Borscht for a dinner party — went down extremely well

I made Borscht for eight guests who had varying familiarity with the cuisine. Every single person asked for the recipe. The hearty and warming profile was the main talking point — no one had quite experienced sour cream smetana used that way before.

the Russian tea tradition using a samovar is centuries old and central to social hospitality. I explained the a dacha summer kitchen context as I served it which helped people appreciate it fully. black tea from a samovar was what I offered alongside and it worked perfectly. Excellent dinner party dish — impressive without being inaccessible.