Tasting Turkish Culture

Ingredients For Hard Cookies 1 stick unsalted butter in room temperature 2 eggs ( yolk is to be put on top of the sekerpare ) 5 tbsp semolina 5 tbsp powdered sugar 1 package or 1 tbsp vanilla 1 package or 1 tbsp baking powder 1/2 cup of whole nuts ( almond or hazelnut ) Flour as you need ( approx. 4 cups ) For syrup 2 cups of sugar 2 cups of water 2 tbsp lemon juice Directions; 1-Boil 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water in a pot for 5 minutes.Then add lemon juice. Let the liquid boil a few more minutes and set a side and let it cool down. 2- In a mixing bowl, add  egg whites on to the butter which is softened in the room temperature. 3-Then mix semolina, powdered sugar, baking powder and vanilla. Make a pure mixture by hand. 4-Add flour little by little until you get soft dough. ( like earlobe) 5- Brake off small pieces, walnut size, from dough round and flatten them. 6- Set them on the an oiled cookie sheet. 7- Brush the top of cookies with egg yolk and put wh...

Ingredients  1 package of petit beurre biscuit ( lightly sweet cookie) 2 cups of warm milk 3 large size apple 1 tsp cinnamon Whipped cream Chopped Walnut Ground coconut Directions 1-After peeling apples , grate them. Then in a pan, cook it until it absorb its juice back. Add cinnamon and walnut into the pan and let them cook 2 more minutes.  2-In a tray, lay biscuits side by side after dipping them in milk.  On the biscuits, spread the cooked apple  mixture. 3-Continue the same process,making layers of apple  and biscuit, until the ingredients finish.  On top spread whipped cream evenly, and sprinkle coconut and walnut.

Ingredients 4 large eggs 1 cup of poppy seeds 1cup of semolina 1/2 cup sugar 1-1/2 cup flour 1 cup yogurt 1/2 cup corn oil 1 packet baking powder 1 packet vanilla Syrup 3 cup sugar 2-1/2 cup water 1 tbsp lemon juice Garnish Shredded coconut, chopped walnut or pistachio Direction 1-Mix sugar and eggs thoroughly. Add yogurt and oil to mixture. 2- Combine dry ingredients-semolina, flour,poppy seeds , vanilla, and baking powder- and mix together well. 3- Spray a deep Pyrex ( oven-safe) glass dish with oil, and pour int the mixture. Cook at 350 F on middle rack until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Note; Do not open the oven door, or it won't rise properly. Check progress from the window. 4- While the cake is cooking, boil sugar and water for 3-4 minutes in a small pot. Add lemon juice and boil 3 more minutes and then remove from heat. 5- After cake is finished cooking, let it cool. Pour the still- warm syrup over the cake. Before serving, garnish individual s...

INGREDIENTS Cake; 3 eggs 6 figs, chopped 1 c. walnut, crushed 1/2 c. milk 1 c. sugar 1 1/2 c. flour baking powder vanilla  Syrup: 1 1/2 c. water 1 T. Nescafé instant coffee 1/2 c. sugar  OR 3-in-1 Nescafé instant coffee 1 T. sugar 1 1/2 c. cold water Cream: 2 T. flour 3 T. starch  4 c. milk 8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 packet powdered whipped cream DIRECTIONS 1-Mix eggs and sugar thoroughly, then stir in milk. 2-Stir in flour, baking powder, and vanilla, and mix until completely combined. 3-Stir in figs and walnuts. Grease a baking dish with spray oil. and pour in the mixture evenly. 4-Bake 20-25 minutes at 350º F. 5-Mix all ingredients for syrup well. 6-Then, over medium-high heat, stir milk, flour, and starch until the mixture boils. 7- Remove from heat, and add butter and vanilla and mix well. 8-Last, stir in the powdered whipped cream. 9-After the baked  cake  has cooled, pour...

