August 27, 2018 – Sweet Korčula, an island with a seemingly endless supply of fabulous traditional home-made cakes and desserts. We are very grateful to Franica Tasovac for allowing us to serialise her excellent books called Sweet Korcula, Sweeties of Korcula Grannies (in English). It is a collection of no less than 30 ancient recipes for Korcula cakes and desserts, lovingly put together into a book. A delightful souvenir or gift for gourmet friends. Franica has kindly allowed us to serialise the recipes on TCN, and we will be bringing you a recipe a week from the kitchens of Korcula’s grandmothers throughout the year. You can read Claudia Tarle’s lovely introduction here.
Cukarini
The use of ammonia has remained for cukarini and klašuni, and Korčulan housewives rightly say that those which are not with ammonia are not true cukarini.
The Korčulans prepare them on all festive occasions.
6 yolks
3 egg whites
300 grams of sugar
1 vanilla sugar
200 g butter
pinch of salt
zest of one lemon
30 g of ammonia (ammonium hydrogen carbonate – purchased at a pharmacy)
100 ml of milk
1 kg flour
brandy of roses, sugar
Mix the butter with both kinds of sugar and salt. Slowly whisking, add one by one yolk and egg white. Mix until the mixture becomes foamy. Add lemon zest and sprinkle with plenty of flour.
Pour milk into a tall bowl and heat to boiling, and then pour ammonia (CAUTION, turn the head away because of a strong odour). Stir ammonia well; everything will soon become foamy so that one should quickly pour on flour. Slowly stir by hand while adding flour until the dough becomes fine. Leave the dough one hour to rest.
Heat the stove at 180°C. Divide the dough into several pieces and, on a lightly floured surface, shape each of them into a narrow rolling-pin. Cut rolling-pins to a length of about 5 inches. Cut each piece of dough with the cutter with serrated ends at both ends and at the top. Spread the small notches on the dough. Arrange cukarini on the sheet metal slightly apart as they grow during baking. Bake for 12 minutes.
Pour brandy into one bowl, and sugar in another. Dip baked cukarini in the brandy of roses and sugar. Leave them overnight to dry in air.
You can buy this booklet at:
Town library “ Ivan Vidali “
Flower shop “ Fiorino “
“ Manina “
“ Komo “
Tourist agency “ Kaleta “
Souvenir shop “ Suzy “
Bookshop “ Kutak knjiga “
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