Surrounded by Land, Surrounded by Land...

Today, the race entered Uzbekistan, traveling 260km/160mi from Shymkent, Kazakhstan to Tashkent (the capital city of Uzbekistan) along a mountainous route bordered by lush national forests and parks. Uzbekistan, one of six Turkic states, is one of two doubly landlocked nations in the world (i.e. a landlocked state surrounded by other landlocked states; the other is Liechtenstein), sharing its borders with five other countries. Formed in 1747 and recognized as independent in 1991, has a population of 27.6 million and is the third largest producer of cotton in the world.

Car #60 suffered another broken axle last night and spent the night in a repair shop, replacing the old shaft (which had broken and was welded back together in Almaty over the weekend) with a brand new one, ground to specification instead of welded. Hopefully this will hold a while longer than its predecessor and we can catch up to the pack!

Should your travels ever take you to Uzbekistan, Celiac Travel has a Celiac travel card in Uzbek to help facilitate safe eating!

Рогалики на сметане
Croissants with Cream

These traditional pastries from Uzbekistan, also known as the "lazy man's croissant", come together quickly and relatively easily for a wonderful result! Due to the authenticity of this recipe, measurements are initially provided in metric (grams), and while a scale would come in handy (much more accurate to measure ingredients by weight versus volume) I have converted the measurements to ounces for convenience.

Ingredients
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp. sugar
250 grams (just over 8oz) butter, melted
250 grams (just over 8oz) sour cream
2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
Pinch of salt

Filling
200 g (7oz) strawberry preserves
200 g (7oz) walnuts, finely chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.

Beat egg yolk and sugar with an electric mixer. Add sour cream and melted butter, mixing well to combine. Slowly add flour and salt until the dough forms a ball.

On a floured surface, knead the dough into a ball -- it will be very soft. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until firm. While the dough is chilling, make the filling.

Place strawberry preserves in a fine sieve or in cheese cloth suspended over a bowl and allow the liquid to drain off. If large pieces of fruit remain, you can mash with a fork or put the mixture into the food processor. Add chopped walnuts and mix well to combine.

Divide dough into 5 parts (approximately 70 grams or 2.5oz). Roll out each piece on a well-floured surface, until dough forms a disk, 1/4 inch thick. Cut each disk into 8 equal, triangular pieces (think pizza) -- 40 in total.

Put 1 Tbsp. of the topping mixture 1-inch in from the base of each triangular piece. Fold in edges and roll up like a croissant. Bake at 400F until golden brown. To serve, dust with powdered sugar!

Recipe from Cook Eat Share
Image from Nasekomoe