Ingredients  4 cup of milk 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup wheat starch  egg yolk  oreo cookie or Turkish halley  Garnish banana,strawberry or peach and 1/2 cup sugar  Direction   1- In a pot, mix all ingredients and stir until it boils. 2-Then in a small bowl lay the oreo. Then add 1/2 cup of the mixture. 3-Put in the ref. until it gets cold. While waiting for that, peel the peaches cut them into the small pieces and put in a blender with sugar. 4- Make sure they are chopped well. 5-Final stage add it on the keskul and you are ready to serve. Afiyet Olsun.

Ingredients; 1 package puff pastry sheets 2 cup finely chopped walnut 1tbsp lemon juice 2 and half cups of water 2 cups of sugar Directions; 1-we should start with the syrup so it will cool down in time. 2-Pour 2 cups of sugar and 2 and 1/2 cups of water into a pot.Stir well. Boiled it in a medium hot.After 4-6 minutes boiling, add lemon juice. As a couple of minutes pass, let it cool down. 3- Cut the puff pastry sheets into big squares, then make triangles out of the squares. 3-Put some chopped walnuts in and shape them. 4-Bake in the 350 F preheated oven until they are light brown.When baklava is baked, slowly pour cold syrup on hot baklava.When the syrup is soaked, you can serve it with some whipped cream on top or ice-cream or Turkish tea or Turkish coffee. It is not like real baklava,but it is similar. I am sure you will enjoy it. Afiyet Olsun!

Ingredients 1 cup flour 5 cupmilk 1 T. butter 1 and 1/2 cup sugar 1 package vanilla 2 cup coconut, shredded 1 cup walnut, crushed Direction 1-In a bowl, thoroughly combine flour, sugar and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring continually until it boils. 2-Remove from heat, add butter and blend with a mixer for 3-4 minutes. 3-In a large, 1-inch-deep tray or dish, sprinkle the coconut. 4- Pour the blended mixture over it. (Use more than one tray if needed, because the mixture should not be thick.) 5- Refrigerate for one hour. Cut into small squares. Roll each piece in the crushed walnuts and place on a different plate. Keep in refrigerator until time to serve. Afiyet olsun...

Ingredients 4-5 cup shredded carrot 1- 1/2 cup sugar 2 tbsp crushed walnut 1 cup crushed Turkish Petitbeurre  Biscuit 2 cups dried cocunut Direction 1- In a pan, add sugar and carrots.Cook them in a medium heat until carrot gets soft. 2-Then add walnuts and 2tbsp coconut and biscuit. 3-Stir them gently 2-3 min. 4-Put aside to cool it down. Then make small balls and roll them into the coconut. Serve with tea or coffee. Afiyet Olsun!

Ingredients: 1 package of unbaked kadayif (shredded phyllo dough)  1 package #10 phyllo dough 4 sticks of unsalted butter 2 - 2 ½ cups of cracked walnut For syrup: 3 cups of sugar 3 cups of water 1 tsp lemon juice Directions: Mix the water and sugar in a pot. Boil the mixture up. Continue to boil it approx. 6 more minutes (after the mixture starts boiling). Add lemon juice and keep boiling the mixture approx. 2 more minutes. Set the syrup aside and let it cool down. Melt the butter in a small pan. Lay one sheet of the phyllo dough on the counter and spread some kadayif on it. Sprinkle some cracked walnut on the kadayif and pour some melted butter on it. Then, roll the dough and cut it into 1 inch slices. Place the pieces vertically on the greased baking sheet (with kadayif sides facing up.) Brush the pieces with melted butter. (Don’t use the white part of the butter for brushing because it burns and gives unpleasant appearance.) Bake ...

Ingredients For Pudding; 4cups milk 1/4cup flour 2 tbsp corn starch 6 cups sugar 2 tbsp unsalted butter For Jelly; 2 cups water 3 tbsp corn starch 1 cup fresh raspberries 1 cup sugar Preparation; 1-In a big pot, add all the pudding ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring continually, until mixture boils. Then turn off heat and add butter and stir until it melts. 2-In a different pot, mix all the jelly ingredients and cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Then pour half of the jelly into any type of mould. Then refrigerate for 5 minutes. 3- Then pour the pudding over the jelly and finally pour the remaining jelly over the top of the pudding, creating layers. Then refrigerate for 2-3 hours. After that, carefully turn upside down onto a serving plate. Slice individually. Afiyet Olsun!

