Top and center: This American Flag Cake is easy to make (photos courtesy TheKitchyKitchen.com). Bottom: You’ll need nine eggs for the cake (photo courtesy Organic Valley).

We’re very fond of American flag cakes for Memorial Day and Independence Day. Check out these cakes on Pinterest.

Many of them require the skills of a pastry chef, but you can make a sheet cake that’s easy to ice and decorate, and tastes just as wonderful.

This recipe was sent to us by Claire Thomas of TheKitchyKitchen.com. An airy sponge cake is topped with cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit.

The recipe makes one 9” x 13” sheet cake or two 10” round layers.
 
RECIPE: AMERICAN FLAG SHEET CAKE

For The Sponge Cake

 
For The Cream Cheese Frosting

 
For The Decoration

This may look like a lot of steps, but each step is very easy.

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350F°. Move the rack to the lower third of the oven. Grease or spray a nonstick 9” x 13” pan and line the bottom with parchment. Grease the paper as well.

2. SIFT the flour, half of the sugar (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) and salt into a bowl; set aside.

3. CAREFULLY separate the egg whites from the yolks and whip the whites with the whisk attachment in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, just until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and whisk until soft peaks form. Add 3/4 cup sugar in a steady stream, whisking until you have thicker, stiffer, glossy peaks—about 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Scoop the mixture into a VERY large bowl and set aside.

4. WIPE out the bowl you used for the egg whites, and beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until thick and pale yellow—about 2-3 minutes. Add the water and beat until thickened, about 4 minutes: the yolks should be very thick and pale. Pour the yolk mixture over the whites and gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle a third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture; fold to combine. Repeat two more times, just until all the ingredients are incorporated.

5. GENTLY POUR the batter into the pan and level the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top springs back slightly when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean. Invert the pan onto a cooling rack and cool for about 45 minutes.

7. MAKE the frosting. Chill a metal or glass bowl in the fridge, then add the cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-beat the cream or it will curdle (that’s how cream is churned into butter). Set aside.

8. MIX the cream cheese, salt, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until very smooth (if you have one, use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment). Fold in the whipped cream, one third at a time. If you aren’t frosting the cake right away, keep the frosting in the fridge and let it warm up on the counter for 20 minutes prior to using.

9. PLACE the cake on a serving platter. Spread the frosting about 1/2 inch thick with a spatula. Create the “stars” in a square in the top left corner with the blueberries, and place the red fruits in “stripes.”
 
MORE MEMORIAL DAY RECIPES

To find appropriate recipes for each holiday, pull down the “Holidays & Occasions” menu at the right of the title of this article.

[1] Pelmeni with Russia’s favorite herb, dill (photos #1 and 32 Amazon).

[2] Meat stuffing in a pelmeni mold (photo Amazon).

[3] Ready to cook (photo © Mums Prefer).

[4] A package of Popkoff’s Pelmeni. Check out recipes here (photos #1 through #6 © Popkoff’s).

[5] Pelmeni in miso soup.

[6] Pelmeni in mushroom sauce (recipe below).

You may have had Polish pillow pasta—pierogi—but how about their Russian cousin, pelmeni (pell-MEN-ee).

As with dumplings the world over—including ravioli—a simple dough rolled out and stuffed with beef, cheese, chicken, mutton, pork, seafood, or vegetables. Or, they can be a blend: A traditional recipe combines beef, mutton, and pork. In Europe, add some garlic, onions, and pepper to the mix.
 
 
1. THE HISTORY OF PELMENI

Historians agree that pelmeni originated among the indigenous Siberian people and later became part of Russian cuisine; they are also called Siberian dumplings in Russia. The word translates to “ear bread”: The bite-size dumplings can be seen as little ear pasta (although not nearly as ear-like as Italian orrechietti, which have the advantage because they aren’t stuffed).

