Sweet Tahini Pastry

In Turkish cuisine tahini is not as common as it is in Middle East cuisines. Tahini is usually used for sweet pastries. Here is the sweet tahini pastry (known as Tahinli Ekmek in Turkish, direct translation: bread with tahini) recipe which is a common pastry for afternoon teas or breakfasts. 

Sweet Tahini Pastry

Sweet Tahini Pastry

Origin: Turkish, Arabic

Difficulty: Hard 

Ingredients:

-(Must) 1 tsp sugar

-(Must) 3 tsp dried yeast

-(Must) 2/3 cup lukewarm milk
-(Must) 3 eggs; 2 lightly beaten, plus 1 egg yolk whisked with 11/2 tablespoons water
-(Must) 2 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
-(Must) 4 cups all-purpose flour
-(Optional) 2 tsp sea salt
-(Must) 1 cup tahini
-(Must) 1 cup superfine sugar
-(Optional) Sesame seeds or walnut, for sprinkling

Sweet Tahini Pastry

Directions:

Combine the 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside for about 8 minutes, or until foamy. Combine the lukewarm milk and the beaten eggs, then add to the yeast mixture with another 2 tablespoons lukewarm water and the olive oil, stirring well to combine.

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, then add the yeast mixture and stir to form a coarse dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Roll the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, put the tahini, superfine sugar and the whole egg in a bowl, mixing until well combined — the mixture will become quite thick.

Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 even-sized balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll each out into a circle with a 7-inch diameter using a rolling pin. Spread 1 tablespoon of the tahini mixture on each round, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Roll up each to form a long sausage shape and continue to roll until it’s about 12 inches long. Use your hands to shape each sausage into a tight spiral — each spiral should be about 4 inches in diameter — then flatten slightly. Transfer to lightly greased baking sheets, cover loosely with a dish towel, and set aside for about 30 minutes, or until puffy.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Brush the top of each spiral with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Tahini spirals are best eaten on the day of making but will keep, frozen in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.

Sweet Tahini Pastry

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves: 12	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	392 kcal	62 gr	15 gr	10 gr	26 gr

Semolina Cake in Syrup (Basbousa) - Revani

Revani as a word comes from Erivan (Yerevan) capital city of Armenia. When Yerevan is conquered by Ottoman Empire cooks in the palace served this dessert and it's named revani since then. 

Semolina Cake in Syrup (Basbousa) - Revani

Semolina Cake in Syrup (Basbousa) - Revani
Origin: Turkish
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

For cake:
-(Must) 3 eggs
-(Must) 1/2 cup sugar
-(Must) 3 tbsp flour
-(Must) 1 cup hazelnut, corn or sunflower oil
-(Must) 1 cup semolina
-(Must) 1 cup yogurt
-(Optional) 3 tbsp ground hazelnut
-(Must) 1 packet baking powder
-(Optional) 1 packet ground vanilla
-(Optional) lemon zest

For syrup:
-(Must) 3 cups sugar
-(Must) 3 cups water
-(Must) 3-4 drops lemon juice 

Directions:

First prepare syrup; In a pot, add all ingredients of syrup and turn the heat on high. Stir until it comes to boil. And when it comes to boil decrease heat to low and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove syrup from the stove and let it cool in room temperature.

Beat eggs and sugar in a mixer until it becomes white for 3-4 minutes. Respectively add oil, yogurt, baking powder, vanilla, semolina, hazelnut and flour. Keep mixing for 2-3 minutes more.

Pour the cake mixture to a greased 10x12 inch (or 25x30 cm) rectangle or 10 inch (25 cm) round baking pan. Bake at 175C or 350F until it's colored up. 3-4 minutes after you remove the cake out of oven, slice it without removing from the baking pan. Pour the syrup on the cake and chill in the refrigerator. You may serve with whipped cream and fruits.              

Semolina Cake in Syrup (Basbousa) - Revani

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves:12 -15	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	372 kcal	54 gr	16 gr	4 gr	46 gr

Baked Rice Pudding - Sütlaç

Sütlaç means "milky food" served either hot or cold; often browned in a salamander broiler and garnished with cinnamon. May be sweetened with sugar or pekmez. It's one of the primary desserts served in religious festivals (the other is baklava).  

Baked Rice Pudding - Sütlaç

Baked Rice Pudding - Sütlaç
Origin: Turkish
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients:
-(Must) 1 1/2 cup water
-(Must) 1/2 cup uncooked short-grain rice
-(Must) 4 cup milk
-(Must) 1 cup sugar
-(Must) 1/8 cup rice flour
-(Optional) 2 tsp vanilla extract
-(Optional) 1 tsp cinnamon

Baked Rice Pudding - Sütlaç

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in rice, cover pan, and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until almost all water is absorbed. Meanwhile, combine milk and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat and stir until sugar dissolves.

In a small bowl, combine rice flour with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the warm milk, stirring to make a thick paste.
Add cooked rice to warmed milk and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Add rice flour paste to rice and milk mixture, stirring constantly.Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla.

Divide pudding into four ovenproof serving bowls and sprinkle with cinnamon.Preheat broiler for 5 minutes. Broil bowls of pudding for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned on top.
Serve warm.

