Gullac Workshop
Güllaç is a classical Turkish dessert, once referred to as "milk soaked napkin". It is prepared with a pastry of corn starch, wheat flour and water (which used to be wheat flour). Actually I think you can replace it with rice papers used for Spring Rolls. It wouldn't be the same but it would be close enough. Traditionally the pastry is soaked with milk and sugar, the center is filled with walnuts and the dessert is covered with pistachio and pomegrenade seeds. That's it. Milk soaked napkin....
Salty Profiterol with Saffron Cream and Hazelnut Sauce
I was quite surprised to find a salty profiterol recipe in Toraman kitchen with Swiss chard and mushrooms. I LOVE choux paste, it's my favourite for all deserts, probably because it is not that sweet. But for whatever reason I have never imagined a salty one! I had to try!
I imagined it with saffron and cheese, so I used cheddar and saffron cream. The sauce needed a bit more reflection, so I had help from "Mide Lobisi".
I had many flavour suggestions. Rose, terragon, lemon balm, sage, ...
End of April – Time for Rhubarb : Rhubarb and Strawberry Galette
The weather is getting warmer and rhubarbs are ready to harvest! When I saw rhubarbs ready to go, I decided to write about this weird plant with edible stalks.
It is from polygonaceae family (rheum rhabarbarum, French rhubarbe) with appealing red stems. It is not grown in Turkey so not really known there. But it can grow well under Turkish climate. It is perennial and zero maintenance! So if you have a garden, plant it somewhere, you won't regret!
I have never met this plant until we ...
Pistachio Pesto
Pesto is originally a Latin word which means crushed, pounded. Pesto sauce from Italy is traditionally pounded in a mortar. The recipe has many local variations.
Classical Pesto alla Genovese
The pesto as we know is the pesto alla genovese. Genova style pesto. This classical version has pine nuts, garlic, basil, salt, olive oil and parmesan cheese. You can use Parmigiano Reggiano, Grano Padano, or even Pecorino Romano with a Roman twist. There is another version of the sauce from South ...
Note for Forest Hikes: Time to Forage Wild Garlic
April is the time for wild garlic. I had forgotten about it this year but Deniz from Mide Lobisi brought it back to my mind and we wanted to start our hunt before it got too late. Open your eyes during your hikes from April to June!
Its scientific name is allium ursinum, which can be translated as bear's garlic (similarly it is called ail des ourses in French). The reason is quite obvious: apperantly European grizzlies love digging and eating the bulb! Boars are also quite fond of them. Of ...
Mafé: Beninese cuisine v.2
I introduce another Western African dish, mafé!
I love discovering different cuisines. I confess, my palate is not really open to strong tastes, and I am having difficulty adapting to new tastes, but still I love discovering new tastes. Especially I enjoy eating the tastes that I know prepared in a completely different, surprising way. And this recipe is one of them!
Mafé
As you may remember, I have already shared a recipe from Benin, a stew called Agushi. Mafé is a stew prepared ...
This Profiterol is Zumbo’s Fault
We are not desserts people. So, we don't really know how to make desserts. But for the past two weeks we got hooked to a desserts competition called Zumbo's Just Desserts. Oh what desserts they make in 3-4 hours, with usual ingredients! After watching the first few episodes in awe, the toxic thought showed up: Easy, I can do that. First effort was to be a cake but what do I know? I cannot make just a dry cake, I don't know creams, what is a sponge? or Jaconde? Somewhere I had a recipe called ...
Pulled Pork with Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Since we got the sous vide machine we wanted to try a pulled pork recipe. I tried pulled pork for the first time in Rotterdam, in the Fenix Food Factory. It was an amazing barbecue dish. I always enjoy such cosy places where you can buy your food and beer from different shops and enjoy in a comfortable, warm environment. I always dreamed I would go to such places every day - if only Geneva had one! Halle de Rive is as close as you can get to that around here, and it is not cosy at all. ...
Agushi, Coincidental Beninese Stew
Life is strange. Coincidental relations may end up with strange results. The story of how I reached this recipe is one such strange story. It is a bit long but I had to tell it...
As you may know, our dog, Mickey, is very precious. He has sitters if we go away, he wouldn't be left in a dog pension, we don't miss his walks etc. So we found a professional dog walker to walk him when we are busy. But her services are quite expensive so when we needed him to be walked regularly for a while, we ...
Celery Salad with Walnuts, Pears and Roquefort
I am quite fond of salads with fruits. To me fruits overpower the bluntness of regular green salads. In Turkey we are used to a few salads like spinach with pomegrenates. But fruity salad world is very vast and it is waiting for us to discover! Well, one of the gems I discovered recently, and I hesitate each time I prepare and end up with a happy surprise, is this celery salad with walnuts, pears and Roquefort.
Back in Turkey, celery branch was not very easy to find. Traditionally we use the ...