Ingredients For Pastry 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup oil 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg 1 tsp yeast Walnuts Cornstarch Flour ( as needed ) For Syrup  3 cups sugar 3 cups water For Top 1 stick melted butter Preparation; 1- Prepare the syrup in advance and allow it cool. 2-For the pastry ( phyllo dough ) mix oil, sugar, yeast, salt, and egg in a bowl. Mix well by hand and then add flour to make a dough that is well-mixed and non-sticky. I start by mixing the dough by hand, but then complete the kneading process using a bread machine. After kneading, allow dough to rest for 20 minutes. 3- Divide the dough into six equal portions. Using the cornstarch, spread out each portion to the size of a plate. Then place the six layers of phyllo dough on top of one another. So that they won't be too thin, roll them out together. Create a tightly formed roll and cut into 1 inch pieces. 4- Further spread out these small circles of dough using a rolling pin. ( You can also do this by...

Ingredients For Cake 4 egg 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 1/2 wheat or corn starch 1 tbsp vanilla 1 tbsp lemon zest ( shredded) For Cream 2 tbsp flour 4 tbsp corn or wheat starch 5 tbsp cacao 3 cup milk 1 cup sugar 1 cup melted bitter chocolate For Garnish Pistachio, coconut, or walnut Banana Preparation 1- In a medium pot, mix the milk, flour, starch, cacao, sugar, and chocolate. In a medium heat stir them until it boils. Then turn off the heat. Stir the mixture time to time. 2-In a bowl, beat for 2-3 min. 1/2 cup sugar with egg yolk. In a different bowl, beat 2-3 min other 1/2 cup sugar with egg white.Then in a big bowl, combine them and add flour, zest, vanilla, and starch. 3- Place the parchment paper on the tray (9"11").Pour the batter. 4-Bake it at 350 for about 15-20 min. approx. 5-When cake is baked.Wait for 5 min. Then make a roll carefully.Then open it back, pour the half of  cream on the cake. 6-Then place the banana and roll it car...

Ingredients For Cake 4 egg 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup corn oil 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 2tbsp orange zest ( shredded ) 1 tbsp vanilla 1 tbsp baking powder 1/4 cup crushed walnut For Syrup 3,5 cup sugar 2,5 cup water 1 cup fresh orange juice 2 tbsp orange zest ( shredded ) For Garnish orange zest, coconut, or walnut Preparation 1- Beat the sugar and eggs 2-3 min. Add oil, orange juice, vanilla,orange zest, and baking powder. Mix them well.Add flour and beat until smooth. Then add walnut. 2-Pour the batter into you oiled pyrex. Bake at 350 F for about 25-30 min ( approx.) 3- For syrup, in a pot, mix all ingredients and boil 5-6 min. 4- Pour the warm syrup on the cold cake. 5-Wait until all syrup is absorbed. Serve with tea or coffee. Afiyet Olsun.

Ingredients 4 large eggs 1cup of semolina 1/2 cup sugar 1-1/2 cup flour 1 cup yogurt 1/2 cup corn oil 1 packet baking powder 1 packet vanilla Syrup 3 cup sugar 2-1/2 cup water 1 tbsp lemon juice Garnish Shredded coconut, chopped walnut or pistachio Direction 1-Mix sugar and eggs thoroughly. Add yogurt and oil to mixture. 2- Combine dry ingredients-semolina, flour, vanilla, and baking powder- and mix together well. 3- Spray a deep Pyrex ( oven-safe) glass dish with oil, and pour int the mixture. Cook at 350 F on middle rack until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Note; Do not open the oven door, or it won't rise properly. Check progress from the window. 4- While the cake is cooking, boil sugar and water for 3-4 minutes in a small pot. Add lemon juice and boil 3 more minutes and then remove from heat. 5- After cake is finished cooking, let it cool. Pour the still- warm syrup over the cake. Before serving, garnish individual slices with coconut, walnut, or pistac...

