dissolving a drug in alcohol), and many varieties are thought to have medicinal qualities, but I’m after the heartfelt social benefits of sharing something that you began to prepare months ago with friends.

Most often, I’m using some seasonal fruit, sugar and vodka. Allowing osmosis to work until the fruit is very boozy and the vodka is very fruity. Usually this slow addition of fruit juice to the spirits yields a product that is lower in alcohol than vodka.

This makes it easier to sip, more pleasurable fruity flavors to savor, and less burn going down.

DIY liqueurs with these Polish flavored vodkas! #polishhousewife #liqueurs #poland #infused #vodka #recipe

What better way to honor your dinner guests than to pull out a bottle of your homemade liqueur at the end of a meal? To help you in that end, I’ve prepared this round-up of my five favorite nakweki.

My current favorite and popular classic is a cherry liqueur, but who knows what will come next. I’m interesting in trying something with ginger. Making these traditional recipes made me bold enough to my hand at creating blueberry and apple flavored liqueurs inspired by a local chef’s house made moonshine.

In the interest of full disclosure, I earn a small commission on purchases via the Amazon links below.

I’m eager to hear about your nalewki making adventures. What’s your favorite? Did you go all out, make gallons to present all your friends with gift bottles? Na zdrowie! — Lois

  1. Cherry liqueur – Wisniak or Wisniowka, depending on whether it’s made with sweet or sour cherries according to some, but I find Wisniowka the more commonly used term, and to be honest, it’s just fun to say.
  2. Lemon liqueur – Cytrynowka, similar to the more widely know Italian limoncello, and easy to make if you live in the southwest or Florida where friends are always looking to give you a few bags of lemons in the winter. It’s our equivalent of leave zucchini on your neighbor’s porch day.
  3. Tangerine liqueur – Mandarynkowa, I’ve made this two different ways, more recently just using the zest and not the juice, both are delicious.
  4. Plum liqueur – Sliwkowa, plums are such a classic flavor is Polish cuisine. I like this for sipping or it makes a tasty cocktail with tonic water.
  5. Honey spice liqueur – Krupnik, the same name is also given to a barley soup, but we’re talking about the liqueur (no barley), it’s reported to be very good for a cold or cough.

 

 

Polish Yeast Buns with Blueberries (Jagodzianki)

by 6 Comments

Blueberries are so plentiful this time of year that I know you’ll want this delicious recipe featuring the beautiful little gems. Polish Yeast Buns with Blueberries (Jagodzianki) are a light bread roll infused with lemon and vanilla, stuffed with blueberries, and topped with a lemony glaze.

Polish Yeast Buns with Blueberries (Jagodzianki) #polishrecipe #polishfood #summerrecipe #polishhousewife PolishHousewie.com

Jagodzianki

You can fill these buns with either fresh blueberries or blueberry jam, so they can be made year round. This time I used fresh blueberries, but next time, I might cook the blueberries and powdered sugar for the filling. You should have seen me, trying to portion my two cups of berries into 16 equal servings atop my bread rolls, and then there was the matter of keeping blueberries in place as I sealed up the dough. It was a challenging task, but there’s a laugh in chasing down runaway blueberries and laughter is good for us. I recently attended a retreat where we engaged in a session of Laughing Yoga.

This recipe is based on one I’ve translated from a Polish food blog, MniamMniam.pl (translates to YumYum). The author warns that you may have some of the blueberry juice leak out and burn on the pan (good reason to line the pan with parchment in my humble opinion), but he assures us that it will given a noble taste. So, hey, we have that going for us!

Our tasters went though these buns quickly, some sampling more than one and advising that they were even better with 5 seconds in the microwave to replicate that just out of the oven sensation.

If you think you don’t have time to make your own bread, let me suggest that it can be worked into a busy schedule. I mixed up the dough and left it to rise while I went out and ran some errands. With a little more time at home, I shaped the buns and baked and photographed them before going out for the evening.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve had Polish Yeast Buns with Blueberries (Jagodzianki) before.

Smacznego!

Lois

PS – Did  you know that Polish Housewife was named as one of the Top 20 Poland Blogs? Thanks to Feedspot and to  you, dear readers! It’s an honor to be included in such a group!