Baked Rice Pudding - Sütlaç

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves:6	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	297 kcal	55 gr	6 gr	7 gr	41 gr

Noah's Pudding - Ashure

In anecdotal history, it is claimed that when Noah's Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat in northeastern Turkey, Noah's family celebrated with a special dish. Since their supplies were nearly exhausted, what was left (primarily grains, dried fruits and the like) was cooked together to form a pudding, what is now call Ashure. Its a really healthy dessert and good energy food. Here is the recipe:

Noah's Pudding - Ashure

Noah's Pudding - Ashure
Origin: Turkish
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients:
1 cup wheat, soaked in water 6 hours or overnight
5 cup water
1/4 cup raisins (seedless)
1/4 cup dried apricots chopped fine
1/4 cup currants, plus 1 tbsp. for garnish
1/4 cup dried figs, chopped fine
1/4 cup short-grain rice, rinsed well
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup dry chickpeas, soaked in water 6 hours or overnight
1/3 cup dry white beans, soaked in water 6 hours or overnight
2 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 3 tbsp milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp rose water
1/2 small size orange
3 tbsp chopped almonds, roasted
3 tbsp chopped walnuts, roasted
3 tbsp chopped hazelnuts, roasted
3 tbsp chopped pistachio
3 tbsp halved peanut, roasted
3 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 cup pomegranate
1 tbsp coconut, finely grated
1 tbsp ground pistachio

Noah's Pudding - Ashure

Directions:

Soak raisins, apricots, figs and currants in very hot water for 5 minutes. Drain.

Add 3 cups of water to wheat and 2 cups of water each to chickpeas and beans and place them individually on the burner. Cook the wheat until the grains are dissolved and the starch comes out. If necessary boil the chickpeas and beans in pressure cooker.

Mix the cooked ingredients, rice and the dry fruit in a pan and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch mixture with 2 tablespoons of cooking liquid in a small bowl. Set aside. Add sugar and cornstarch mixture and stir until mixture thickens.

Peel the orange and cut the rid, including the white inner part into 3-4 cm long and 1 cm wide strips. Divide the orange slices into 4-5 pieces. Add them all together to the mixture. Add also 1 tbsp of nuts and cook for another 5 minutes and turn off the heath. Add the rosewater and stir. Pour into dessert cups. Garnish with nuts, pistachio, coconut and pomegranate pits. 

Noah's Pudding - Ashure

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves:6-8	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	292 kcal	46 gr	11 gr	9 gr	23 gr

Bitter Chocolate Mousse

Mousse, very famous french dessert, is a prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture. It can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick, depending on preparation techniques. Dessert mousses are typically made with whipped egg whites or whipped cream, and generally flavored with chocolate or puréed fruit. Here is the recipe of bitter chocolate mousse:

Bitter Chocolate Mousse

Bitter Chocolate Mousse
Origin: French 
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

-(Must) Bitter Chocolate (250 gr or equivalently 0.5 Ibs)
-(Must) Milk (150 gr or equivalently 0.3 Ibs)
-(Must) Sugar (150 gr or equivalently 0.3 Ibs)
-(Must) Gelatin powder (15 gr)
-(Must) Milk cream (150 gr or equivalently 0.3 Ibs)
-(Optional) 1 Orange and brown sugar

Directions:
Beat the cream up for at 3 minutes by a mixer. Mix cream and cooled chocolate kindly by a spoon.     

Slice orange 1/2 cm thick and put onto a baking paper. Scatter some brown sugar onto orange and bake it for 1 hour in 125C. Put chocolate into a small pan, place the pan into hot water and melt the chocolate. In another pan boil sugar and milk. Add melted chocolates and gelatin. Mix and boil until gelatin melts. Remove the pan from stove and wait until it gets cold. 

Share the mixture to cups and decorate with baked orange. Keep it in refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Bon appetit!

Bitter Chocolate Mousse

  

Apple Pie

In the English colonies the apple pie had to wait for the planting of European varieties, brought across the Atlantic, to become fruit-bearing apple trees, to be selected for their cooking qualities as there were no native apples. Apple pie was a common food in eighteenth century Delaware. As noted by the New Sweden historian Dr. Israel Acrelius in a letter: “Apple pie is used throughout the whole year, and when fresh Apples are no longer to be had, dried ones are used. It is the evening meal of children.” In Mediterranean culture it was probably never an evening meal of children but there exist a recipe;

Apple Pie

Apple Pie
Origin: Turkish, Greek 
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients:

Dough:
-(Must) All purpose flour (500 gr or equivalently 1 Ibs)
-(Must) Butter (300 gr or equivalently 0.6 Ibs)
-(Must) Sugar (150 gr or equivalently 0.3 Ibs)
-(Must) 2 Eggs
-(Must) 2 tbsp milk

Filling:
-(Must) 6 green apples, peeled, grated
-(Optional) 1 cup yellow dried grape
-(Optional) 2 cup shattered walnut 
-(Optional) Brown sugar (120 gr or equivalently 0.25 Ibs)
-(Optional) 1 tbsp cinnamon 

Directions:

In a bowl or mixer, knead butter and flour. Then, add sugar, eggs and milk and keep knead until you form a dough. Divide dough to two pieces and wrap them with stretch film. Let them rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Mix all the ingredients of filling and put it refrigerator too for at least 1/2 hours.

Roll out the dough to form a base for the pie. Place the filling onto base dough after you laid it onto pie tray. Roll the other half of the dough and put it onto filling. Rub scrambled egg onto pie and bake in 180C / 350F for 40 minutes.  

Apple Pie Recipe

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves:12	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	561 kcal	43 gr	33 gr	8 gr	24 gr