The Sweet Polish Kitchen: A Celebration of Home Baking and Nostalgic Treats

Polish British food writer Behan (Wild Honey and Rye) offers a cozy and approachable guide to creating Polish desserts at home. Traditional sweets, such as Easter babka, St. Martin’s croissants with almond paste, and paczki (“classic Polish doughnuts with jam and icing”) take center stage. Behan also includes enticing modern desserts, such as no-bake coconut and almond cake and poppy seed cinnamon buns with cream cheese glaze, as well as vegan and gluten-free options like stone fruit sheet cake and vegan chocolate hazelnut cake. Equally exciting is the rich historical and cultural context Behan provides: when introducing seromakowiec (cheesecake with poppy seed paste), she notes that poppy seeds symbolize prosperity, happiness, and fertility in Eastern European tradition, and that sernik (classic Polish cheesecake) was brought to Poland by King Jan III Sobieski after winning the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Most of the ingredients are readily available at the supermarket, but Behan also suggests helpful substitutions when necessary (“normal cream cheese is perfectly fine,” for example, if traditional twarog cheese isn’t available). Cooks of all levels will be able to follow Behan’s straightforward instructions with ease. This memorable volume is a must for home bakers and Polonophiles alike. (Dec.)