Print

Polish Yeast Buns with Blueberries (Jagodzianki)

  • Author: polishhousewife
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 45 min
  • Cook Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 16 buns
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Polish
Print

Description

Vanilla and lemon infused buns, filled with blueberries and topped with a lemon glaze!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 1 packet of dry yeast plus 1 teaspoon (30 g)
  • 2/3 cup milk, divided
  • 1/2 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • grated zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 rounded tablespoons powdered sugar for filling
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for glaze
  • equal amounts of water and lemon juice, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each

Instructions

  1. Rinse the berries and dry on a paper towel
  2. Heat the milk to 110 degrees F, put 4 tablespoon of the warm milk in a small glass or bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and the yeast, stir until dissolved, let sit for about 10 minutes, it should get a little foamy
  3. Add the butter to the pan with the remaining milk, heating just enough to melt the butter, cool to room temp
  4. Combine the flour, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, egg yolks, milk butter mixture, and the yeast mixture mixing with a wooden spoon or a dough hook, the batter should be quite thick, cover with a cloth and let rest for 15 minutes
  5. Turn out on a counter or pastry cloth and knead for literally, just a minute, place in a greased bowl, turning so the top of the dough is oiled too, cover and let rise until doubled in size, 45 minutes to an hour
  6. Punch the dough down, and divide into fourths, divide each piece into fourths again, giving you 16 rolls, using your hands, pat and pinch to shape each piece of dough into a circle about 4 inches in diameter
  7. Place blueberries on top of each roll, top berries with about 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar, dip your finger or a pastry brush in water and lightly brush the outside edge of each dough circle as you fold and pinch the edges together to seal, tucking all of your folds underneath the bun, place seam side down on a parchment line baking sheet pan, cover and let rest for 15 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  8. Bake for about 15 minutes, until nicely brown, remove from oven and mix the powdered sugar with the water and lemon juice to make a glaze, spead over lukewarm buns

Keywords: Polish bread blueberries bun roll Jagodzianki

Polish Yeast Buns with Blueberries - Jagodzianki #polishfood #polishrecipes #bread #blueberries #polishhousewie PolishHousewife.com

Truskawka z bitą śmietaną i bezy (Polish strawberries, whipped cream & meringue)

by 4 Comments

Truskawka z bitą śmietaną i bezy (Polish strawberries, whipped cream & meringue) is something I first sampled at Elzbieta’s home, my dear Polish friend with whom I’ve had so many fun culinary adventures. Spending the day in Swarzędz with Elzbieta always meant sharing at least one meal together and maybe a bike ride or paddling around the lake. One memorable day, Ela put together a delicious dessert made of diced strawberries, crumbled meringue kisses and whipped cream. Minimal ingredients and preparation provided maximum taste!

These are flavors and textures popular around the world. Think Pavlova, only easier. This recipe is also known as Eaton Mess, a dessert thought to originate at Eaton College in the late 1800s. I will contend that there was a Polish cook in the kitchen. 😉

I’m using purchased meringues, so this can literally be prepared in just a few minutes, rinse and dice strawberries, whip some cream, tu jest, there it is!

Truskawka z bitą śmietaną i bezy (Polish strawberries, whipped cream & meringue) need to be part of your summer! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. If I’ve tempted you to make this, please rate the recipe 5 stars in your comment. Dzieki! xxx

Smacznego!

Lois

Print

Truskawka z bitą śmietaną i bezy (Polish strawberries, whipped cream & meringue)

  • Author: polishhousewife
Print

Description

The flavor and texture of Pavlova without all the work!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 – 4 tablespoons powdered sugar (to taste)
  • 1 cup of diced strawberries
  • 1 cup of meginue kisses, crushed

Instructions

  1. Whip chilled cream with vanilla and powdered sugar until soft peaks form
  2. Option A: layer cream, then strawberries, and then crumbled meringue into individual serving dishes
  3. Option B: Combine cream, berries, and merginue, scoop to serve

 

 

Lody Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Ice Cream)

by 5 Comments

I have an important piece of foodie advice for you. When you visit Poland, you must eat ice cream, eat the ice cream at every opportunity. It’s just wonderful. While I’m trying to recreate a Polish ice cream, not too sweet, I can only get so close with this Lody Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Ice Cream) because I’m using American dairy products. I have nothing against Americnan dairy, but it’s just better in Poland. I’m not sure why. Smaller farms, less commercial production process? Different grass? Happier cows? I can’t say, but I found everything from ice cream to yogurt to cream cheese to just have more flavor.

