Kasha to Take Your Troubles Away

There is an idiomatic phrase in Russian, zavarit kashu. It means, literally, to cook kasha (cereal grains). But figuratively it means “to stir up trouble.”  Interestingly, the following recipe for Gurievskaya kasha, if followed properly, will have exactly the opposite effect – something to keep in mind what with Valentine’s Day just around the corner. 

Gurievskaya kasha is not your typical hearty, buttery Russian kasha, like grechnevaya (buckwheat) or pshennaya (wheat berry). Rather, Gurievskaya kasha is an exquisite hot dessert crafted from multiple layers of mannaya (semolina) kasha. 

It’s true that mannaya kasha is not exactly a revered food among older and middle-aged Russians. It was the ubiquitous meal forced upon them every morning by anxious parents. Hence the popular idiom in response to someone’s attempt to force something on you:  “Why do you stuff me with this as if it were mannaya kasha?”

Little do these parents and children know ... If they took time to study the history of Russian cuisine, they would learn that mannaya kasha is a welcome addition to the most refined Russian meals – it just takes the right recipe and a competent cook.

The recipe goes back to Count Dmitry Guriev (1751-1825), who was, for a time, Russian Minister of Finance and a cabinet secretary. Less known for his achievements on the economic front, Guriev was a gourmand and a culinary expert. As director of the Imperial Porcelain Plant, he even had a famous porcelain service designed and named after him. 

Guriev’s dinners were considered to be the best in Moscow. He had a knack for inventions and, according to a biography published in 1907, produced “extraordinary pates and cutlets.” But cutlets or no cutlets, it was a simple kasha that would carry this otherwise unremarkable bureaucrat’s name down to the present day.

Legend has it that Guriev first tasted this kasha dessert at a dinner held at the estate of a retired Major Yurisovsky. Count Guriev was so amazed by its taste that he bought the creator of the dish, Yurisovsky’s chef Zakhar Kuzmin. According to custom, the kasha was henceforth named Gurievskaya, after the person in whose home it was served.

Fame soon found Gurievskaya kasha and it became a standard dessert at dinners of the Russian nobility. Yet the recipe and ingredients make the dish quite accessible for untitled (and modern-day) persons as well. So if you need to please a loved one (or stop some kasha that has gotten stirred up), this is just the ticket.

Gurievskaya Kasha

INGREDIENTS

1 quart whole milk (plus more, as needed) 

1 cup regular (not instant) semolina (Cream of Wheat) 

Pinch of salt 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

N cup sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

1 egg white, lightly beaten

H c. chopped walnuts or almonds

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 cups chopped fresh peaches, apricots or cherries 

(one 16-oz can of fruit in heavy syrup may be substituted for the fresh fruit, in which case it is not necessary to make a sugar syrup)

G cup light brown sugar

12 ounces dried apricots

I cup sugar

4 cups water

H cup madeira.

Gurievskaya kasha is traditionally made using milk skins, though it is still delicious without them. If you want to try making the milk skins, preheat the oven to 475o F. Pour the milk into a shallow pan and bake it until it begins to turn golden and a skin forms on top. Carefully transfer the skin to a buttered plate. Repeat the process until you have 3-4 skins.

Lower the oven heat to 350o F. and toast the nuts on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to let them burn.

If you have made the milk skins, measure the milk remaining in the pan and pour it into a large, heavy saucepan. Add enough more milk to make 1 quart. (If you haven’t made the skins, simply pour 1 quart of milk into the saucepan.) Stir in the Cream of Wheat and salt and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the lightly beaten egg white.

While the Cream of Wheat is cooking, make a sugar syrup by boiling the sugar and water together over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the fruit and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

To make the sauce, place the dried apricots, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apricots are soft. Then puree the mixture in a food processor or blender. Stir in the madeira. 

To assemble the dessert, spread a 1-inch layer of Cream of Wheat in the bottom of a lightly greased ovenproof serving dish. Top with a milk skin, then a layer of the fruit in syrup.  Repeat the layers. Sprinkle the top with the toasted nuts and the brown sugar. Place the kasha briefly under the broiler until the sugar melts and turns golden. 

For a final touch of elegance, place a pool of warm apricot sauce on each plate and top with a serving of the kasha. 

Yield: 4 servings.

This month’s cuisine page sponsored by Red Square restaurant. Alexander Filin,

Executive Chef.