Kruschiki!

[Doug Kerr]

Kruschiki are a Polish delicacy, little twisted "bows" of sweet dough (something like piecrust dough, but a bit "stickier") quickly deep fried and covered with powdered sugar. They are sometimes called "angel wings".

The name is of Russian origin, and makes its way to Poland via (the) Ukraine, where Russian and Polish cultures intertwine.

My first wife (now deceased) was partly of Ukrainian ancestry, of the Polish strain, and we both learned to make kruschiki from her grandmother (who, of course, was Hungarian, although born in the U.S.).

I was reminded of the delicacy in an e-mail from my late wife's brother (the most "Polish" of the family) who passed on a Christmas note from a friend reminiscing over the Polish treats of the writer's childhood.

Carla and I decided we would make kruschiki this Christmas (although it turns out that the only two family members with an identifiable quasi-Polish heritage (my two daughters) won't be able to be here.

Carla, as you might imagine, did most of the work. All I did was cut the blanks, slit them, and twist them (a fascinating topological construct).

Here, five of them pose for us:

Douglas A. Kerr: Five kruschiki, 2009

Stylist: Carla C. Kerr

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Doug,

It's a good touch for the holidays to do things together. For me it was trying to get my two year old grandson to engage with a Radio Shack Electricity learning kit "for children 8 and older". I took out the small swallowable bits and we made a circuit to get a wheel to spin and then lift up in the air like a helicopter. We had to repeat it until the batteries were exhausted. Then he went off to his playdough. He stuffed the green dough into his spagetti machine and pressed down the lever to get green flat 1/2 inch pasta. It's eatable! That's the segue to your family recipe!

Interesting shapes. Similar to what my grandson was making, LOL but more consistent and elegant. Looks like two happy strands of holiday decorations that found the whole box of mistletoe.

Let's lift a glass to to such good times!

Asher