Ingredients  For Apple, 4-5 medium apple ( peeled) 1 cup of sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon 3 tbsp chopped walnut 6-8 pieces Turkish Pettibour Biskuvi ( Crumbled ) For Pudding 3 cup of milk 1/2 cup of flour 1 cup of sugar 1 package vanilla 2 tbsp butter Preparation 1-  Cook grated apples until water is gone. Turn off the heat and add other ingredients and mix well. 2- In a pot, mix the milk, flour, and sugar. Cook them in a medium heat until it boils. Turn off the heat,  then  add vanilla and butter. Then mix well. 3- Make a small balls with apple mixture and lay 3-4 pieces into the small bowl. 4- Pour the one cup of pudding onto the apple balls. 5- Make same process until ingredients finish. Serve it cold. Afiyet Olsun

Ingredients 2 cup wheat 1 cup rice 1 canned chickpeas 1 canned northern beans 1 cup black raisin 5-6 small diced dry apricots 5-6 small diced dry figs 1/4 cup orange zest 5 cups sugar 1 cup milk For Decorate Hazelnut Chopped Walnut Pistachios Pomegranate Seeds Ground Cinnamon  Preparation 1-In a big mixture bowl,( if you use dry chickpeas and beans) wash and soak the legumes in water overnight. 2-Soak chickpeas and beans in one bowl, and wheat and rise in the other one.If you use canned, you just need to soak wheat and rise in water. 3-Place the wheat and rise with 8 cups of water in pressure cooker. Cook them until wheat dissolve and starch comes out. 4-Add canned chickpeas and beans in it. Pour some water. After that comes to boil, stir in diced apricots, figs, and milk. 5-Let it boil for another 5-10 min. 6- Add 5 cups sugar and stir to combine. Add orange zest. 7- It must be consistent like a pudding. If it is not, mix the 2 tbsp starch an...

Ingredients  4-5 medium apple ( peeled) 1 cup of sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 packet puffy sheets 1/2 chopped walnut Direction  1-Cook grated apples with sugar until water is gone. Take off heat, add walnuts and cinnamon and all other ingredients

Pumpkin Dessert ( Kabak Tatlisi ) Pumpkin desserts are very popular in Turkey in the autumn. Made out of pumpkin and lots of sugar, it is a favorite dessert for many people, including my husband. Because it is hard to carve pumpkins, I couldn't make it for a long time. But a couple of days ago I bought sweet potatoes for the first time, to make as a side dish. One of my friends makes pumpkin dessert using sweet potatoes. Though it may sound strange, it tastes very similar. Ingredients   5 large sweet potatoes 3 c. sugar Direction  1-Peel the potatoes and cut into large squares.  2-Lay in a large pot. Add sugar, then cover and wait for 24 hours. 3- The next day, there will be juice. Boil until potatoes get soft, then allow to cool.  5-Garnish with shredded coconut or crushed walnut. Afiyet Olsun!

Ingredients Pastry: 1 box No. 4 fillo dough 3 sticks unsalted butter, melted 1 c. crushed walnuts or pistachios Syrup: 1 1/2 c. sugar 1 c. water 1 T. lemon juice Direction 1-Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small pot, then add lemon juice and boil for 2-3 minutes longer. Set aside.  2-Brush a baking dish with butter. Carefully layer half the sheets of fillo dough, always brushing each sheet generously with butter. When halfway through, spread crushed nuts on one sheet. 3- Then repeat the process of buttering and layering the remaining fillo sheets. 4-Carefully cut the pastry into squares or diamonds.  5-Cook at 350º F until golden brown. Let cool. 6-Pour warm syrup over cold baklava .  For the best baklava, use more butter and less syrup.  Serve with tea or coffee.

October 1 is my husband's birthday. Last year, I made a big birthday cake for him and I invited his students to our house. There were balloons and many different types of Turkish food. Unfortunately, this year I can't make anything special for my husband because that day we are moving to another apartment. So I just bought a birthday cake from Publix. :) White Cream Cake with Fruit Topping INGREDIENTS Cake: 1 package white cake mix 1 c. water 1/2 c. vegetable oil 3 eggs Cream filling: 4 c. milk 2 T. starch 2 T. flour 1 c. sugar Garnish: Whipped cream Strawberries, bananas, and kiwi, sliced DIRECTIONS