Tag Archives: dessert

Around the World: Turkey – Künefe

Around the World: Turkey – Künefe
Around the World: Turkey – Künefe

Merhaba!! 

– that means hello in Turkish! 🙂 

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Künefe by gingerlemonandspice

Today I will talk a little bit about the religion in Turkey.

Most of the people there are Muslims. That means they believe in Allah which is God. The Islam stands on five pillars: Testimony, Prayer, Alms-Giving, Fasting and Pilgrimage. Those are considered obligatory for all believers. The holy book in the Islam is the Quran or Koran, which is said to be verbally revealed from God to the last prohet Mohammad through angel Gabriel. The Muslims are restricted in their diet and should not eat pork, blood and carrion or drink alcohol. All food should be halal.

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Künefe by gingerlemonandspice

I am telling you all this because I want to talk about the month of fasting: Ramadan or as they say in Turkey: Ramazan. It is during the ninth month of the Islam and in this time it is obligatory for all adult Muslims to fast from dawn till sunset except those who are ill, travelling or pregnant. One should refrain from food, drinks (no water!), smoking, having sex and sometimes even swearing. Everyday after sunset there will be the big Iftar (fast-breaking meal) where families and friends come together to celebrate.

I have to say that during my stay in Izmir it was also the time or Ramazan, but most of the people I met weren’t so strict to do a whole month of complete fasting. Some of them did a few days but not all of them. Also the working life is still going on as normal – maybe a bit slower but everything is open. I didn’t expect that! But it could be that this was only because I was in a big cosmopolitan city and it is different in the rural areas! 🙂

 

Ramazan is acutally happening right now! It concludes in the three day long festivities of breaking the fast (Ramazan Bayramı – this year from 8th to 10th of august). Those days are called ‘Zuckerfest’ in German which means ‘sugar festival’ and that says it all about how it is celebrated. Lot’s and lot’s of food will be prepared and eaten together with family, friends and neighbours, especially sweet dishes can be found on the table!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Künefe by gingerlemonandspice

It is only logical that today I have a special dessert for you: It is the crispy and sweet angel hair in syrup with melted cheese called Künefe! It is my absolute favorite dessert in Turkish Cuisine and I hope you enjoy it too!

Don’t foget, if you have any questions about Turkey or have made your own experiences please tell me about it in the comments!!

I’d love to hear about it!!

 

Künefe
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A sweet and crispy, creamy and warm dessert that will surprise your taste buds!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Turkish
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Syrup
  • 300g (1⅓ cup) sugar
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon citrus zest (I used lemon)
  • 3 tablespoons fruit juice (orange or apple)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 sachet vanilla sugar
Künefe
  • 300g tel kadayıf (angel hair noodles from the Turkish store)
  • 150g butter, melted
  • 300g mozzarella cheese
  • 300g kaymak (Turkish cream, mascarpone works too)
  • 100g pistacchios, finally chopped
Instructions
Syrup
  1. Cook water and sugar on the stove until the liquid is reduced to half. Stir once in a while. Take the pot from the stove and whisk in zest, juice and vanilla.
Künefe
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F)
  2. Chop mozzarella in small cubes and mix with half of the kaymak or mascarpone. Set aside.
  3. Cut the angel hair noodles in 1-2 cm pieces and loosen them up with your fingers. Pour the butter over the noddles and mix very well! Take half of the noddles and press them into a casserole dish big enough or use several smaller ones to make them portion sized.
  4. Distribute the cheese mix evenly on top and add the rest of the noddles on top. Press them down gently.
  5. Put your dish or dishes into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. The top should be golden brown!
  6. Take them out of the oven and pour the syrup over the Künefe. Wait until the syrup is soaked up. Decorate with the rest of the kaymak or mascarpone and the pistacchios! Then serve whilst hot.
  7. Enjoy 🙂
Notes
I forgot to put on the kaymak and pistacchios as the decoration. You will just have to imagine it 😉

Adapted from Sofralar of the KochDichTürkisch-Blog

Afiyet olsun!! 

