Slovenia Gregorjevo Festival

Around the World with Millac! Slovenia Gregorjevo Festival

Having caught a whiff of Egypt’s western winds and the celebration springtime entails in the southern Mediterranean, let’s journey upwards to Central Europe! In the quiet country of Slovenia, spring is marked as a special day for love birds (literally). It is known that in the early days of March as the winter snow thaws and chirping of the birds resumes, that springtime is when birds are wed. The festival of Gregorjevo is named after Christian Pope and spiritual leader, St. Gregory, known most famously for the Gregorian chant. Acknowledging the start of spring as the start of longer days and shorter nights, craftspeople sail their lanterns and candles out into nearby rivers. The lights are given to the river in the night to appreciate the hard work done by candlelight in dark and cold winters. Workshops across the nation are cleaned and the shreds or leftover bits are placed in colorful baskets with small lights so all can enjoy the sights from near and far. Besides baskets, miniature houses and boats are also filled with small lights to float down streams.

Along with the love birds, young people also regard this as a special time to find their future spouse. By word of Slovenian legend, the first bird which a young girl sees will tell her about her future husband. Popular places visited are the Mura River, Tržič town, and Bled Island where the ancient temple of the Slavic goddess of love used to stand. The temple of Živa is now home to the Bled Church. Many rejoice by wearing their traditional clothes, singing, dancing, and cooking delicious meals served with special sweets. One such dish is kremna rezina, a delicacy pertaining to the Lake Bled region of Slovenia. Join Millac in preparing this unique Central European cream cake with our very own Comelle Full Cream Milk Powder and Sweetened Condensed Milk!

Recipe

Gather the following ingredients:

1. Comelle Full Cream Milk Powder, prepare 3½ cups
2. Puff pastry, 2 layers
3. Large eggs, 6
4. White sugar 150g
5. Vanilla sugar 20g (or substitute with few drops of vanilla extract and increase white sugar by 20g)
6. White grape juice 1 tsp (typically rum is used but this is a common substitute)
7. All purpose flour 100g
8. Corn starch 2 tbsp
9. Whipped cream 500ml

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 C
2. Prepare a 24x24x7 cm pan by oiling all sides until coated and line with baking paper.
3. Roll the dough on a flat surface, then place in a baking pan past the edges to plan for shrinkage.
4. Bake the dough for 10 minutes or until golden brown and cool.
5. Separate egg yolks from whites and place in separate bowls.
6. In the egg yolks, add 100g of sugar and the vanilla sugar. Whip with an electric mixer until foamy.
7. Now add ½ cup of whole milk and the white grape juice, slowly mixing in the flour and cornstarch.
8. Pour the rest of the milk into a large pot and heat over medium flame.
9. Now in a large bowl, whip the egg whites into foamy peaks, add the remaining sugar and whip until stiff.
10. Slowly pour egg yolk mixture little by little once the milk is simmering. Mix well with an electric mixer.
11. Cook for 5 minutes on medium flame, then remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
12. Pour the cooked cream mixture into the whipped egg white, folding to produce light and airy cream.
13. Pour the egg cream mixture into the baking pan where the baked dough is. Rest at room temperature for an hour then place in the fridge for 4 hours.
14. Now add whipped cream on top and the second puff pastry layer.
15. Drizzle condensed milk on top.
16. Serve and enjoy!