Tartolet

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 stick butter (4 oz)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup of powdered sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling

• 2 cups of milk
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 dessertspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 dessertspoon starch
• 6-7 strawberries
• 2 kiwis

For the sauce

• 1 cup of fresh orange juice
• 2 dessertspoons starch
• 3 dessertspoons sugar

Preparation

To prepare the dough take a large bowl, put sugar and butter in it and knead. Then add egg, vanilla extract and baking powder. Continue kneading it while adding flour slowly. It will be ready when it does not stick in your hands. When it is ready put it into fridge and wait about 30 minutes.

In the mean time to prepare cream beat eggs and sugar in a pot. Then add flour and milk while beating it. Add starch and put in on medium heat. Stir it constantly until it become thick, then turn off the heat and add vanilla extract and butter and stir again.

Take the dough from the fridge and with the help of a roller make thin sheet and cut circular pieces out of it with a cup. Put circular pieces in the pan and make holes with a fork on the bottom of these pieces.

Bake them 350 F preheated oven about 20 minutes.

To prepare the sauce make fresh juice from 2 oranges, you will get 1 cup of orange juice. Put it in a pan, add starch and sugar. Then cook on low heat until it gets thick like a jell. 

When the pastries cooled down put cream on each of them.

Then put chopped fruit on top of the cream. You can use strawberry, kiwi, banana, pineapple... On very top put the sauce and keep them in the fridge about one hour. Your tartolets are ready, enjoy!

Pickled Cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 green cabbage
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 4 tablespoons salt
• Apple cider vinegar

Preparation

Separate cabbage leaves (do not use first three layers) and cut each leaf into two to four pieces. Take a large plate or pan, put a layer of cabbage and add some salt, put another layer and add more salt.Continue this process until all cabbages are done. Cover the cabbages with a plate or pan and put something heavy on top.

Wait 5-6 hours until they reduce their size. In the mean time crush garlic cloves with some salt.

Then take a large jar and put as much as cabbage you can, it should be tight. Then add garlic and vinegar. I do not prefer to add water, but if you want, you can add some water, this will make it less bitter. I put some carrots on top of it. You can make different combinations with pickles, green beans, tomatoes...

Close the lid and keep the jar in a cool place like a pantry, it should not be under direct sunlight. Wait 10 days to 2 weeks without opening it. Enjoy!

Turkish Delight Cake

My first attempt to make Turkish Delight was failed. So I have used it as an ingredient to make cake and it turned out to be a very good one.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 2 1/2 cups of water 
• 1 dessertspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoon starch
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup of roasted hazelnut
• 3/4 cup of vegetable/canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or powdered vanilla
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preparation

In a small pan roast starch until it changes its colour. 

Take a large pot and put water, sugar and brown sugar in it.When it starts to boil add starch and vinegar. You need to mix it continuously when you are adding starch in order to have a smooth mixture. When all ingredients are mixed well, lower the heat and cook it about one hour. 

After one hour add roasted and crushed hazelnuts (you can buy roasted hazelnuts but I prefer to roast myself) and put it in a large bowl and wait until it gets cold. 

Add eggs to the mixture and after beating it add oil vanilla extract and cocoa powder and beat again. Lastly add flour and baking powder with the help of a strainer. 

Pour the mixture in a cake pan and bake it in 375 F preheated oven about 30-40 minutes. To understand if it is baked stick a toothpick in it and take it off. If it is clean, cake is baked well.  Enjoy!

Hosmerim

The name of this dessert has an interesting story. A Turkish men came to home from a long military service without prior notice to his wife. His wife decided to make a dessert for him and she made up something with whatever she has at home. Then she serve to his husband and asked if he found the dessert nice. So, her question became the name of dessert she made up.  I do not know if the story is real or not, but the one thing I know that it is a delicious dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of semolina
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of water
• 1 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of grated fresh mozzarella
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (5/8 stick)

Preparation

Take a pan add butter and heat it. After butter melts add semolina and cook it until it become brown. In a medium pot put water, sugar and milk and boil.

After it boils add it to semolina mixture and cook slowly by adding grated mozzarella. When mozzarella melts you can take it from the heat.

You can serve it with ice cream or Turkish clotted cream. To make Turkish clotted cream put 2 cups of half half cream in a glass pan, add a little whole milk. Put boiling water in a pot and place glass pan on the pot. Simmer it about 8-10 hours. Take it from the heat and wait until it gets cold and put it in the fridge. It should be ready next day. Enjoy!

Steamed Clams

This was the first time I have steamed clams, so I tried to do it in three ways; simple one with no sauce, with garlic sauce and with pasta.

Note: This recipe is for 3 people as appetizer

Ingredients

• 2 dozens (24) of clams
• 1/2 cup of sea salt

For simple steam

• Hot water
• Olive oil
• Thyme

For garlic sauce

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Thyme
• Parsley

For the pasta

• 1 cup of pasta
• 1/2 cup of pasta sauce (preferably tomato)
• Rosemary
• Sea salt

Preparation

Take a large bowl and put some cold water in it, then add sea salt. Put all clams into it and wait couple of hours and take them out. If any of them is opened throw them away. 

Boil water in a steamer and after it boils put some olive oil and thyme in water and put 10 clams on the steamer and close the lid. Wait until all clams are opened. If any of them is not opened, get rid of it. Take opened clams in a plate and serve them with lemon.

To prepare sauced clams, take a pot and put some olive oil in it. Add chopped garlic and thyme after oil is heated, cook them couple of minutes then add white wine (I have used red wine, because I did not have white one) and boil couple of minutes. Then put 10 clams into it and close the lid. When they start to open add butter and steam them until all of them is opened. Take them in a bowl and sprinkle chopped parsley over them.

Lastly to prepare the pasta, boil some water in a pot and add pasta. Boil pasta about ten minutes then add tomato sauce, sea salt and rosemary and boil couple of minutes more. Then add the last 4 clams in it, close the lid and wait until all of them is opened. Enjoy!

Noodle Pilaf with Lamb

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound lamb
• 1 cup of noodle
• 1 sweet pepper
• 1 small onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper

Preparation

For this recipe you need lamb meat with bones. Put them in a pot and boil until they get very soft. Then smash them into little pieces with your hands. 

Take a pot and put chopped onions, pepper, butter and olive oil and cook. After they get soft add chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes become very soft like puree. 

Roast noodle in another pan with some butter until it gets brown.

Then add roasted noodle, salt, pepper and warm water into the pot. It would be better if you use the water you have boiled meat in it. Amount of water you add is very important. It should be a little above the noodles. Close the lid and cook until it socks all water, about 15-20 minutes. Then add lamb meat on top of it. Enjoy!

Note: I poured the rest of the water into small cups with some thyme and put into freezer to use later. You can use them to make rice or other kinds of vegetable meals.

Hazelnut Cookies

I want to thank my friend Gamze for sharing her recipe with me.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of flour
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (8 oz)
• 1/2 cup of vegetable/canola/sunflower oil
• 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon wheat or corn starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of crushed hazelnuts

Preparation

Take a large bowl and put butter, oil, powdered sugar and starch in it. After kneading them add one cup of flour and baking powder with the help of a strainer. This will allow baking powder to spread well. 

Then add vanilla and knead adding remaining flour slowly. You can add more flour if you feel it is sticky. 

Add crushed hazelnuts and knead one last time. Then give them round shape and put on a baking pan with some distance. 

Bake them 30 minutes 325-350 preheated oven. You can sprinkle cacao powder or powdered sugar on them. Enjoy!