0 KALBURA BASTI - RIDDLED COOKIES

August is generally always a calm month as most people are on vacation or enjoying the summery weather. Throughout this period of the year, my village becomes a ghost town, the building block where I live is quiet like a tomb, televisions stations are broadcasting old programs, friends are having a great time abroad and even bloggers are less active than usual. This holiday atmosphere is quite infectious. Most people get infected by the virus and dream of taking a break and having a blast away from closed walls and computers...



Consequently, it is the right moment for me to put a momentuous halt to my blogging and to have a bit of fun. But don't worry, I am not completely abandoning my blog during my short week off, because I'll be home chillin' all the while, and knowing how addicted I am to "Rosa's Yummy Yums" I will surely publish a couple of pictures in addition to a guest post (around the 19th of August) and will be on Twitter, Facebook or visiting your sites.

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This Friday, I have decided to write about a traditional delicacy from the majestic land of exotic delights, beauty, diversity and heritage that is Turkey. Despite having never travelled there, I have fallen in love with its wonderful culture and stunning landscapes...



"Kalbura Basti", sometimes also known under the name of "Hurma", are Turkish syrup-drenched pastries that have a riddled appearance. They are featured among the favorite specialities that are prepared for the three-day Candy Holiday (Şeker Bayram aka Eid Ul-Fitr) that follows the holy month of Ramazan (Ramadan). Although this treat is of Ottoman origin, a very similar variation of it ("Hurmašice" or "Hurme") can be found in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina too, since the Osmanli Turks invaded, controlled and influenced those regions.

Those date-shaped cakelets are rolled in very original way as one needs a colander, sieve or grater (the side used to grind nutmegs) to give them their unusual looks ("Kalbur" meaning colander). Apart from having a unique form, this speciality cannot be found everywhere in Turkey. As a matter of fact, it is quite difficult to come across it in bakeries or to see it being served in restaurants, because they are commonly baked at home and savored among family members.

According to the information I gathered while surfing in search for meager information, "Kalbura Basti" can be stuffed with chopped walnuts and grated coconut, or can even be devoid of any filling just like the version I am presenting today which is very basic. Nonetheless, I have made a few modifications by adding ground mahleb into the biscuit mix and a pinch of cinnamon into the coating liquid.



I took the recipe from "Turkish Cookbook" which I had bought on a Swiss bidding site. This book on Turkish cuisine is written by one of Turkey's leading cookery author and Sufi practitioner Nevin Halici who has published nine publications, "Sufi Cuisine" being her latest publication so far.



These simple cookies require hardly any ingredients or work (so easy to put together), and they contain no eggs nor butter, yet they are incomparably delicious. It is absolutely impossible not to get hooked on their exquisitely soft and crumbly texture, syrup-engorged and gooey dough as well as absolutely divine nutty, cinnamony and marzipany flavor. "Kalbura Basti" are incredibly addictive. Once you've eaten one, you cannot stop!

"Kalbura Basti"

Recipe adapted from Nevin Halici's "Turkish Cookbook".



Makes 16 cookies.



Ingredients For The "Cookies":

75ml Milk

75ml Olive oil

1/4 Tsp Baking soda

150g Plain flour

1/2 Tsp Ground mahleb (optional)

Ingredients For The "Syrup":

150g Castor sugar

125ml Water

1/2 Tsp Lemon juice

1/3 Tsp Ground cinnamon Optional)



Method For The "Cookies":

1. Grease a baking pan or cover it with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 200° C (400° F).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, olive oil and baking soda together, then add the flour and mahleb. Knead into a smooth dough.

3. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions.

4. Press each piece of dough over a sieve or a shredder with your fıngers while rolling and shaping into oblongs (do not press through).

5. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Method For The "Syrup":

6. Meanwhile, in a medium pan, add the sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon, bring to a boil and let simmer for 2 minutes or until the mixture is syrupy, then remove from heat.

7. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, place them in a shallow dish and immediately pour the hot syrup over them.

