Notes about Recipes in this book

• Summer’s milk soup (Piena dārzeņu zupa)

  • adrienneyoung on August 08, 2022

    This is a very gentle soup. I loved it as a child, and it is still wonderful, making it for the first time as an adult. Don't feel tied to the recipe too much. If you don't have asparagus, try a bit of corn. Fresh baby veg are the point -- whatever fresh baby veg you have. It's also nice to put a soupspoonful of basmati rice in the milk -- it will be cooked by the time the soup is done. And it's nice to add a bit of good butter (it will melt and give you little puddles of bright yellow skimming across the surface of your soup). Salt and pepper carefully to taste, and don't be surprised if the 1/2 tsp of salt recommended in the recipe is not nearly enough.

• Rhubarb crumble cake (Rabarberu plātsmaize)

  • lkgrover on June 13, 2020

    Excellent rhubarb cake with cinnamon spice; it has a tangy sweetness. However, it is made in four layers which creates a very messy kitchen.

• Sauerkraut, barley & pork soup (Hapukapsasaupp / Skābētu kāpostu zupa / Raugintų kopūstų sriuba)

  • Lepa on September 26, 2023

    This is pretty good. I didn't trust the directions, which instructed me to add raw onions and carrots to the broth, so I sauted them first. This is similar to a pork, sorrel and barley recipe I love from Amber and Rye, which I probably like better.

• Roast carrot soup, smoked cheese, rye crumble

  • RachaelN on February 09, 2024

    This is easy to make and so delicious.

  • jungliemonkey on October 28, 2020

    I have made this three times now and it's a definite hit! Benefits from a bit more smoked cheese than the recipe says, and the rye crumble takes a while longer than the stated time to get to a good crunch...

• Fish in beetroot sauce, parsnip purée, brown butter & spruce

  • Kduncan on March 20, 2020

    The potato-parsnip puree is amazing, and really makes this recipe. The beetroot sauce had the color but not the flavor of the beets. Mine, using the cooktime in the recipe, was still very thin, so I might not have reduced it enough. One really needs the spruce or caper butter (used capers for this round), to make it pop. I also forgot to get dill which probably didn't help. Will totally make the potato-parsnip puree again though, used it the next night under some pork medallions and a spicy sauce, which it went great with.

• Curd cheese (Varškė / Biezpiens / Kodujuust)

  • Kduncan on March 12, 2020

    Easy curd cheese recipe that isn't that complex. The curds don't have much flavor and aren't that interesting by themselves though.

• Curd pancakes with sour cream & blackcurrant jam (Blyneliai su varške (grietine bei juodųjų serbentų uogiene) / Kohupiimapannkoogid / Biezpiena plācenīši)

  • Kduncan on March 12, 2020

    The biggest problem I had with this recipe, is the amount of milk. I had to triple the milk amount in order to get the pancakes to be pankcake-e and spread on the pan. The serving size is for, as in only 4 pancakes, which is not really enough for 4 people.

• Zeppelins (Cepelinai/didžkukuliai / Cepelinai)

  • Kduncan on April 26, 2020

    Well these did not come out as planned. Making the zeppelins was pretty easy, but the cooking is what tripped me up. We ended up with little meat patties with a side of potatoes, due to the fact we didn't turn the heat down in the pot while cooking them. All that aside, the bacon-mushroom-onion-sour cream sauce is heavenly and I would put it on anything.

• Pelmeņi

  • Kduncan on June 26, 2020

    Actually a pretty easy recipe, just need to let the dough rest. We really enjoyed this, but agreed it would have been much better on a cold day with the hot stock.

• Smoked fish & celeriac remoulade on sourdough

  • jenburkholder on September 17, 2022

    Quite a pleasant salad. The celeriac and smoked fish complement each other well, and the whole thing comes together quickly and keeps well.

• Chilled beetroot soup (Šaltibarščiai / Aukstā zupa / Külm peedisupp)

  • jenburkholder on June 23, 2021

    I liked this. It was refreshing and pleasant, if nothing incredible. I roasted the beets instead of boiling them, because boiling is such a grim method in comparison. I fried potatoes and dropped them in - would definitely recommend that.

• Hakklihakaste (Maltās gaļas mērce / Maltos mėsos padažas)

  • jenburkholder on August 11, 2020

    Quite good, in a cozy, plain sort of way. Tastes like Estonia.

• Estonian barley & potato porridge (Mulgi puder / Bukstiņbiezputra)

  • jenburkholder on January 03, 2021

    Tasty and so cozy - not fancy food, but good food. Needs some bright accompaniments. I used salted cucumbers and sauerkraut.

• Black bread (Leib / Rūginė duona / Rupjmaize)

  • jenburkholder on June 26, 2020

    Tasty, but not quite like the breads in Estonia. Next time will try adding molasses to make it a bit darker and sweeter. Also, did not need the amount of rising time stated. ETA: I've made this recipe about a dozen times now, and it's much, much better with half of the brown sugar replaced by molasses. I also up the caraway, and add a generous pinch of cocoa powder to darken the bread and make the flavor a bit more complex. With that, and a well-aged starter, this comes very close to some of the breads I've had in Estonia. ETA 2: Even better with a tablespoon or two of red rye malt powder stirred in (red rye malt can be bought at brewer’s supply stores). Truly my favorite loaf of bread, and his method is easier than many.

• Poppy & ginger cookies

  • jenburkholder on December 15, 2023

    The loser of the cookie boxes. The orange didn’t have enough punch to assert itself against the rich poppyseeds; I’ll stick to lemons as my trusty pairing.

• Rhubarb kissel (Rabarbarų kisielius L / Ķīselis / Kissell)

  • jenburkholder on August 11, 2020

    Refreshing, and not all too sweet despite the generous sugar. Good as is or thinned with a little vodka for an adult dessert. The viscous texture may not be to everyone's taste, however.

• Rye & carrot pies (Sklandrauši)

  • Hansyhobs on November 19, 2021

    Love the rye pastry. I accidentally mashed the potato and carrot together but I don't think it made much of a difference to the recipe.