Lody Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Ice Cream)

You’ll notice a theme here, the other main ingredient is peaches, in this case from our little Desert Gold peach tree. After peach cocktails, peach barbecue sauce, and peach cake, this batch of peach ice cream finished off the harvest.

Find some yummy peaches and try Lody Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Ice Cream).

Smacznego!

Lois

Print

Lody Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Ice Cream)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 min
  • Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 to 10 servings
Print

Description

Smooth and creamy with a light peach flavor

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoonflour
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 4 cups ripe peaches, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon or rum (optional)

Instructions

  1. Whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt until well combined
  2. Over medium heat, warm milk until it begins to steam, very slowly, add hot mixture to the eggs a tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition, as the cold egg mixute begins to warm, you can add a little more with each addition, but don’t rush it, you don’t want scrambled eggs
  3. Once it’s all combined, return to the saucepan, and over medium heat, stirring (from the bottom of the pot) constantly, cook for 15 – 20 minutes, it will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and you should be able to leave a clean trail by tracing your finger over the back of the spoon
  4. Remove from heat, cool, chill at least a couple of hours or overnight
  5. Puree peaches and add to custard, pour into ice cream freeze and process according to manufacturer instructions until firm, add bourbon or rum just before finished (don’t add too much, the alcohol will keep it from freezing)
  6. Move to the freezer for another hour or two before serving

Ciasto Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Cake)

by 28 Comments

Ciasto Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Cake) is just one of the many peach recipes I’ve made this week after picking about 5 pounds of peaches from our Desert Gold peach tree last Sunday. This variety ripens early and does well in the desert. The peaches are on the small side, but thet are so juicy and absolutely delicious. I’ve whipped up a peach cocktail and a peach barbecue sauce, and I’m not out of peaches yet!

I don’t know about you, may it depends on where one lives, but I’d gotten to the point where I’d stopped buying fresh peaches. I was just so tired of getting home with fruit that was so far from ripe and had no flavor at all. It seemed like baking with canned or frozen peaches was just more of a sure thing. You can imagine how happy I was to find I could grow peaches in Zone 9. I’ve taken to tieing paper lunch bags around the peaches about the time the birds become interested. It protects them for the last week or two while they ripen on the tree. I’m happy to share, but this seems to be the only way to insure that we get a few. I’m sure the birds went through more than an equal amount.

This is a pound cake like recipe, buttery but with a fluffly light texture, topped with sliced peaches. I made sort of a lattice pattern, but you can do whatever you like. Circles, lines, concentric squares. Like most Polish desserts, it’s not too sweet and emphasizes natural flavors, a nice treat after a meal or with a cup of tea or coffee. If you find some yummy ripe peaches, try making Ciasto Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Cake). You won’t be disappointed!

Smacznego!

Lois

Print

Ciasto Brzoskwiniowe (Peach Cake)

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 40 min
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 12 - 16 servings
Print

Description

A simple, delicious cake topped with sliced peaches

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2  cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, (or 1 teaspoon vinegar and milk to make 1/2 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups peeled and sliced peaches
  • powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Beat butter, add sugar and bear for a couple of minutes, add eggs one and a time and beat until light and fluffy, another 3 – 5 minutes
  3. Combine dry ingredients and add to batter alternating with buttermilk and vanilla
  4. Pour into prepared (greased and dusted with flour or use baking spray) 9 x 13 inch pan
  5. Top with sliced peaches and bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and top springs back when touched lightly
  6. Cool, lighty dust with powdered sugar before serving

Cherry Berry Pie

by 6 Comments

We have friends coming for dinner tonight, one of whom is originally from Bydgoszcz, PL. Our menu is mostly Polish: Barszcz with Krokiety, Żurek, Kotlet Schabowy, Silesian Dumplings,  cucumber salad, and a gołbaki casserole topped with mashed potatoes. For dessert, we’re going American. In planning our menu, I thought I would make two pies, one of them apple. But my pie baking was done the day before, on a Monday night, after a long day at work, and the thought of peeling and slicing apples after dinner didn’t sound appealing. So I decided to only do my other pie choice, a Cherry Berry Pie.