Pelmeni were a particularly good way to preserve meat during the six months of Siberian winter, with temperatures as low as -47°F and snow on the ground through April. It became a tradition in Siberia households to make thousands of pelmeni as soon as temperatures fell below freezing, in November. Long before electric refrigeration, Siberians had natural refrigeration, i.e., in an unheated barn or shed. A bonus: Livestock could be harvested before the freeze, eliminating the cost to feed them over the long winter.

Pelmeni have evolved from labor-intensive food prepared by housewives to quality frozen versions to the Russian student substitute for instant ramen noodles!
 
Pelmeni Cousins

European stuffed boiled dumplings may be a simplified version of Chinese wontons. The list of cousins includes Chinese jiaozi, Georgian khenkali, Italian ravioli, Japanese gyoza, Jewish kreplach, Korean mandu, Middle Eastern shishbarak, Mongolian bansh, Nepalese and Tibetan momo, Polish uszka, Turkish and Kazakh manti, Ukrainian vareniki and Uzbek chuchvara, among others.
 
 
2. EASTERN EUROPEAN DUMPLINGS: THE DIFFERENCE

In the U.S., the term pierogi is often used to describe every type of Eastern European dumpling. Of course, there are differences: in shape, size, and thickness of dough (these are the differences between all dumplings, as well as cooking technique: boiled versus fried, boiled in water vs. broth or stock).

 
 
3. MAKE THEM OR BUY THEM FROM POPKOFF

Similar to making ravioli, you can short-cut the process by purchasing a pelmeni mold in plastic or aluminum—and make other types of stuffed pasta with it.

Or, look for a good brand. We recently tried Popkoff’s, and were very pleased. Use the store locator to find the nearest retailer.
 
 
POPKOFF’S PELMENI & VARENIKI

These delicious dumplings, full of Old World flavor, are easy to prepare. It takes just 5 minutes from boiling water to plate. The simplest preparation is a traditional one: butter and sour cream, with fresh dill.

The dumplings can be served as an appetizer, side, or main dish. Or, add a bit of smoked salmon and caviar for a luxurious hors d’oeuvre.

Why do Popkoff’s pelmeni taste so good?

Their “farm to frozen” pelmeni and vareniki are made from 100% all-natural ingredients from the best vendors: King Arthur Flour, Mary’s Free Range Chicken, Meyer Natural Angus Beef, Marcho Farms Veal, and Good Nature All-Natural Pork. All ingredients are domestic and the dumplings are made in California and are packaged in GoGreen sustainable packaging.

The meats are antibiotic-free and hormone-free, and the fruits and vegetables are locally grown and non-GMO. There are no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

We tried four varieties of pelmeni, all so good that we can’t wait to try the vareniki. Traditionally, pelmeni are filled with meat, and vareniki, a Ukrainian variation, were filled with cheese or vegetables; vareniki are larger, like ravioli. Popkoff’s choices:
 
 
Pelmeni Varieties

 
Vareniki Varieties

Pick a topping, pick a sauce. Some of these are traditional, and some reflect modern tastes.
 
Toppings

 
Sauces

 
You can also add pelmeni to broths and green salads. They are traditionally boiled; vareniki can be boiled or pan-fried.

Also, check out our 50 ways to serve pierogi and adapt them to pelmeni.
 
 
5. RECIPE: PELMENI IN MUSHROOM SAUCE

You can make this recipe from Chef James Bailey from scratch (recommended), or take a shortcut with canned cream of mushroom soup.

It’s a variation of the famous Russian dish that originated in the mid-19th-century rage, Beef Stroganoff, which has a sauce made with sour cream (smetana in Russian).

Prep time is 15 minutes, and cook time is 20 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. MELT the butter over medium heat; add onions and cook until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms; stir and cook for 3-5 minutes until the mushrooms have softened.

2. ADD the beef broth and cook over medium heat until the liquid is slightly reduced. Add the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is combined.

3. BRING a large pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Carefully add Popkoff’s Beef Pelmeni and cook for 5 minutes until cooked through. Drain and reserve.

4. MIX in sour cream and chopped parsley into mushroom stroganoff, portion dumplings onto plates, and top with sauce, optional toppings, and dill garnish.
 
