Desserts

1. Baked apples with vanilla syrup

Ingredients:

8-10 eq. sized apples, 1/3 cupful walnut kernels, 3/2 cupful sugar, vanilla, cinnamon according to taste, 50g butter. Peel and carefully hollow the apples. Prepare a stuffing from the beaten butter, 3/4 cupful of sugar, crushed walnut kernels and cinnamon. Stuff the apples and place in a lined dish, pour over 1-2 spoonful of water and bake in a moderate oven. Serve cold, sweetened with syrup made from cupful of sugar, 1 cupful of water and vanilla. The same recipe may be used for quinces and pears. (My grandma used to make them the best, may God bless her).

2. Banitsa saralia

Ingredients:

1kg flour, 1/2 cupful walnut kernels, 4 cupfuls sugar, 4 cupfuls water, vanilla, 150g butter. Prepare a medium-hard dough from the flour, some salt and cold water, and roll into sheets (1 kg of ready-rolled sheets may also be used). Baste each sheet with some butter and top with crushed walnut kernels. Roll together and arrange either lengthwise or in a circle in a butterlined dish. Bake in a moderate oven. After it has cooled pour over hot syrup made from sugar, water and vanilla.

3. Sweet balls with syrup

Ingredients:

150g cottage cheese, 3 eggs, 1 cupful flour, 3/2 cupful sugar, vanilla, 1 tsp baking soda, 3 cupful water, 1 cupful sunflower oil. Mix the cottage cheese and eggs well, before gradually adding the flour, followed by the baking soda. Shape into balls with a spoon and fry in hot oil. When cooled, pour over syrup made from water, sugar and vanilla.

4. Milk banitsa

Ingredients:

400g flour, 9 eggs, 3/2 milk, 3/2 cupful sugar, 1/2 cupful semolina, 1 spoonful sunflower oil, 1 spoonful vinegar, 1 cupful water, 180g butter. Prepare a medium-hard dough from the flour, 1 egg. oil, vinegar and water and roll into sheets (500g of ready pastry sheets may also be used). Place the sheets in a tray, basting each with melted butter. Bring the milk to the boil, add the sugar, remaining butter and semolina under constant stirring, followed by the beaten eggs when cooled. Mix well and pour over the pastry sheets. Bake in a moderate oven. Serve into pieces and sprinkle with icing sugar.