Pidusai or a gorgeous cinnamon boston

My dear boyfriend K. has hijacked my recipe. Really. For umpteen years I used to make sweet cardamom scented and cinnamon filled rolls based on a recipe in a small treasured book I've had for ages: Cakes, Cookies and Bread from Sweden. The recipe never failed to produce satisfied smiles and happy tummies, be it at Christmas or during various birthday parties. Depending on the occasion, I either made one large round 'pidusai' (for birthdays) or individual rolls (for Christmas). To make 'pidusai', you roll the dough, fill with something yummy, roll up, cut into chunks and place the rolls into a round baking tin, where they bake into one large round bread that can be easily teared into separate rolls later. I believe it's known as 'Boston' elsewhere?

This was my cinnamon rolls/boston recipe.

Few weeks ago K. and I were discussing what to bake for his mum's birthday, and K. said he'd really love to make pidusai like his grandmother used to do. We carefully flipped through the pages of his grandmother's handwritten cookbooks from 1934, but to no avail. No such recipe.

It was then that I foolishly offered him my tried and trusted and treasured pidusai recipe.

It must have been beginners luck. After some mishaps (where did he get the idea to cut the dough into strips first and then roll them up???), K. produced a wonderful pidusai. It was a truly great success. His mum said it was as good as grandmother's. K. decided to make it again for last weekend when we went to visit my parents. Everybody was praising him. Last night I told K. that we've been invited to visit some joint friends of ours next weekend and we've been asked to bring along a cake. K. was far too quick in replying that he could make MY pidusai.

Who's supposed to be the Domestic Goddess in our household, anyway??

(I am kidding, obviously:)

Pidusai or my cinnamon boston
(Uhke pidusai)
Adapted from Bread, Cookies and Cakes from Sweden by Görel Kristina Näslund, 1985
Serves 14



50 grams fresh yeast
50 ml lukewarm water
100 grams butter, melted
300 ml milk
0.5 tsp salt
100 ml sugar
1 tsp freshly ground cardamom (about 20 pods)
600 grams plain flour (ca 1,2 litres)

Filling:
100 grams butter
100 ml sugar
0.5 Tbsp cinnamon
raisins (optional)

egg for brushing and demerara sugar for sprinkling

In a big mixing bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water until combined.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add milk, then pour the lukewarm mixture (test with your little finger first that it's not too hot or it will kill the yeast!) into the yeast.
Add salt, sugar and cardamom. Add flour little by little, kneading, until you've got a uniform dough that doesn't stick to the bowl anymore. This may take up to 10 minutes kneading - don't be tempted to add more flour than prescribed, as it will result in 'heavy' pastries.
[When using KitchenAid, then add most of the flour, and knead for about 5 minutes until combined.]
Cover the mixing bowl with clingfilm or a clean towel and let it rise until doubled in size in a warm place.
Meanwhile make the filling - melt the butter, mix in sugar and cinnamon.
When the dough has risen, then knead slightly and divide into three.
Roll each into a square measuring 23x30 cm. Spread the cinnamon filling on top, (sprinkle with raisins*) and then roll up from the wide end.
Cut into thick slices (5 cm or 2 inches is ideal - see K. doing in on the right) and place into a buttered and lined springform tin.
The rolls will rise in the oven, so do not place them too tightly together.
Leave to rise for another half an hour, if possible.
Brush with egg, sprinkle with demerara sugar for a slight caramel crunch.
Bake at 200C for 20-30 minutes, until the bread has risen and turned into golden brown. Or until your kitchen smells like a cinnamon-cardamom scented heaven!

* Adding raisins was K's idea. His grandfather used to be a good cook, and insisted on putting lots of raisins into sweet breads and pastries. Apparently one only needs enough dough/pastry to keep the raisins together:) You can also add candied orange peel with raisins.

Estonian Gastronomy Awards, 2006

Late last Friday I had a chance to put on my prettiest frock and highest heels, adjust K's tie and sit in a cab that took us to the annual (the first for me) Silver Spoon gala dinner hosted by the Gastronomy Society of Estonia. The show began at 11pm and lasted until the wee hours of the morning. We enjoyed a lovely five course meal with matched wines (see the menu further down) and only left a little before 3am!!