 
6. DESSERT PELMENI & VARENIKI

Pelmeni stuffed with delicate farmer’s cheese is a charming dessert or a sweet lunch.

Vareniki are typically used for dessert because the cheese can be sweetened. Cheese pelmeni has no sweetener.

But with sweet toppings, you won’t even notice. We enjoy dessert pelmeni with a few of the following:

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[2] Conventional American cole slaw with mayonnaise (photo © Blu Restaurant | NYC [alas, now closed]).

[3] Vietnamese fish sauce (photo © Red Boat).

So many slaws, so little time! On summer weekends, we try different slaw recipes and different potato salads.

When made without mayonnaise, cole slaw is a very low-calorie food, and cabbage is an antioxidant-packed cruciferous vegetable. That’s what you’ll find in the Asian-style slaw recipe below.

Today’s tip also highlights a relatively unfamiliar ingredient to Americans, fish sauce. But first:
 
 
WHAT’S A SLAW & WHY IS IT “COLE?”

Long a part of the culinary repertoire, “koolsla,” short for “koolsalade,” means cabbage salad in Dutch; Dutch travelers to the New World made the dish with local cabbage. Instead of being torn into bite-size pieces like lettuce salad, the cabbage was thinly sliced or shredded.

Cabbage, the “kool,” is pronounced “cole.” “Sla” is short for “salade.” The term got anglicized in the 18th century as cole slaw (and sometimes, cold slaw).

In English, “slaw” came to specify a salad of shredded vegetables. Over time, shredded cabbage slaw was joined by carrot slaw and more recently, broccoli slaw and shaved Brussels sprouts slaw.
 
 
WHAT IS FISH SAUCE?

Called nam pla in Thai and nuoc mam (“salted fish water”) in Vietnamese, fish sauce is an amber-hued condiment prepared from fermented anchovies and salt. An umami flavor lauded as “the fifth taste” after sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, fish sauce is a major ingredient and condiment in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.

Numerous brands are imported to the U.S., including Red Boat Fish Sauce.
 
Umami, The Fifth Taste

Fish sauce provides a flavor known as umami, often explained as savory or brothy.

We consume “umami foods” every day: anchovy paste, asparagus, beef stew, bouillon, cured ham, ketchup, lamb shank, miso sauce and soup, MSG, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, ripe and sun-dried tomatoes, soy sauce, steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce, among others.
 
European Garum & Colatura Di Alici

Umami and fish sauce are also part of Western culture. Beginning in Greece and appearing in nearly every ancient Roman recipe as early as the 7th and 8th centuries B.C.E., garum, a fermented fish sauce, was the universal condiment used to add flavor to food.

As ketchup (and more lately, hot sauce) is to American fare, as soy sauce is to Chinese cuisine, the favorite condiment in ancient Rome was garum, an anchovy sauce. It involved into colatura di alici, juice of anchovies, still popular in Italy. It’s also called anchovy sauce or anchovy syrup; the latter is inaccurate, as a syrup is a thick, viscous liquid.

As strange as “anchovy juice” may sound, colatura is an aromatic condiment that enhances any dish, adding flavor without fuss.

Colatura (the word comes from the Latin colare, to strain) is made by curing anchovies with salt and extracting the free-run liquid that drains from them. It’s a laborious and painstaking process to create a truly artisan food. Different brands are imported from Italy.
 
The History Of Worcestershire Sauce

Things came full circle in the 19th century when British sea captain Henry Lewis Edwardes (1788–1866) brought the recipe for a fish sauce condiment home after travels in India. It somehow got to John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, two dispensing chemists (pharmacists) in Worcester, England, who created the first “umami sauce” (Worcestershire Sauce) sold commercially in England, in 1837.

Here are more uses for fish sauce, colatura di alici, or whatever you choose to call it.

