Kruschicki Food

KRUSCHIKI (CHRUSCHIKI) POLISH BOW TIES

Steps:

• Beat eggs, egg yolks, salt and butter until thick and lemon colored.
• Slowly beat in the powdered sugar and brandy.
• Slowly mix in flour.
• Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. The dough should be thick and will be a bit sticky.
• To roll, you will be working with small balls of dough. Keep the rest of the dough in the bowl, covered with a clean, damp dish towel.
• On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out very thin - 1/8th of an inch.
• Take a sharp knife and cut the dough into strips about 2" wide. Then cut the other way on a diagonal to make pieces of dough that are about 2" x 4".
• Cut a small slit (1" or less) in the center of each piece. To form the cookie, take one end and place it through the slit. Very gently pull the end of the dough through the slit to form a bow shaped cookie.
• In a large pot or deep skillet heat about 3-4 inches of lard or oil until very hot.
• Test the oil by putting in a small scrap of dough; it should sink to the bottom and then immediately float to the top. When this happens your oil is ready.
• Fry the cookies in small batches. Fry for about 30 seconds and then use tongs to gently turn the cookies over. The cookies should be barely golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels. Cool.
• Dust liberally with powdered sugar.
• Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

KRUSCHICKI

Steps:

• Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, sour cream, white sugar, vanilla and whiskey until smooth. Stir in flour until dough is stiff enough to knead. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Knead in additional flour if necessary. Divide dough into 3 or 4 pieces and roll each ball on floured surface. Cut into strips about 3 inches long then make a slit long ways down the middle. Pull one of the ends through like a bow.
• Place into hot oil and deep fry until golden brown. Let drain on paper towels and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

POLISH ANGEL WINGS-CHRUSCIKI

Steps:

• Beat eggs until thick.
• Add salt slowly while stirring.
• Add sugar and vanilla, beat well.
• Add cream and flour, alternating until blended. You may need more than the flour listed above depending on how humid it is that day.
• Turn onto a floured board.
• Cover with a cloth for 10 minutes.
• Knead until dough blisters.
• Roll very thin.
• Cut into 1 inch by 4 inch rectangles.
• Cut a gash in the middle of the rectangle and pull one end through so it looks like a twist.
• Fry in 375 degree oil until golden brown.
• Drain on a rack for 3 minutes then roll into powdered sugar.

CHRUSCIKI LEAVES

Steps:

• Put butter, eggs, yolks, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla, zests, Cognac, and sour cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium speed until pale and thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually add enough flour to form a fairly stiff dough. Turn out dough onto a floured work surface; knead until dough blisters, becomes elastic, and can be handled easily, 6 to 8 minutes, adding flour if needed.
• Divide dough into 4 pieces. Keep dough under an inverted bowl to prevent it from drying out. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. If dough becomes too elastic while rolling, cover with plastic, and let rest 15 minutes. Cut out leaves with a leaf-shape cookie cutter; transfer to a tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough, layering leaves between sheets of parchment paper. Collect all scraps, and let rest 20 minutes before rerolling.
• Heat oil in a medium-heavy saucepan until it registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Stretch leaves slightly so they will curl while frying. Fry in batches of 12, turning occasionally, until pale golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to baking sheets lined with paper towels to drain and cool. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

FAWORKI (POLISH CHRUSCIKI)

Steps:

• Combine flour, egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, butter, rum, and salt in a large bowl; mix to form a dough.
• Knead dough lightly and roll out on a floured surface. Cut into strips 4 inches long and 3/4 inches wide. Cut a slit in the middle of each strip. Twist and pull one end through the slit.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan. Test the temperature by dropping in a pastry twist; the oil is ready when it browns and float to the surface.
• Fry pastry twists in batches until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

KRUSCZYKI

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together all ingredients. Stir into a ball, then turn dough out onto a floured surface . Knead dough for 1/2 hour. If you have a mixer with a dough hook attachment, mix for about 15 minutes.
• Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
• On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into strips that are 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. In the center of each strip, cut a 1 inch slit, lengthwise. Pull one end of the strip through the slit to form a bow.
• In a frying pan or an electric skillet, melt shortening and heat to about 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). in a frying pan this would be on medium high heat.
• Place cookies in hot oil. Cook on both sides until lightly browned then remove to a paper towel.
• Dust finished cookies with confectioners sugar.

CHRUSCIKI I

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, salt, vanilla, and whiskey. Stir in 2 cups of the flour. If dough is sticky, add the rest of the flour. Knead dough for 5 minutes; divide into three parts. Keep dough pieces covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Or, alternately, melt 2 pounds lard(see Editor's Note). Oil should be about 1 inch deep.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough until it's paper-thin. Cut into parallelogram (long diamond) shapes, and use a sharp paring knife to cut a slot in the centers. Pull one point of the diamond through the slot; set aside and repeat with remaining pieces.
• Fry 2 to 4 pieces at a time, depending on the size of your pan, about 5 to 10 seconds on each side. The cookies should not be browned. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels; dust with confectioners' sugar when cool. Store any remaining cookies in an airtight container.

CHRUSCIKI WITH MRS. KOSTYRA

Steps:

• Put melted butter, eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, sour cream, salt, extracts, vinegar, and rum in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until mixture is pale, about 3 minutes. With mixer running, add zests. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add up to 3 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a fairly stiff dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead, dusting with flour if it seems sticky, until dough becomes smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Halve dough, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Let dough rest at room temperature, 30 minutes.
• Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until very thin (about 1/16 inch thick). Using a straightedge as a guide, cut the dough into 5-by-1 1/4-inch strips. Trim ends on the diagonal.
• Lay dough strips vertically in front of you, and cut a 1 1/4-inch-long opening through the middle of each strip. Working with one strip at a time, push one end through the cut, then pull through to make a bow-tie shape. Transfer formed chrusciki to a large parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover with a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel. Repeat process with remaining dough.
• Heat shortening in a large (6-quart) pot over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Working in small batches of about 7, fry chrusciki, turning once with a slotted spoon, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Transfer fried chrusciki with slotted spoon to two paper-towel-lined baking sheets to drain. (Adjust heat between batches as necessary to keep oil at a steady temperature.)
• Just before serving, dust chrusciki with confectioners' sugar.