Ceresnova Bublanina on Martha Stewart Living Radio

As most of you know, I was featured on Martha Stewart Living radio on Sirius Satellite radio today.  I was on the air with the lovely Mario Bosquez, former CBS anchor, food extraordinaire and author of "The Chalupa Rules."  Besides having great radio presence, he was easy to get along with and we conversed comfortably on air.  It really was a pleasure!  Here's the recording.

The show was especially gratifying because I had the opportunity to bring in a live sample of one of my dishes.  And being that I'm a proud Slovak, I shared a beloved cherry cake dessert called Ceresnova Bublanina.  Mario loved it - and went so far as to declare it "irrisistible." The producers also took enthusiastic bites and remarked about the "explosion of cherry flavor." I'm so glad it was a hit!

If you'd like to make it at home, here's the recipe.  The beauty behind it is that it's really simple to make, only costing you under an hour to prepare and bake.  If you don't have sour cherries for the filling, you can try other berries or even canned apricots.  I hope that you too can enjoy this yummy, moist treat.

Ceresnova Bublanina - Slovak Cherry Cake

This airy cherry cake has been enjoyed in my family on many occasions. Whether for birthdays or casual get togethers, we always grace the table (and our guests’ tastebuds) with bublanina. Even our American friends love it and have fun pronouncing the whimsical name. Say it – “Boob-lah-nhi-nah.”

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 ¼ cup milk (whole milk is best)
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
5 eggs (separate yolks and whites)
¼ cup of unsalted margarine or butter
1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of white flour bread crumbs (extra fine)
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of lemon rind
2 cups of pitted cherries (preserved wild cherries are better because they have more flavor, but make sure to drain them well)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 370-375 degrees.Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks, melted butter and mix well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and bread crumbs. Add to wet ingredients.

Beat the egg whites to form stiff peaks. Gently fold into the batter. Spread onto a greased baking sheet, lightly dusted with flour.
Toss pitted cherries in some flour and fluff up with your hands. Take the cherries and place them into the batter in a symmetrical pattern (or asymmetrical if you prefer). They soak into the batter quickly so work fast.

Bake for 30 min or when it passes the clean toothpick test. Let cool, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.

In addition to this recipe, I also talked about Zenon Taverna's Cypriot Pastichio.  Here's the recipe for your reference.  You need to devote some time to make it, but the payoff is big!

Zenon Taverna's Pastichio with a Cypriot Twist

I love Greek food! And how could you not living in a neighborhood like ours, so rich in Greek culture.  There are many Greek food favorites I've acquired over the years of living in Astoria, but none compare to the indulgence of a wonderful pasta dish called Pastichio. 

What exactly is Pastichio?

Simply put, Pastichio is a Greek-style lasagna - a layered pasta dish with ground meat (pork or lamb) topped with rich bechamel sauce and salty halloumi cheese. It's very similar to moussaka except that instead of layers of eggplant, it uses a hollow noodle pasta you can get in a specialty foods store or even a local supermarket these days.

Yesterday was my first time making Pastichio and it went pretty well.  Although you have to block out a solid chunk of time when making this, the results are worth it.  It not only looks beautiful, you'll also feel proud once you bite into its delicious contents.  I was especially happy to share it with my family today, and sure enough it passed my discerning father's taste test. "Very good Judika," he said.  He then packed more of it into a Tupperware dish for tomorrow's lunch.  I have yet to give it to a native Greek for a true taste test, but I'll get to that when the time is right.

The recipe for this dish was generously given to me by a local Greek restaurant favorite, Zenon Taverna.  A true family establishment, all dishes are made from family recipes and the matriarch of the kitchen herself makes the Pastichio.  I very much appreciate their willingness to share this recipe and I hope my efforts made them proud.

Zenon Taverna's Pastichio with a Cypriot Twist

Ingredients (serves 8-10)
1 package of “Misko” Greek pasta #2
1 ½ lb of ground pork
1 piece of ½ lb halloumi cheese, grated
1 cup of flour
Small bunch of parsley, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper (to taste)
½ tsp of nutmeg
4 cups of milk (whole or low-fat)
8 oz of butter and more for greasing your baking dish
½ cup vegetable oil (soybean oil is recommended)
1 tbs mint
3 tbs of tomato paste
2 eggs

Directions:

Boil water for the pasta and add some salt to it. After the pasta has cooked, drain and cool to stop the cooking process.

Pour vegetable oil in a medium-high heat frying pan and sautee the onion until soft and translucent. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the ground pork. Stir until meat is cooked through and brown. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as a small bunch of chopped parsley and the tomato paste. Stir until tomato paste has dissolved. Drain the cooked meat to eliminate excess oil.

Pour milk into a sauce pan and warm on low heat (be careful not to let it boil). Add the nutmeg.

In the same pan you used to cook the meat, add the butter and let it melt on medium-low heat. Add the flour, a pinch of salt and 3 tbs of grated halloumi cheese. Mix thoroughly so that the raw flour dissipates in the butter. Stir for 3-5 minutes until the flour cooks and lower the flame to avoid bubbling. Add the warm milk and mix continuously until it boils. Remove from flame and stir it a bit. Add the eggs and continue to mix until incorporated. Now you have your béchamel sauce.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and butter a deep baking dish.

Now go back to the cooled pasta and add the mint, 3 tbs of grated halloumi, 1 tbs of the cooked meat and 2 tbs of béchamel sauce. Incorporate this with your hands.

Pour half of prepared pasta on the bottom of your baking dish. Add the meat to fully cover the pasta and then add the rest of the pasta to cover the meat. Cover the top layer of pasta with béchamel sauce and make sure it’s fully covered so the pasta doesn’t burn. Add grated halloumi cheese on top and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the béchamel darkens on top.