Turkye – My Whisk and I

Turkish Rice Pudding / Sütlaç

August 2, 2023June 28, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.

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Cheese Crinkle Pie / Borek

August 1, 2023June 28, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 box phyllo pastry
125g butter, melted
300g feta cheese, crumbled
200ml sour cream
3 eggs
100ml milk
30ml black sesame seeds

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and brush a 18cm x 26cm ceramic dish with melted butter.
Crinkle together two sheets of phyllo pastry by folding them like an accordion. Place them against the longer side of the dish.
Repeat with the remaining pastry and keep stacking the crinkled sheets until the dish is filled and you have no phyllo left.
Take a butter knife and open up/space the crinkles of the pastry evenly within the dish.
Place the pastry in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drizzle over the melted butter.
Put the dish back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
Crumble the feta in to a bowl and set aside.
Add the eggs and sour cream to another bowl, whisk together and pour over the feta.
Add the milk and whisk everything together.
Pour the mixture evenly over the stacked phyllo sheets and sprinkle the sesame seeds over.
Nudge the side of the pastry with a spatula to distribute the custard evenly on the sides of the dish.
Bake the pie for 40 minutes and serve immediately.

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Pistachio, Date and Honey Cake

July 31, 2023June 28, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

175g butter, cubed
100g brown sugar
30ml + 15ml honey
2 eggs
225g self-raising flour
2,5ml ground cinnamon
2 ripe bananas
100g stoned dates
50g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a medium loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together.
Add the honey with the mixer running and then add the eggs one at a time.
Scrape the mixture down and mix for another minute.
Mix the flour and ground cinnamon and add a tablespoon of flour to the mixture while mixing. Continue adding flour until you have none left.
Mash the bananas and cut the dates into small pieces with scissors.
Add the fruit to the the batter and mix for 2 minutes.
Spoon the batter in to the prepared loaf tin and level out the top.
Scatter the pistachios over and bake in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes – check the loaf with a skewer to see if its done.
Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before lifting it out of the baking tin.
Drizzle the remaining 15ml honey over the warm cake and allow to cool.
Slice into thick slices and serve along a cup of Turkish coffee.

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Shoulder of Lamb

July 30, 2023June 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2kg lamb shoulder
6 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml ground cumin
15ml ground coriander
5ml chilli flakes
10ml smoked paprika
10ml salt
5ml black peppercorns, crushed
62ml olive oil
62ml lemon juice

125ml pomegranate seeds
60ml pine kernels, roasted

Preheat your oven to 160℃.
Place the lamb shoulder in a roasting dish with the fat side up.
Add the cumin, coriander, chilli, paprika, salt, peppercorns, olive oil and lemon juice to a small bowl and mix together.
Smear the paste all over the meat.
Pour 500ml of water around the lamb and tightly cover the roasting dish with aluminium foil.
Roast the lamb for an hour, open up the foil and spoon the liquid in the pan over the meat.
Cover again and roast further. Open the lamb once more after another hour.
The total roasting time should be 3 hours, with the foil covering.
Remove the foil after 3 hours of roasting and place the meat back in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the meat from the roasting tin but reserve the juices.
Slice or shred the lamb in a serving dish and drizzle with the pan juices.
Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and pine kernels over the shredded meat and serve.

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Turkish Delight Ice-Cream Terrine

July 29, 2023June 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

800g fresh ricotta cheese
165g caster sugar
300ml whipping cream
125g pistachio nuts
200g Turkish delight, cut into 1cm cubes
30ml rose water

Line a small 1 litre loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on the sides.
Add the ricotta and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Spoon the cream into a bowl and whisk to soft peaks.
Spoon the cream into the ricotta mixture and fold through.
Scatter the pistachio, Turkish delight and rosewater over and fold through until evenly distributed.
Spoon the mixture into the lined loaf tin and cover with the overhanging plastic wrap.
Freeze the terrine for 7-8 hours.
Unwrap the top of the terrine and invert it on to a serving plate.
Slice to serve.

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Baklava Loaf

July 28, 2023June 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.

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Bulgur Wheat Salad

July 27, 2023June 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500ml cooked bulgur wheat
250ml parsley, chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
80ml chopped pickled cucumber
125ml roasted red peppers, chopped
250ml pomegranate seeds
80ml raisins
Dressing:
60ml olive oil
60ml lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
2,5ml granulated mustard
5ml sugar
2,5ml salt

Add the cooked bulgur wheat, parsley, onion, pickled cucumber, red peppers, pomegranate seeds and raisins to a large mixing bowl and toss together.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together until amalgamated and drizzle over the salad.

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Aubergine Flatbread

July 25, 2023June 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

60ml olive oil
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
150g – 200g aubergine, cubed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml sumac
lemon juice
pomegranate seeds
8 – 10 small flatbreads, about 8cm diameter

Pour the olive oil in to a pan and set it over medium to medium-high heat.
Add the chickpeas, aubergine cubes, garlic and sumac and cook for about 10 minutes, until the aubergine is soft.
Take from the heat and roughly mash together so that you have mashed chickpeas with texture.
Smear the mixture on to the flatbreads, drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle over some pomegranate seeds.
Serve as a canapé with drinks.

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Pomegranate Mille-Feuille

July 18, 2023May 23, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 x 375g puff pastry
45ml pomegranate seeds + extra to scatter over
125ml + 30ml icing sugar, sifted
250ml whipping cream
110g mascarpone
10ml rosewater

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and unroll the pastry.
Cut into 16 rectangles, place on the baking sheet and prick the surface with a fork.
Lay another sheet of baking paper over the pastry and place another baking tray on top.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Add the pomegranate seeds to a small bowl and muddle it with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour through a small sieve and reserve the juice.
Add the 125ml icing sugar to the pomegranate juice and mix to a thick paste. If you need more liquid, add a few drops of water.
Spoon the paste over 5 of the pastry rectangles and set aside.
Add the cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk to soft peaks.
Add the mascarpone, rosewater and 30ml icing sugar and whisk to stiff peaks.
Place 5 pastry rectangles on a serving platter.
Spread half the mascarpone mixture onto the pastry, place another piece of pastry on top and add the rest of the mascarpone on top.
Now place the pastry with the icing sugar on top of each mille-feuille and scatter over some pomegranate seeds.

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Rose-Meringue Discs

July 15, 2023May 29, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

3 egg whites
190ml caster sugar
7,5ml rose water
rose petals

Preheat your oven to 120℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Trace circles with an 8cm diameter on the baking paper and then flip the baking paper over on the tray.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Whisk the whites to soft peaks.
Turn the mixer to high and start adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time and waiting for the sugar to be incorporated before adding the next spoonful.
Whisk for 5 minutes or until you have a very stiff, glossy mixture.
Drizzle over the rose water and fold in with a spatula.
Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm nozzle.
Pipe the meringue on the inside perimeter of each circle.
Now spread the meringue from the outside of the circle to its centre, forming an even disc.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off the oven but do not open the door for another hour.
Carefully remove the discs from the baking paper.
Wet your finger, touch a rose petal and then stick the petal on the disc.
Serve the meringue discs with a cup of mint tea or use as a decoration for a dessert.