Here's a list of winners and nominees - might come handy for those of you planning to visit this little country of mine in the near future:)

SilverSpoon 2006 winners

BEST GOURMET RESTAURANT
Egoist, Tallinn - nominee
Stenhus, Tallinn - winner
Pädaste, Muhu - nominee

BEST RESTAURANT
Bocca, Tallinn - nominee
Gloria, Tallinn - winner
House, Tallinn - nominee

BEST CAFE
Cafe Truffe, Tartu - winner
Müüriäärne kohvik, Haapsalu - nominee
Cafe Angel, Tallinn - nominee

BEST PUB
Amps3, Tallinn - nominee
Scotland Yard, Mere pst, Tallinn - winner
Madisson, Tallinn - nominee

BEST CHEF
Dimitri Demjanov, Egoist & Gloria, Tallinn

BEST WINE & FOOD MATCHING
Balthazar, Tallinn

FAMILY RESTAURANT
Lucca, Tallinn

BEST BEER SERVICE
Stereo Lounge, Tallinn

BEST BUSINESS LUNCH
Pegasus, Tallinn

MOST REPRESENTATIVE RESTAURANT OF MODERN TALLINN
Pegasus

Although I still think that the best cafe in Tallinn is the delicious Chocolats de Pierre (at least that's where I meet various visiting bloggers - I met Doughboy's Antti there in December and my reader and frequent commenter Pene last Sunday), then I agree with the choice of best gourmet restaurant. I had a pleasure of eating in all three nominated places during the last six months, and although the recent meals at Pädaste and Egoist were wonderful, my meal at Stenhus was most exciting and memorable of the three).

It is a tradition that the winner of the best chef's award will cater for the next year's gala dinner. So the winner of 2005, the British-born Michael Bhoola (Pegasus), cooked the delicious offerings in January 2006, and last year's winner Roman Zashtshersinski (restaurant Ö) prepared the feast this year.
Dimitri Demjanov, who is known as the grand old man of Estonian haute cuisine, was declared the winner of the best chef's award this time around. That means he will be in charge of the gala dinner in January 2008. I cannot wait what's he got in store (yep, he's the guy on the small photo - courtesy of Postimees - holding our 'national' fish, räim alias Baltic herring).

Silver Spoon Gala Dinner 26.1.2007

Amuse bouche
Kir Royal Torres Brut Nature
Creme de Cassis, De Kyper
Moet & Chandon, Rose

Jerusalem artichoke cream soup with vanilla oil
Bernard-Massard Auxerrois, Luxemburgh 2004

Tuna tartar with wasabi and miso sauce
Zweigelt Classic, Johann Strauss 2003

Foie gras baked in puff pastry with Tokay and raisin sauce
Tokay Pinot Gris 2005

Tournedos of salmon with mandarine and vermouth sauce
J. Drouhin Chablis 1er Cru 2004

Milk chocolate and praline cake with macerated raspberries
Pineau des Charantes Ch Montifaud

Petit fours
Saint Christeau XO, Vintage 1992

Smoked salmon & dill tartlets

Some ten days ago I had invited a friend of some friends and a young American colleague over for dinner. I wanted the dinner to be slightly Nordic in honour of our overseas guest, who was also a fish-eating vegetarian. The main dish was a beetroot and blue cheese risotto (beetroot qualifying as the 'Nordic' element there:), and we started the meal with small smoked salmon and dill tartlets. Dill is one of the most-loved and most-used herbs in Estonia, and as the country is surrounded by water on three sides, then fish is a suitably suitable main ingredient, too.

A note on smoked salmon. Here in Estonia, you can buy either hot-smoked salmon or cold-smoked salmon. When I moved to Scotland, I found it confusing when recipes just asked for 'smoked salmon' and didn't specify which type of smoked salmon they're talking about. Eventually I learned that 'smoked salmon' always indicates 'cold-smoked salmon' and 'hot-smoked salmon' always says so on the tin/packet..

Smoked salmon and dill tartlets
(Suitsulõhe-tillipirukad)
Source: BBC Good Food, July 2004
Serves 6



300 grams shortcrust pastry
150 grams cold-smoked salmon or trout
2 eggs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
200 ml single cream
salt
freshly ground black pepper

To garnish:
dill sprigs and fresh lime or lemon wedges

Divide the pastry into six, roll into thin circles and line six individual Ø 10 cm pastry forms with them. Prick with a fork and put into a freezer for 15 minutes to reduce shrinking in the oven.
Pre-bake for 15 minutes at 200Celsius, until slightly golden. (If you prefer to blind bake your pastry cases, then cover with parchment paper and dried beans, bake for 10 minutes, then remove the paper&beans and bake for further 5 minutes).
Cut the smoked salmon into thin strips and lay on shortcrust cases.
Whisk the eggs with dill, add single cream and season with salt and pepper. Pour over salmon.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the filling has set and the tartlets are golden brown on top.
Serve at once, or wrap in foil and keep in the freezer. Defrost, and re-heat at 180Celsius for 4-6 minutes until warm.

Garnish with dill and citrus wedges.