RECIPE: VIETNAMESE CABBAGE SLAW

This recipe was created by Gail Simmons for Pure Leaf Tea. She pairs it with Sweet Honey Green Pure Leaf. We paired it with Unsweetened Green and Unsweetened Lemon Flavor Pure Leaf.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

For The Dressing

 
For The Slaw

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the dressing so the shallots have time to marinate. Whisk the ingredients except the shallots in a large mixing bowl. Then add the shallots and set aside.

2. FINELY SLICE the cabbages, radishes, and cucumbers using a mandolin or a food processor with the slicer and grater attachments. Grate the carrots and separate the cilantro leaves.

Top: Thai Cabbage Slaw. You can add an optional peanut garnish (photo courtesy ACommunalTable.com, which added coconut). Bottom: Use your Mason jars to serve slaw (photo courtesy Nestle).

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Top: Blackberry Gin Fizz (photo courtesy NathanandChristinaMakeFood.com). Here’s the recipe, made with muddled fresh blackberries instead of blackberry brandy. Bottom: Blackberry brandy. Check the back label to be sure it’s made with natural flavors (photo courtesy Leroux).

We keep a running list of cocktails we’d like to try. Friends and neighbors know that it’s “open house” on late Sunday afternoons: They can stop by and try the weekend’s special.

We discovered a bottle of blackberry brandy in the liquor cabinet, so this weekend we’re mixing up a pitcher of Blackberry Gin Fizz: gin, blackberry brandy and Prosecco.

WHAT’S A FIZZ?

A fizz is a type of mixed drink—a variation on the older sour recipe. Sours are a family of mixed drinks that combine alcohol with lemon or lime juice—the sour component—plus a sweetener (fruit juice, grenadine, honey, liqueur, maple syrup, simple syrup, sugar, etc.). Sours are one of the original cocktails described by Jerry Thomas in his 1862 book, How to Mix Drinks.

Famous sours include the Daiquiri (rum, lime juice and sugar), Margarita (tequila, cointreau and lime juice), Sidecar (cognac, triple sec and lemon juice) and Whiskey Sour (whiskey, lemon juice and sugar).

A sour becomes a fizz with the addition of carbonated water. The first printed reference to a fizz (spelled “fiz”) is in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide, which contains six “fiz” recipes.

Adding carbonated water to a Gin Sour—gin, lemon juice and sugar—creates a Gin Fizz, a.k.a. a Tom Collins). Substituting blackberry brandy or liqueur for the sugar creates a Blackberry Gin Fizz.

The Fizz became widely popular in America between 1900 and the 1940s, and spread internationally. Known as a hometown specialty of New Orleans, the Gin Fizz was so popular that bars would need to employ extra bartenders to shake them.
 
RECIPE #1: BLACKBERRY GIN FIZZ

This recipe comes from the Salt Creek Grille in Princeton, New Jersey, which used Tanqueray gin.

You can make your own blackberry brandy from fresh blackberries and regular brandy (recipe below). If you have extra bottles of brandy, go for it—but note that it takes two months for the fruit to fully infuse.

You can use the blackberry brandy to make Blackberry Juleps, Margaritas, Mojitos and other cocktails.

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE first four ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled collins glass.

2. TOP with prosecco. Garnish with a notched berry on the rim, or a cocktail pick with blackberries.

Variations

 
_______________________
*Liqueurs are sweeter than fruit brandy, and are grain-based (gluten) instead of grape-based (gluten-free).

†We recommend Asti Spumante from Italy, Yellow Tail Bubbles from Australia, Cava from Spain (Freixenet is the most widely available):
Crémant from France, Woodbridge Brut from California (Robert Mondavi, Domaine Ste Michelle Brut from Oregon.

RECIPE #2: HOMEMADE BLACKBERRY BRANDY

Don’t buy the cheapest brandy on the shelf. What you put in determines what you get out.

Ingredients For 1 Liter

 
Preparation

According to StarkBros, a purveyor of fruit trees, you should wait to add the sugar until the end of the infusing process.

