u Cathy Erickson of Holt is most well-known for her music, but besides her waltzes and polkas, she is also known for her kitchen creation known as a “kolache”. Her delicious sweet bread has been served at the annual St. Joseph Hunter’s Supper, family gatherings, bake sales, and made just to give to friends. “I’ve even mailed kolaches to friends who weren’t expecting them!” said Cathy.
She has been making kolaches since she was 12 years old, learning the art from her Czech grandmother and her mother.
A kolache is a sweet pastry, originating in Czechoslovakia, that holds a portion of fruit or other filling surrounded by puffy yeast dough, and oftentimes sprinkled with sweet crumbs or sugar. Common filling flavors include tvaroh (a type of cottage cheese), fruit jam, poppy seeds, or pavidla (prune jam).
Cathy recently offered a class at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Middle River to a group of eager bakers, hungry to learn her magic skills in the creation of this sweet pastry. As the bakers waltzed around the kitchen learning the steps of kolache baking, the aroma hung in the air, tempting even the strong-willed to sneak a little taste. Cathy feels the most difficult step in the process is knowing the exact time when enough flour is added to the mixture. The most important step is “to follow directions, and don’t add too much flour.” She suggests watching someone who makes them so you know what to look for, and being ambitious enough to try! Another intricate step is grinding the poppyseed, and cooking the prunes and apricots to prepare the filling.
Those in attendance were treated to poppyseed, prune, apricot, cherry, and crème cheese kolaches to share with their families, and the congregation of St. Joseph’s were invited to enjoy the treat after services on Sunday.
There is already interest in attending another kolache class. “There is also interest in a ‘plum dumpling supper,’ said Cathy….. another Czech experience!”
Yum!