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

An Introduction to the new series

Appetizer – Sigara Böreği

Main Dish – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Drink – Ayran 

Salad – Kısır

Pastry – Kurabiye

Snack/Fast Food – Lahmacun

Guest Post – Acılı Ezme

 

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Künefe by gingerlemonandspice

~ Kathrin

 

Mini Pavlovas with Lemon Curd, Raspberries and Chocolate

Mini Pavlovas with Lemon Curd, Raspberries and Chocolate
Mini Pavlovas with Lemon Curd, Raspberries and Chocolate

Hello everybody!!

My very first giveaway is over and very soon  this cute and roomy Apple Pouch will be sent to a new owner!

Who is it you ask?

I used random.org to draw the lucky winner: Congratulations to Ariane from arifra83!! 

Apple Pouch Giveaway by gingerlemonandspice

She said she would use this pursie to store all the small things a woman needs during a day  🙂

 

But all of you that weren’t so lucky – don’t be sad!! There will be another giveaway sometime for sure! And for now you can take a teensy bit of your time and make those tender and delicious Mini Pavlovas. They aren’t difficult to make but look  and taste so decadent and sophisticated! A very special treat for you or your loved ones. Or make them for your mother on mother’s day?

Donal Skehan's Mini Pavlovas with Raspberries, Chocolate and Lemon Curd by ginger, lemon & spice

 

Mini Pavlovas

adapted from Donal Skehan

Donal Skehan's Mini Pavlovas with Raspberries, Chocolate and Lemon Curd by ginger, lemon & spice

Donal Skehan's Mini Pavlovas with Raspberries, Chocolate and Lemon Curd by ginger, lemon & spice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Meringue:

250g powdered sugar

4 egg whites (maybe left from making Creamy Lemon Curd?)

2 teaspoons corn flour

1 teaspoon white vine vinegar (I used white balsamico)

 

Filling:

500g cream, whipped (if you like with some cinnamon)

250g raspberries and/or optional lemon curd (I had bananas with the lemon curd version)

Chocolate shavings*

Donal Skehan's Mini Pavlovas with Raspberries, Chocolate and Lemon Curd by ginger, lemon & spice

 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C and put baking parchment on two or three baking trays. Then place the sugar and the egg whites in a bowl and mix until white and stiff. This takes at least 10 minutes! Lucky you if you have a stand mixer, if not take some patience and use your electric hand mixer 🙂 The mixture is ready if you can form peaks and they stay stiff! Fold in corn flour and vinegar gently with a rubber spatula.

2. Take about one tablespoon of the mixture, put it on a baking tray and flatten out a little. This is your first mini disc! Repeat until all the batter is used up. You should have about 14-16 discs. I made mine a little on the very flat site, I guess you could leave them a little thicker and use only 2 discs to make the staples later!

3. Bake them for 45 minutes and then open the door of the oven a little and let them cool down completely. Meanwhile prepar the filling!

4. Assamble the Mini Pavlovas by stacking a meringue disc, a tablespoon of cream and some raspberries and maybe some lemon curd and repeat. I made two different kinds – One with cinnamon cream and raspberries and one with plain cream, bananas and lemon curd. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings on top!

5. Enjoy immediately after snapping a picture or two 😉

Donal Skehan's Mini Pavlovas with Raspberries, Chocolate and Lemon Curd by ginger, lemon & spice

* How to make chocolate shavings:

Take one bar of dark chocolate and a very big knife. ‘Shave’ the chocolate from the bottom of the chocolate bar with the big knife. For some people it is easier to press the chocolate liying on a table with one short side to their belly and shave towards their body. It would be good to wear a clean apron if you try this 🙂

This is a video which shows kind of what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6NjcsdvgwM

Have fun trying this yourself!

Donal Skehan's Mini Pavlovas with Raspberries, Chocolate and Lemon Curd by ginger, lemon & spice

~ Kathrin