Baked into tradition: LAHS family recipes

By Sara Lahr, Michelle Jacob, and Anna Roman | June 3, 2026

Lukianna’s cottage cheese pancakes sit plated with rasberry collee and a dollop of whipped cream.

Lukiana Cherkashina – Syrniki (Cottage Cheese Pancakes)

Junior Lukiana Cherkashina’s traditional cottage cheese pancakes called syrniki, sit, plated with raspberry coulis and a dollop of whipped cream. (Courtesy Lukiana Cherkashina)

When junior Lukiana Cherkashina thinks of her childhood in Russia, a breakfast table piled with syrniki — slavic pancakes made with cottage cheese — comes to mind first.

Lukiana’s family emigrated from Moscow, Russia, more than a decade ago, but they still continue a beloved tradition: syrniki for breakfast.

She said the custom was passed on from her maternal grandmother, each generation putting their own spin on the dish.

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“Everyone in my family has grown up with it because it’s made of simple ingredients you can always find in a traditional Slavic house,” Lukiana said.

It’s also a taste of her childhood and home. Lukiana recalled eating miniature syrniki growing up.

“When I was really young, I enjoyed having the little leftover one,” Lukiana said. “My mom still makes small ones for me, which is something I cherish.”

Like her grandmother and mother, Lukiana hopes to pass down her culinary heritage to her children.

“My mom has so many years of experience that making syrniki is second nature to her,” Lukiana said. “I want this to be something that I share with my friends, family and kids.”

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Weston Muscarella – Beef Rouladen

A plate to beef rouladen is served with cabbage, potato and gravy. (Sebastian Wallroth/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)

Browned beef and buttery mashed potatoes are more than a meal for senior Weston Muscarella: it marked the start of his journey as a cook. He fondly recalled sharing the kitchen with his grandmother to make her signature beef rouladen.

“It matters a lot to me,” Weston said. “I made it a lot with my grandmother when I was younger, and it was a good foundation when I first started to cook.”

Beef rouladen is a traditional German dish where thinly sliced beef is wrapped around a flavorful filling of mustard, bacon and onions. The dish requires a well-rounded chef, and with time, Weston has learned to balance its many moving parts: rolling beef with bacon and onion, browning the meat and braising it to make a gravy.

Although the labor-intensive cooking process prevents Weston from making rouladen frequently, he said the reaction from his relatives always makes the effort worthwhile.

“It’s really nice to see my family’s faces when they see the dish, because they know how good it is,” Weston said.

Instructions:

Pound the steak with a meat mallet until even in thickness and generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Then cut the meat into small rectangles (6 by 4 inches) and place a third of a bacon slice on each rectangle until the beef strip is layered with bacon and onion strips. Roll the meat while wrapping the bacon and onion tightly, and fasten the ends with toothpicks to keep the the beef rolled. In a cast-iron skillet, use neutral oil and brown the steak on all sides. Add boiling water to the pan to a depth of a quarter inch, then cover the skillet and let the beef and water simmer for 40 minutes to an hour or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and stir wine into the leftover liquid in the skillet. In a separate bowl, make a slurry with flour and water until the ingredients are fully mixed with no clumps. Pour the mixture into the pan and whisk until thickened. Then, salt and pepper the gravy to taste.

Svea Delingat – Aachener Printen (German gingerbread cookie)

Traditional German gingerbread decorated with frosting called Aachener printen, sit on a plate, waiting to be eaten. (Courtesy Svea Delingat)

Lebkuchen — German cookies — is a Christmas staple for senior Svea Delingat.

One of Svea’s favorites is aachener printen, a traditional German gingerbread decorated with frosting. The cookie can then be hung on a Christmas tree or eaten. It’s meaningful to her family from the memories created during the making of them.

The process is lengthy: while most cookies take around an hour or two to make, lebkuchen recipes require the dough to rest for weeks or even months. According to Svea, her family sometimes starts preparing the cookies as early as September.

“Most of my memories with these cookies are making them alongside my family,” Svea Said.

The recipe for aachener printen, among other lebkuchen, has been passed down for generations in her family.

“The recipes come from my grandparents on both sides, my parents made the cookies and have now passed them down to me,” Svea said.

Rani Gavra- Honey-Sesame Challah

Honey-sesame challah rests on parchment. (CC0)

Gluten binds bread, and bread bonds junior Rani Gavra with his aunt. Specifically, it is his aunt’s honey-sesame challah — a sweet, braided loaf of bread traditionally eaten on Jewish ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat.

“I usually only make challah when my aunt comes over, which is typically during the holiday season,” Rani said. “We make a whole day out of it.”

Rani and his aunt’s tradition starts before they enter the kitchen — he says they always shop for ingredients together. While kneading, waiting for the dough to rise and baking, the duo gets to connect — they play games and watch movies.

His challah recipe combines whole wheat and white flour with honey, eggs and oil to create a soft, slightly sweet loaf. Before baking, the bread is brushed with a honey-water mixture and sprinkled with sugar, giving it its iconic golden finish.

Although Rani has made challah on his own, he says the most special memories are those with his aunt.

“I associate it with the holidays and making it together,” Rani said.

Instruction:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt, sugar and yeast. In a seperate bowl, add the eggs, oil, honey and lukewarm water and mix until smooth. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients, then use an electric mixer on low speed to knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes until it becomes elastic and slightly sticky. If the dough is too sticky to handle, gradually add small amounts of flour until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer the dough into a floured bowl, cover, and let rise until it doubles in size. Once risen, punch down the dough and shape into either one large challah or two medium challahs, then let rise again until it doubles. Brush the challah with the honey-water mixture and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes until golden.

Ellie Tseng- Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancakes)

Senior Ellie Tseng makes scallion pancakes with her family as a child. (Courtesy Ellie Tseng)

For senior Ellie Tseng, culture and community are two sides of the same scallion pancake — passed down through her Chinese paternal family, cong you bing signifies Ellie’s connection to her Chinese culture and fond childhood memories.

Yet the best recipe is none at all, Ellie said, recalling her grandparents and father teaching her the art of cong you bing-making by hand.

“Cong you bing connects me to my culture and those who made it before me,” Ellie said. “Cooking this dish is a technique that has been passed down through my family.”

Ellie’s childhood consisted of entire days carrying out the repetitive, familiar activity of making cong you bing.

“We used to go to my grandparents’ house for the day and make a lot of it,” Ellie said. “Then for dinner we would eat all of the pancakes. It’s something that we make when we wanted to spend time with each other, a collaborative effort where all of us are working together.”

Instructions:

In a large bowl, gradually add the warm water to the flour while mixing until a shaggy, moist dough forms. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Roll the dough into a log and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and keep covered while working. Roll the dough ball out on a lightly floured surface into a 1–2 mm thick circle. Lightly sprinkle the surface with salt, and press the salt into dough. Brush dough generously with neutral oil. Scatter a handful of scallions evenly across the dough. Starting from one edge, roll the dough tightly into a long log, pressing gently as you go to keep air bubbles out and prevent the scallions from falling out. Pinch the ends closed. Then, holding one end in each hand, gently twist the log like wringing a towel. Coil it over itself into a spiral like a snail shell, then press it down into a flat round. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the pancake into its final shape, about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough and scallions. Heat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat with about 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook for about about 2–4 minutes or until the first side is deeply golden and crisp, then flip and cook the second side.

About the Contributors

Sara Lahr, Senior Writer

Michelle Jacob, News Editor

Anna Roman, Senior Writer

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Baked into tradition: LAHS family recipes

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