8. Let them soak for 10 minutes, then turn them over and let the other side soak for another 10 minutes, then turn the cookies around again and let them cool.

9. Serve as soon as the cookies are no more hot.



Remarks:

This video (at 0:36 secs) will help you visualize how those cookies are shaped.



Serving suggestions:

Serve with a good cup of Turkish, Greek or Lebanese coffee or some black tea.

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"Kalbura Basti"

Recette adaptée de "Turkish Cookbook" par Nevin Halici.



Pour 16 gâteaux.



Ingrédients Pour Les "Gâteaux":

75ml de Lait

75ml d'Huile d'olive

174 de CC de Bicarbonate de soude

150 g de Farine

1/2 CC de Mahleb en poudre (en option)

Ingrédients Pour le "Sirop":

150g de Sucre cristallisé

125ml d'Eau

1/2 CC de Jus de citron

1/3 CC de Cannelle en poudre (en option)



Méthode Pour Les "Gâteaux":

1. Beurrer une plaque de cuisson ou la recouvrir de papier sulfurisé. Préchauffer le four à 200° C (400° F).

2. Dans un bol moyen, mélanger ensemble (émulsionner) le lait, l'huile d'olive et la bicarbonate de soude, puis ajouter la farine et le mahleb, puis pétrir jusqu'à obtention d'une pâte lisse.

3. Diviser la pâte en 16 portions égales.

4. Presser chaque morceau de pâte contre un tamis ou une râpe (côté pour râper la noix de muscade) et les rouler afin de leur donner une forme oblongue.

5. Placer les gâteaux sur la plaque et les cuire dans le four préchauffé pendant 20 minutes.

Méthode Pour Le "Sirop":

6. Pendant ce temps, préparer le sirop: mettre le sucre, l'eau, le jus de citron et la cannelle dans une casserole moyenne et porter à ébullition, puis laisser cuire 2 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que le sirop se soit un peu épaissi, puis le retirer du feu.

7. Dès que les biscuits sortent du four, verser immédiatement le sirop chaud dessus. Laisser s'imbiber pendant 10 minutes, puis les retourner et les laisser s'imbiber pendant encore 10 minutes dans le sirop. Puis les retourner à nouveau et les laisser refroidir.



Remarques:

Cette vidéo (à 0:36 secs) vous aidera à visualiser la méthode de roulage.



Idées de présentation:

Servir avec un bon café à la turque, grec ou libanais, ou du thé noir.

0 MAPLE MOUSSE & MAHLAB TARTLETS - DARING BAKERS

In our frenetic world we tend to take things for granted and forget to be thankful for what we have no matter how little or big. We are so trapped in our routine, stressful daily life and modern style of living-induced problems that we have lost the true meaning of life. Our materialistic ways makes us assume that everything is due to us and that it is normal to be able to acquire anything we desire without thinking of the consequences. We never take the time to realize how lucky we are to have the opportunity to live on this wonderful planet and to profit from all the riches it has to offer...

Our relationship with nature has waned so much that it is nearly inexistent and we no longer revere Mother Earth as our so-called primitive ancestors did long before our mind became corrupt by our quest for power and the accumulation of goods. By destroying the link to our surroundings and behaving like mere "parasites" instead of being in harmony with the universe and respecting our environment, we have created our own downfall.

Those folks which we like to consider as "barbarians" and "uncivilized savages" were in fact a lot wiser than us who are supposed to be the illusively titled "evolved homo-sapiens". Let's not forget that they were true ecologists thousands of years ago. We have absolutely not invented this movement at all, all the contrary.

"Everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence."
- Mourning Dove Salish 1888-1936

In the past, people saw Nature as being a manifestation of the Almighty Power (not necessarily God, but the force behind all things) and therefore admired it and treated it with the utmost respect. The entirety of what graced our globe had its place (nature is very balance focussed), reason for existing and humans didn't try to change this order of things.

In our times society sees things very differently and acts selfishly. After centuries of taking without giving and raping the Earth as if we had the supreme right to pillage everything according to our will, we are starting to understand that we no longer can ransack our "terra firma" without paying the price for our greediness and irresponsability.

