Turkish dessert – My Whisk and I

125ml uncooked rice
500ml water
1 litre + 125ml milk
250ml sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
37,5ml cornstarch
50g pistachios nuts, finely ground

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and place 6 ramekins in an oven tray that is at least 7cm deep.
Add the rice and water to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until tender – the rice should be creamy and not dry.
Pour in the 1 litre milk and add the sugar.
Stir, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a slow simmer.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add the lemon zest and stir through.
Add the cornstarch to a small bowl and pour in the 125ml milk. Whisk together to make a slurry.
Now drizzle the slurry into the simmering rice mixture while stirring the whole time.
Keep stirring and allow the mixture to become thick – about 10-15 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and fill the oven tray with enough warm water to come halfway up the side of the ramekins.
Place the oven tray on the top shelf of your oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown on top. WATCH THE PUDDINGS AND REMOVE THEM FROM THE OVEN WHEN YOU ARE HAPPY WITH THE COLOUR – THEY BURN EASILY!
Take the ramekins from the tray, allow them to cool and then refrigerate them for 1 hour.
Sprinkle the ground pistachio over the rice puddings and serve.

80ml blanched almonds
80ml blanched walnuts
30ml brown sugar
7,5ml ground cinnamon
750ml self-raising flour
80g butter, cubed
300ml milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Honey Syrup:
190ml sugar
60ml honey
125ml water

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 10cm x 21cm loaf pan with baking paper.
Add the almonds and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Spoon the nuts into a bowl and add the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Mix through and then spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl. Set both bowls aside.
Sift the flour in to a mixing bowl and add the butter.
Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre and add the 250ml of milk.
Mix with a flat-bladed knife until it forms a soft dough – add a few drops of milk at a time if the mixture needs more liquid.
Flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Gently knead the dough until it JUST comes together.
Now place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll to a 20cm x 35cm rectangle.
Brush the surface with the egg and scatter over the nuts.
Start from a short end and roll up like a Swiss roll.
Place in the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour.
Stand in the pan for 10 minute, remove from the baking tin and place on a cooling rack to cool.

For the syrup:
Add all the ingredients to a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Cook the mixture for 5 minutes while stirring.
Now boil it without stirring for another 5 minutes and take it from the heat.
Pierce the top of the warm loaf with a skewer and drizzle half the syrup over.
Sprinkle the reserved two tablespoons nut mixture over the cake and stand for another 10 minutes.
Serve the Baklava Loaf sliced with the remaining syrup.

Tag: Turkish dessert

Turkish Rice Pudding / Sütlaç

Baklava Loaf