Maslenitsa or Butter Week is the happiest and brightest of old Slav holidays, which symbolizes the end of winter and the expectation of the awakening of nature in springtime. Butter Week, above all, is about an abundance of hearty food. Pancakes are the traditional fare of Maslenitsa. According to an old belief, the more pancakes one eats during Butter Week, the more successful and the more satisfactory the year will be.

The Maslenitsa village will be set up on Vasilyevskiy Descent, no more than fifty metres away from the Baltschug, and the main events of Butter Week will take place there. Take part in the traditional hither and thither, take a look at the holiday offerings; learn about the carnival rites of Maslenitsa, the games and the amusements.

The ideal way to complete the holiday will be to come into the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow, where guests can enjoy some of the finest classical and creative dishes of Maslenitsa by Executive Chef Elmar Basziszta.

Maslenitsa Week

Starters

• Blini with osetra caviar, salmon caviar, sour cream, lime and chopped chives
• Blini topped with Scottish salmon infused with Maccalan whisky, mesclun lettuce with lemon vinaigrette
• Buckwheat blini with seared foie gras topped with sour cream and Balsamic jelly
• Basil pancakes filled with smoked salmon and lime curd cheese
• Pink pepper pancakes filled with freshwater crayfish, rocket salad and aioli

Main course

• Pancakes filled with strips of Omaha fillet in a creamy mushroom sauce, gratinated with gruyere cheese
• Pancakes filled with ham and leeks, parmesan sauce
• Pancakes filled with shrimps, scallops and sea bass, saffron-tomato foam
• Pancakes filled with chicken, mushrooms and green asparagus

Sweets

• Pancakes with curd cheese and raisins, vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream
• Pancakes filled with apricot jam from the Wachau
• Create your blini with sour cream, cream, honey, nuts, jams, caramelized apple and pear, assorted berries, dolce de leche, chocolate sauce
• Crepe Suzette