"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money."
- Cree Prophecy

Now that the world is polluted and that Nature is rebelling, we are forced to rethink our behaviour and stop believing that we can act like gods. We have become conscious that nothing is free, that all forms of existence deserve to be considered with deference as we live in a place of great beauty and wonder, and that at the end humanity will not have the last word. Men are doomed to disappear if the continue destroying their patrimony, but earth, just like a phoenix, will always be reborn of its ashes.

We are just travellers that have been accepted on board, temporary guests in these bodies and on this planet. We own nothing from birth till death, but owe a lot. Earth will never cease to exist with our without us...

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Plastic Verrine supplied by Restauranware.com (plastic plates & catering supplies).

We live in an era where travelling is easy and export-import represents the base of our economy. We are spoilt with all kinds of exotic foods that hail from various far away lands. Supermarkets stalls are chock-a-block full of articles which were difficult to find even in the second half of the last century (50's-80's) and we are so accustomed to having effortless access to them that we are rarely aware of how lucky we are...

People are enclined to not care about where their food comes from or to learn more about the origin of the produces they purchase. They are totally detached from reality. It is for that reason that certain children are driven to believe that milk is made by a machine, that they don't recognize common vegetables and fruits or that they cannot associate meat to animals. For example, we all use litres of maple syrup, but how many have much knowledge about this liquid gold? Well, let me enlighten you a little.

Maple syrup is a 100% natural syrup made with the sap of sugar, red, black or Manitoba maple trees from Canada (Quebec, mainly but Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Saskatchewan as well) and USA (Vermont is the biggest producer, then there is New York, Maine, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Hampshire, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Masachusetts and Connecticut). On a smaller scale, maple syrup is also produced in South Korea and Japan.

Its origins can be traced back to the early Amerindians living in the northeastern part of North America. They were the first to have produced "sweet water" and who recognized its nutritional qualities (a big source of sucrose, potassium, calcium, zinc and manganese). The Europeans settlers were shown how to harvest the sap and adopted this ancestral technique from the Native Americans.

Nowadays, the production methods are basically the same as during the colonization. People start to collect the sap in early spring when it begins to flow. V-shaped incisions are made in the tree trunks and then metal spouts or plastic tubes are placed in the holes to drain out the precious juices into buckets or a large central container to which a few trees are linked. Once the sap has been recuperated it is brought to the sugar shack where it is boiled in a big kettle positioned over an open fire, so that most of the water evaporates in order to obtain a thickish syrup.

Maple syrup is graded according to scales based on its density and translucence. In Canada there exists three grades containing several color classes (#1 - Extra Light or AA, Light or A and Medium or B, #2 - Amber or C and #3 - Dark or D) and in the US there are two major grades only, the first one being broken into three sub-categories (Grade A - Light Amber/Fancy, Medium Amber and Dark Amber & Grade B). In order to qualify as maple syrup, this sweet liquid must contain at least 66% sugar. Canada is the largest producer. It makes more than 80 percent of the world's maple syrup, thus producing about 26,500,000 litres every year.

Unfortunately, there exists many deplorable imitations too. Those "Maple-flavored" syrups contain maple, but also other less expensive and unnatural ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup that is perfumed with an industrial aroma. Yuck!

This wonderful gift of nature can be used in a multitude of manners. Most often it is eaten with pancakes, waffles, crumpets, oatmeal (porridge) and French toast, but at the same time, it can be employed in savory dishes (marinade, baked beans or BBQ sauces), as a substitute for sugar (applesauce, candied sweet potatoes, winter squash, pies, breads, cakes, candy, tea, coffee, fudge and milkshakes) or to flavor desserts as well as baked goods (mousse, panna cotta, biscuits, fritters, ice cream and cereals). A very versatile and unique ingredients that tastes heavenly. Its wonderful warm hints of caramel with overtones of toffee make it an exquisite, irresistible and must have item that should be found in any kitchen!