Cherry Berry Pie

I used three packages of frozen fruit, so this is something you can make any time of year. If you have a summertime abundance of inexpensive, fresh berries, even better.

It’s possible to make a pie crust in almost no time at all, but if you wanted to make this even faster, use two prepared circles of pastry. In that case, this could be assembled while you’re preheating the oven.

This was the first time I’ve used my Home Made cookie stamp. I saw a pie one of my blogging friends made using one. It seemed like such a nice touch that I wanted to add the stamp to my collection. I’ll have to work on my technique. It’s not easy to read.

The recipe is basically one that I’ve had for fifty years (a Pillsbury 3-ring binder cookbook) with an improvement from Rose Levy Berandaum, thicken fruit pies with corn starch, not flour, and lots of it. I love that after it’s cooled, I can slice this pie and the filling does not run all over the pie pan. After it’s set up, it stays put. It’s not too solid, it’s just right.

Smacznego!

Lois

Print
Cherry Berry Pie

Cherry Berry Pie

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
Print

Description

Quick and easy to make, this fruit pie is amazing!

Ingredients

  • Your favorite double pie crust recipe or purchased
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 5 tablespoons corn starch
  • Juice and zest of one lemon
  • 12 ounces frozen cherries
  • 24 ounces frozen mixed berries
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425
  2. Line an 8 or 9 inch pie pan with crust
  3. Combine 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest
  4. Add frozen berries and gently stir until well mixed
  5. Add berry mixture to pie pan
  6. Top with second pie crust
  7. Seal edges and make slits in the top crust
  8. Bake 20 minutes
  9. Brush top pie crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar
  10. Bake another 35 minutes
  11. If your berries were thawed when they went in the pie, it may be done at this point, the juices should be bubbling up and through the slits in the top crust
  12. If your berries were frozen, as mine were, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top to keep it from getting too brown
  13. Bake until juices are bubbling, about another 30 minutes
  14. Allow to cool several hours or over night before slicing.

 

 

 

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow

by Leave a Comment

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow is often one of the twelve traditional dishes for Christmas Eve or Wigilia in Poland. After simmering dried fruit, spices, and sugar or honey, the “broth” is strained off to served as a holiday beverage. The remaining, now re-hydrated fruit can be served as a stewed fruit, with yogurt, on oatmeal, or, I believe, some even serve it with pasta. I have to tell you, that I fixed this out of curiosity even though I didn’t expect to like Dried Fruit Compote. I half expected the fruit and liquid to taste like the canned fruit cocktail of my childhood. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, an elegant non-alcholic beverage for the holidaysI used in order of descending amounts: dried cherries, prunes, dried apples, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and it was delicious. The liquid (fruit broth) kompot was delicious, the fruit itself was wonderful, the spices really added to the taste without being overpowering. YUM!

So easy to make! Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow serve this Polish classic as is, or with oatmeal or yogurt, or even with pasta!

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow for Christmas Eve

In the interest of complete disclosure, I have never experienced a traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal or even Kompot z Suszonych Owocow until I made this batch. At a recent Girls Night for drinks and nibbles, the group asked me what Christmas was like in Poland. I confessed that we always came home to Tucson for Christmas with our family, so I hadn’t experienced it first hand, but from what I know of it, the huge family celebration involves decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, a little straw underneath the table cloth to remind everyone that Jesus was born in a manger. The meal is not eaten until the first star is seen, it consists of twelve (to represent the apostles) meatless dishes, including at least one soup. The soup(s) might be beet and/or mushroom. There may be a couple of fish dishes, herring is popular, and Jewish style carp. Makowiec, poppy seed roll is a popular dessert for Wigilia. After this feast, a midnight mass takes us from Advent to Christmas.

