Lemon cream tart with white chocolate and rose petals (Mazurek)
|||Credit: Nassima Rothacker|||
It would be impossible to write a book on Polish sweet things without Mazurek, a pastry synonymous with Poland and, in particular, with the Polish Easter table. There are so many variations that Mazurek can, in fact, be enjoyed year-round. A mazurek is really just a tart, or a sheet cake, made with a short pastry base. The base should be shallow and flat with a little rim, like a picture frame. The topping, whether a lemon cream, colourful icing, chocolate icing or a caramel-fudge topping, becomes a blank canvas for decoration. You could use a hazelnut spread, at a push. At Eastertime, the Mazurek will most often be decorated with nuts and dried fruit, depicting floral scenes and catkins, or pussy willow. Modern versions might be decorated with dried petals or freeze-dried berries. The same can be said for the shape, be it rectangular, oval, round or square. I like to make mine in a fluted, rectangular tart mould, with a loose base (measuring 36 x 12cm/14 x 4in), but you could also try making an oval shape, free-form. My go-to recipe is adapted from one of my oldest Polish recipe books called Kuchnia Polska.
This recipe is an extract from The Sweet Polish Kitchen: A celebration of home baking & nostalgic treats by Ren Behan (Pavilion Books).
Next, why not try more Easter recipes from the House & Garden archive?