1. DIVIDE the blackberries and sugar among the jars; pour in the brandy. Seal the jars tightly and shake well.

2. STORE the jars in a cool, dark place, shaking every other day for a week. Then shake, once a week for two months or longer. The longer it steeps, the better the brandy will be.

3. WHEN you’re ready to drink it, strain the liquid into a 1 liter bottle (33.8 ounces).
 
For your next batch, you can consider adding another layer of flavor: a whole clove, a strip or two of lemon peel (pith removed) and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.
 
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CORDIAL, FRUIT BRANDY, LIQUEUR, EAU DE VIE, LIQUEUR, SCHNAPPS

While many people use these terms interchangeably, and they are all flavored spirits, there are differences in terms of sweetness and color—and in the case of fruit brandy, the base alcohol.

Top: Homemade blackberry brandy (photo courtesy StarkBros.com). Bottom: Make a slush by adding blackberry sorbet (photo courtesy Ciao Bella).

 
In sum: If you want a less sweet, clear spirit, choose schnapps/eau de vie over liqueur. For something sweet and syrupy, go for a liqueur or cordial.
 
Fruit Brandy Vs. Liqueur

 
MORE THINGS TO MAKE WITH BLACKBERRY BRANDY

[1] Add beets, dill, carrots, peas and onions for a Russian-style potato salad (photo and recipe © Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] Fresh dill is a delicious accent for any potato salad, but is often used in Russian recipes (photo © PaperChef).

To us, a basic potato salad includes quality mayonnaise, diced raw vegetables (carrots, celery, red onions, maybe some bell pepper) and fresh dill and parsley. This was our mother’s potato salad.

But these days we want more: more layers of flavor, more excitement. We try new recipes on most warm-weather weekends, and delight in the process of invention (our reigning favorite, mini whole potatoes, salmon caviar, a sour cream-mayo blend, sweet onion and lots of fresh dill).

Here are two we’ll be making for Memorial Day festivities. Both from the Idaho Potato Commission. There are links to more recipes below, for a total of 16 specialty potato salad recipes.
 
 
RECIPE: RUSSIAN BEET & POTATO SALAD

Ingredients

 
For The Dressing

 
_______________
*You can buy horseradish mustard, but it’s simple to make. Just combine Dijon mustard with prepared white horseradish. Start with a 3:1 ratio, and add more horseradish to taste.

1. ADD the potatoes and salt to a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until just tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.

2. COMBINE the potatoes, peas and carrots, and onion in a large bowl.

3. WHISK together in a small bowl the mayonnaise, yogurt, dill and horseradish mustard. Add the potato mixture and gently combine.

4. PLACE the beets on a paper towel and gently blot dry—or else your potato salad will turn pink! Fold the beets into the potato mixture very gently; do not over-mix. Serve within 1 hour for peak flavor and appearance.

The signature condiment of Argentina, chimichurri sauce is a parsley-based, garlicky vinaigrette with a verdant green color.

Red chimichurri, a more recent development, adds paprika and red wine vinegar, which create a dark red background for the herbs. Both are served as accompaniments to grilled meat in Argentina, which makes them a great match with what you’re grilling.

This recipe was created by Latino Foodie for the Idaho Potato Commission.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. They are small so they should be done in about 10 minutes (be careful not to overcook or they will turn into mashed potatoes). To test for doneness, insert the tip of a steak knife into the middle of a potato. If it slides off easily, they are done. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool slightly.

2. ADD the remaining ingredients except the oil to a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are roughly chopped. Slowly drizzle in the oil while pulsing the food processor. You can make the sauce chunky or smooth, as you prefer.

3. HALVE or quarter the potatoes. In a large bowl, gently toss the potatoes with a quarter of the chimichurri, adding more as needed. The remaining sauce can be used to marinate the vegetables or steak for the meal.

4. STORE any remaining chimichurri in a tightly-sealed jar. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

[3] Red Chimichurri Potato Salad (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[4] Red chimichurri sauce, a classic Argentine condiment (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[5] Baby Dutch yellow potatoes (photo © Melissa’s).