Quick and easy; Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, a Polish classic, to eat or drink!

Whether you drink or eat your Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, I think you’ll love it.

Smacznego!

Lois

 

Print

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owoców

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
Print

Description

Dried fruit and spices create a favorful winter drink

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds dried fruit, any variety
  • 1 cup sugar, or less to taste
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 cloves
  • 3 whole allspice

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer, cover
  2. Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes
  3. Cool
  4. Strain to serve as a beverage
  5. Serve fruit with or without liquid

 

Cranberry Orange Babka or Babka Zurawina z Pomarancza

by 3 Comments

When I was baking my way through a cake cookbook, a cake a week, Ed would often take cake to work while we were in Poland. One week, he was working at the other F-16 base in Poland, near Lask, so this group got to sample the weekly baking.

Tradition at this smaller base included all the pilots gathering for a tea break, so my contribution was perfect. The Polish pilots said the cake reminded them of a babka; they then went on to tell Ed that babka referred to a pretty girl.

Actually, it means grandmother. The yeast cake, which is usually baked in a bundt pan, is said to resemble a grandmother’s skirt, but I do appreciate their attempt to flatter the cook.

Cranberry Orange Babka or Bakba żurawina z pomarańczą - a wonderful tart sweet yeast bread, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Cranberry Orange Babka or Babka żurawina z pomarańczą is only the second babka I’ve made; it seemed like the perfect flavor combination for this time of year.

The recipe is adapted from the King Arthur website. With fresh and dried cranberries, the little red jewels, żurawina, are the predominate flavor. The yeast dough is light and tender, the perfect medium to convery the cranberry orange jam like mixture.

Whether you identify as a pretty girl or a grandmother, or a pretty grandmother (handsome grandfather?), I hope you’ll enjoy cranberry orange babka zurawina z pomarancza.

Smacznego!

Lois

Print

Cranberry Orange Babka żurawina z pomarańczą

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 3 hours 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 4 hours 30 mins
  • Yield: 1 loaf
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
Print

Description

A colorful and tart yeast bread

Ingredients

for the dough:

  • 1/2 cup lukewarm milk (110 F)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 egg egg
  • 3 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

for the filling:

  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Pour warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle with dried yeast and sugar
  2. Stir, let sit about 5 minutes, it should begin to get frothy
  3. Add egg, butter, vanilla, 1 teaspoon orange zest, flour, and salt, stir and knead until everything is incorporated into a smooth dough
  4. Lightly grease a bowl, put dough into bowl and turn over (to lightly grease the top), cover and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes
  5. Make the filling while the dough rises by adding orange juice, brown sugar, and all the cranberries to a saucepan
  6. Cook over medium low heat until the fresh cranberries begin to pop and the texture becomes jam-like
  7. Remove from heat, stir in buter, orange zest, and cinnamon, cool
  8. Roll out the dough to form a 12 inch x 14 inch rectangle
  9. Spread the cranberry mixture over the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch near one of the short ends bare
  10. Roll up the dough starting from the opposite side, pinch the edge without filling to seal the roll
  11. Slice in half lengthwise, place both halves next to each other with cut sides up, twist the two pieces around each other, keeping the cut sides up (if you study my photo, you’ll see I forgot this step)
  12. Pinch the ends together and place in a greased 9 inch x 5 inch loaf pan
  13. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it just begins to get higher than the pan
  14. Preheat over to 350
  15. Bake for 45 minutes (internal temp 190 F), loosley tenting with foil after 30 miinutes to keep it from getting too dark
  16. Rub the top with butter after baking to keep the crust soft
  17. Cook in the pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack
  18. Slice to serve

 

Dzem Malinowy (Raspberry Jam)

by 6 Comments

It seems the biggest controversy about making one’s own dzem malinowy is whether or not to leave the seeds. As you can see from the photo, I chose to go with seeds. To my mind, if I strain out the seeds and, therefore, the pulp too, I would be making jelly not jam, and I believe that some of the natural fruit pectin would be lost, requiring the addition of something to help it gel.

