Fiddlehead Fern Salad

This recipe is another experiment with fiddlehead fern salad. The first one was a complete fiasco. This time it was dashed off intuitively, with Asian cuisine in mind. To my taste, it turned out quite well. If you are in this particular mood, follow me...

Slightly Chocolate Coffee Cake

This coffee cake has a rich and crumbly chocolate crust and a fluffy inside with a hint of chocolate and nuttiness. The basic recipe for the batter comes from Rose's Heavenly Cakes, a book with amazing photography and recipes that are as good as they look. But the crust invention and the flavorings are all my own :)
Actually, I was not planning on baking this weekend, but my good friend (also named Masha) who was visiting said: "Masha, cook something sweet." So I did, with lots of help from her, and even more giggles from both of us. As much as I enjoy cooking, doing it with somebody else is infinitely more fun. But alas, I only got a chance to take a picture of the final product.
Is your sweet tooth aching yet? Let's see how it's done!

Quick Olady - Mini Buttermilk Pancakes

Olady (pronounced [aladyi]) is one of many Russian traditional flour treats, usually served for breakfast. There are classic and simple olady. Classic are made with yeast, and simple are made with baking soda and buttermilk or sour cream. Today's recipe is fast and simple, the final product is light and airy, and just begs to be eaten. Sounds good? Let's go!

Ginger and Shiitake Pork

Mushrooms, ginger, and pork - a perfect combination of flavors with an Eastern twist. This recipe is inspired by Japanese cooking, but does not require any rare ingredients (because I was too lazy to travel to Manhattan for a visit to a Japanese grocery). And I don't regret it, because this pork dish lacks absolutely nothing. It is also not difficult to prepare and requires only 30 minutes to marinate the meat. After this dinner, I am sitting here for once utterly satisfied with myself and life.
All in all, it is rewarding to be a carnivore.

Ready to join me in my kitchen?

Korean-Style Steak

After 40 days of veganism during the Russian Orthodox Lent, I am a true carnivore again! The idea for this recipe - a steak with a marinade that includes pureed fruit - comes from my boss, who has spent some years in Japan and is more in tune with Asian olfactory sensibilities than me. Pureed fruits are traditionally used in Korean marinades and for good reasons. They add the characteristic tinge of sweetness to the meat, and the acidity present in some fruit can help tenderize the meat.

This recipe includes my improvised take on a Korean marinade. No doubt, there are many ways to skin a cat, but I found this particular combination of ingredients to have the right balance of salt, acidity, sweetness and character. Ready for some meat?