Flambe, mascarpone, openwork pancakes: men from the Vitebsk region learned how to cook gourmet dishes

The fact that the best chefs in the world are men is well known. On weekdays, these craftsmen rarely go to the stove, but if they put on a kitchen apron, they try to outdo their wives. Each representative of the strong half of humanity has its own culinary trick, which household members ask to repeat. Men from the Vitebsk region have the opportunity to acquire at least four new recipes that can become their signature ones. For visitors and employees of the Territorial Center for Social Services of the Vitebsk District, as well as trade union activists, an interactive culinary master class was organized on the men's holiday, the leading theme of which was the main dishes of Pancake week - pancakes. BelTA correspondents attended a cooking class and made sure that a pancake week does not necessarily add centimeters to the waist,

"I wanted to make an unusual gift for our men. We invited visitors to the TCPS to participate in this master class. The most active responded, who either had not yet reached the heights of culinary skills, or wanted to improve their skills and replenish the treasury of non-standard recipes. We chose quite simple dishes for cooking - three types of pancakes with different fillings and a fruit dessert without extra calories, "said the energetic HEAD of the TCSON.

This time, people with disabilities also participated in the project. In total, seven candidates for pancake masters gathered in the impromptu kitchen. To begin with, everyone got to know each other and talked about their culinary experience. Some men with a simple and popular dish were already on you, and someone made their debut in this field.

The master class was held by the head chef of one of the cafes located in the Vitebsk region, Natalya Kovaleva, and creative director Irina Zhukova helped her. The master of professional cuisine noted that the main thing in her culinary lesson is ease of preparation.

"The choice fell on pancakes for a reason - Pancake week is now passing and Thursday is considered mother-in-law's day, when sons-in-law come to the mothers of their wives with the whole family. We will change this tradition a little and bake delicious delicacies for your mothers-in-law, now you will treat them. You and I will learn how to bake openwork, buckwheat pancakes and the so-called yesterday's - according to the French recipe. All of them will be with different fillings. And as a bonus, I will teach you how to cook a PP dessert with a minimum of calories and the most balanced taste," the mentor admonished her "wards".

As in any kitchen, cleanliness comes first - the men put on aprons and gloves. This is both practical, because clothes will not get dirty, and hygienic. Natalya Kovaleva showed how to make the dough, adding that the usual for every family will do, the main thing is not to be thick.

To prepare openwork pancakes, the dough must be poured into a special culinary bottle or into an ordinary plastic one, in the lid of which holes should be made so that the dough flows out in a thin stream.

Pour it into the pan in an arbitrary pattern without large gaps. Ideally, you should get a kind of lace round napkin, which in the old days was decorated with tables and furniture. Men were able not only to draw lace with dough, but to depict various figures, for example, a tank or a five-pointed star.

The toppings here were lettuce, cream cheese and salted trout. The combination of all ingredients has created a bouquet of harmonious tastes with a fresh aroma thanks to greenery. Men experimented with form and content, creating paintings according to their preference. Someone got a fish in a lace wrapper, someone got a clearing with white and red islands.

For the second option, Natalya Kovaleva chose buckwheat FLOUR pancakes. This is something between pancakes and pancakes. They are quite lush due to the baking powder for the dough, and when cooking, it is advisable to let the finished mixture brew for a while. Pancakes had to be folded into a slide, layered with mascarpone, which goes very well with vegetables, fruits and absorbs their taste and aroma, while this delicate cream cheese itself is rather bland. For the dessert option, the men at the master class supplemented this dish with a banana and garnished with blueberries. All this splendor is ideal for breakfast and the calorie content in it is relatively small, especially if you take cream cheese with a low fat content.

And the third dish - French pancakes with orange sauce. This recipe is a real salvation for housewives who are too fond of cooking, who bake "hot suns" for the future.

“The pancakes of yesterday, which are left over from a hearty feast, are suitable here. To prepare them, you need to melt the butter, without sparing, take a larger piece, then pour SUGAR in a uniform thin layer, let it melt and caramelize a little, then lay pancakes folded in a triangle on top, turn over so that they are covered with caramel on both sides. Remove the pancakes, in the same pan fry the orange pulp in oil with sugar, pour over the liquor, set it on fire. This method is called flaming. When burning ALCOHOLevaporates, and citrus fruits or any other fruits acquire a pleasant taste and aroma. Next, we pour orange juice into the same pan, bring it to a density - this is our sauce, pour it over the finished dish. That's all, our French pancakes are ready," the chef commented on the cooking process.

The fruit dessert was a pear baked in the oven with spices. “You can cut the pear in half, carefully cut out the core, fill it with cream cheese, connect the halves, pour over honey and bake,” the professional suggested a variant of this PP dessert.

The master class was held in an easy friendly atmosphere. If at first the men were a little embarrassed by the unusual situation, then they began to joke, joke, so there were some harmless jokes about the mother-in-law. One of the participants noted that he would definitely treat his beloved mother to his wife, who is healthy at 86 years old, with her pancakes. Someone has a dear relative who lives far away, but an exemplary son-in-law promised to remember all the recipes, visit his mother-in-law and cook pancakes for her in a new way, so that she would taste them piping hot.

Despite the large age difference (the youngest of the project participants is 25 years old, and the most experienced is 67), no one was left behind. The men cheered up the teammates, reminded them what to do next, and sometimes a friend's hint saved pancakes from a burnt crust.

Mikhail Shalokhin, who has a disability, is a well-known person in the Vitebsk district social center. He actively takes part in various events, likes to cook, has recently passed labor adaptation and is generally a jack of all trades. There are high hopes for him in the Department of Social Adaptation and Rehabilitation of the Disabled. The young man at the master class learned new things with great interest and did everything on the recommendation of the chef, especially since he has a particularly warm disposition for pancakes.

The men were able to take the prepared dishes with them in lunch boxes to treat their halves and, of course, their mothers with new products. However, the educational lesson for the participants of the social project did not end there - the etiquette instructor Olga Shibeko told them about the rules for eating pancakes: in various sauces, sour cream, jam, honey. The main thing in this case is to stock up on napkins or towels. If pancakes are served in a cafe or restaurant, then there are some peculiarities."

So, if the restaurant served pancakes in portions, which is more common, then this dish should be eaten with a knife and fork. You should cut off a small piece so as not to open your mouth wide, because it looks unaesthetic. There is another option when pancakes are served on a common dish, as well as sauces, toppings and other additions separately in a deep bowl.

"With this serving, a bowl for sauces and gravies is placed next to the plate. You need to put what you like to eat pancakes with most of all, and dip small pieces on the fork there again. Separately, it is worth mentioning pancakes stuffed with minced MEAT. How as a rule, they are a little dry and tureens with broth are served with them.This broth should be drunk from this large mug, and not scooped from it with a spoon, and it is desirable to hold it firmly.In general, etiquette, both pancake and any other, does not tolerate pretentiousness. You need to know these rules and follow them easily and naturally, then it looks natural and raises your status in the company gathered at the table," Olga Shibeko emphasized.

All the men were satisfied with this experiment, and they were left with photos and videos from an old friend of the TCSON, photographer Anastasia Svirid, who accompanies all the significant events of the center. The project participants noted that it would be nice to meet in such a company more often and for any reason. They are ready to provide delicious support at such sincere gatherings even tomorrow.

Alesya PUSHNYAKOVA,

photo by Alexander KHITROV,

BELTA.