The fresh berries during the summer in Poland are fabulous. I would frequently pick up a carton or two from someone selling at a tram stop, not ours, a busier one where we often had to change trams. They were beautiful, ever so fresh and at 3 – 4 zl, about $1.

Dzem Malinowy, a delicious raspberry jam

The fun part of making one’s own dzem malinowy is deciding what else you might want to add. I’ve come across all kind of suggestions:

  • Mint
  • Vanilla
  • Red Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar
  • Rose Syrup
  • Rum or Brandy
  • Lavender (go easy on the lavender, too much, and it smells soapy)
  • Cranberry
  • Blackberries,
  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger

I chose to stir in a little brandy at the end. The flavors went well together, and it made this perfect jam to spread on nalesniki, Polish pancakes which are more like crepes than our American version of pancakes. What a sophisticated dessert or sweet for brunch.

Smacznego!

Lois

Print

Dzem Malinowy (Raspberry Jam)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: 6 to 8 1-cup jars
  • Cuisine: Polish
Print

Description

Easy to make and delicious, raspberry jam

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds raspberries
  • 2 – 4 cups sugar (depending on your tastes)
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 – 1 cup brandy (optional)

Instructions

  1. Put 6 to 8 1-cup jam jars and their lids in a pot of boiling water to sterilize them or run them through the dishwasher
  2. Put the raspberries and sugar in a large pan and cover, let sit for 3 hours or overnight to draw out the juice
  3. Add lemon juice and bring to a boil, stirring
  4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes
  5. Remove from heat and cool
  6. Again bring the jam up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer of 10 – 20 minutes
  7. You can test the consistency of your jam by putting a small plate in the freezer for 5 minutes to chill, put a small spoon of hot jam on the plate, let it sit for about 30 seconds, tip the plate on its side, if it runs, it needs to cook longer, if it gels and moves only slightly, it’s ready
  8. Remove from the heat
  9. Add the optional brandy if you’re using it
  10. While still hot, pour or ladle into the clean jars, wipe any spills of the rim of the jars, and seal tightly
  11. Put the jars in a pot, fill with at least 2 inches of water, bring to a boil, and let simmer for 10 minutes
  12. Remove the jars from the pot and cool
  13. As the jars cool, you’ll hear popping sounds, as the lids seal, there should be no give in the lids
  14. I’ve never had it happen, but if you have a jar with a lid that didn’t seal perfectly, put it in the fridge and eat this one first

 

Kompot a Homemade Fruit Drink

by 17 Comments

I was only served kompot once during my stay in Poland. We were in Nowe Wioska for a ceremony honoring American airmen in their area during World War II. Ed was asked to represent the U.S. government at the event. It was a moving experience, and you can  read more about it in this post. Everyone in attendance was served a hearty lunch (obiad) after, and cherry kompot was on the tables. It was delicious.

Kompot

You may be familiar with the dessert of stewed fruit known as compote, however, this kompot is a drink made from stewed fruits and popular in central and eastern Europe.

I think it’s fair to say that kompot has about half the sugar of soda, but it’s main selling point would be the very few and all natural ingredients. You know what’s in it, and that is a good thing. The other thing than makes this better for you is the Polish sense of portion control. We drank from little IKEA glasses, probably 8 ounces. There were no Big Gulps of kompot.

Kompot is something you can make year round. Make it in the summer to use up an abundance of inexpensive, fresh fruit. Make it in the winter with dried fruits. The possible combinations are endless and every batch will be a little different.

The basic proportions are a gallon of water, a cup of sugar, a pound to a pound and a half of fruit.

Enjoy!

Lois

Amazon sends me a few cents if you make a purchase via the links above

Print
Kompot

Kompot a Homemade Fruit Drink

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
Print

Description

A healthy fruit drink

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 10 dried apricots
  • 1 apple, cored and sliced
  • 6 ounces raspberries
  • 6 ounces blueberries

Instructions

  1. Add the sugar to the water in a large pan
  2. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves
  3. Add apricots and apple
  4. Simmer for 15 minutes
  5. Add berries
  6. Return to boil and remove from heat
  7. Cool

Notes

The next time I use blueberries, I will muddle them to allow more juice to escape while steeping.

IMG_2972