■CHEF'S CORNER “Ded Slava Blini” Holidays are about family. The people who seem to never get along are also the same people who can’t imagine spending the holidays apart. We gather to be thankful, to be joyous, but most of all to be together, to be near, to share meals, to share movie nights, open gifts, tell stories. Some are lucky to live close to family, but so many of us, especially NYC transplants live miles away, sometimes oceans away. We are separated because of jobs, school, and more often then you think by immigration. During the holidays, not all families can hop on a plane and gather for Christmas, bound by unfair visa regulations, by war torn borders, by poverty. When my family immigrated to the US, which we call Ded Slava our home now, the rest of the family couldn’t make it. The devastating politics and economy prevented us from visiting for many years. Although as the years went by it got easier, coming from a tight knit family, the holidays were especially difficult to bare. On New Year’s Eve 1990 my grandpa Ded Slava gave me a small Christmas tree ornament to hang on my new tree in my new home. We boarded a midnight train that night bound for freedom. To this day I’ve kept it and always put it at the top of the tree every year. He passed away this November and we didn’t get to say goodbye. Ded Slava was a war hero, fought the Nazis, was a great father and husband, and was one of those granddads that made childhood magical for us kids. Besides making toys for us from scratch and always telling stories, he loved to cook for us. Weekend brunches with him were legendary. In his tiny Soviet kitchen, with limited ingredients and resources he created outrageous meals to help fill the house with holiday cheer. RIP Dedushka Slava, we love you and are grateful for you. I created a special blini recipe inspired by memory of his brunch creations. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, be grateful for the family you have, near and far. Love each other and share some cozy meals together. Happy New Year, friends! Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky Executive Chef and Owner of Bear Restaurant 12-14 31st Ave., LIC www.bearnyc.com I www.ChefNatasha.com CHEF NATASHA POGREBINSKY “Ded Slava Sugar Blini” (Dedushka “Ded” is Russian for Grandpa) Ingredients 3 teaspoons of granulated white sugar 4 cups flour 1/3 cup melted butter - extra butter for cooking 5 cups buttermilk Pinch of salt Blueberries (frozen is ok.) Fruit juice (cranberry or apple) 4 teaspoons of honey Zest of 1 mandarin Heavy sour cream Make ahead: In a sauce pan, bring to a boil 2 cups of blueberries and 2 cups of juice. Simmer until the juice cooks down to 1/4 cup , add the honey, add the mandarin zest. It should form into a syrup. Cool it down and store it in a jar for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Batter: Sift the flower into a mixing bowl and add milk, salt and whisk to form pancake batter. (Add more milk if it’s too thick, add more flour if it’s too runny.) It should be “pancake” consistency. Fill a teaspoon with sugar and hold over open flame until it bubbles and begins to brown. When it’s almost dark brown, add it to the melted butter. Repeat with 2 more spoons. Add the butter and burnt sugar mixture to the batter. Fold in until smoothly incorporated. Butter up a 9” frying pan (or a crepe pan). Ladle the batter in and tilt the pan to coat the surface. On medium heat wait for the batter to bubble. When holes start forming in the pancake and the sides begin to separate from the pan it’s safe to flip. Repeat until out of batter. Stack the pancakes with an extra piece of butter in between and cover to keep warm. Fold together 2 cups of sour cream with 2 teaspoons of the blueberry syrup you made. Roll the blini up into cigars, drizzle with sour cream syrup and enjoy!
LIC122015
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