So, when I discovered that the April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge, hosted by Evelyne of the blog "Cheap Ethnic Eatz", was all about maple syrup, I was delighted by the idea. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a "Maple Mousse" in an edible container. That sounded promising even if I must say that I didn't find it to be as adventurous as I would have wished it to be (maybe I have become a blasé "experienced" baker who is in need of riskier and more off the beaten track challenges - I still have to learn a lot, but I feel that I have to take it a step further).

As I didn't have much time left to make anything too elaborated before the deadline, I opted for "Maple Mousse & Mahlab Tartlets". I was sure that the mousse would be the ideal filling for my sweet tartlet shells and that the refined flavor of mahlab (a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern aromatic spice made with the seeds of the St Lucie cherries) would blend perfectly with that of the maple syrup.

As expected, my fuss-free tartlets were to die for. The flaky pastry had an ethereal heady aroma of cherries and almonds, and the airy mousse was delightfully light and pleasantly creamy as well as rich, earthy and smokey tasting. A terrific combo!

~ Maple Mousse & Mahlab Tartlets ~
Recipe for the tartlets by myself and the mousse by Webgrrl74 at "Jamie Oliver Is Not My Boyfriend".

Makes 8 tartlets (I divided the mousse ingredients by two and it was just enough for my 8 tartlets).

Ingredients for the "Sweet Crust":
175g (6 oz) Plain flour
3/4 Tsp Mahlab
35g (1 1/4 oz) Castor sugar
1/2 Tsp Sea salt
85g Unsalted butter
1 Egg yolk
2-3 Tbs Cold water
Ingredients for the "Maple Mousse":
1 Cup (240ml/8 fluid oz.) Pure maple syrup (not maple-flavoured syrup)
4 Large egg yolks
1 Package (7g/1 Tbs) Unflavoured gelatine
1 1/2 Cups (360ml/12 fluid oz) Whipping cream (35% fat content)

Method for the "Seet Crust":
1. Place the flour, mahlab, castor sugar, salt and butter into a food processor.
2. Mix at full speed until evenly blended.
3. Combine the egg yolk with the water and add to the mixture.
4. Mix until just combined and a soft dough comes together.
5. Wrap the dough in platic wrap and place for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Preheat the oven to 190° C (175° F).
7. Press the pastry evenly into 8 greased tartlet moulds.
8. Prick the bases with a fork.
9. Line with baking paper and add the weights (or beans).
10. Place the tartlets in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes.
11. Bake blind for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and bake for another 5-6 minutes.
12. Remove from the moulds and let cool on a rack.

Method for the "Maple Mousse":

1. Bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and pour a little bit of the maple syrup in while whisking (this is to temper your egg yolks so they don’t curdle).
3. Add warmed egg yolks to hot maple syrup until well mixed.
4. Measure 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatine. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the bowl in a microwave for 45 seconds (microwave for 10 seconds at a time and check it in between) or place the bowl in a pan of barely simmerin g water, stir to ensure the gelatine has completely dissolved.
5. Whisk the gelatine/whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.
6. Whisk occasionally for approximately an hour or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.
7. Whip the remaining cream. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.
8. Remove from the fridge and divide equally among your tartlet shells.

Remarks:
Wrapped airtight, the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for a month.
Baked crusts can be kept in an air-tight container at room temperature for about 1 day.
In the maple mousse recipe, after the gelatine has bloomed (softened) in the cold whipping cream, the gelatine must be heated to melt completely, but never let gelatine boil or it will become stringy and unusable.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with whipped cream and accompany with a good coffee, ice coffe or a glass of ice cold milk.

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Etant donné la longueur du texte original, je n'ai malheureusement pas p u faire une traduction française de ce billet et je m'en excuse auprès de tous mes amis lecteurs et blogueurs francophones!

C'est pourquoi je vous suggère de vous rendre sur le blog mentionné ci-dessous. Vous y trouverez cette recette de mousse en version française.

Chez Isa de "Les Gourmandises d'Isa" (Canada)