Spice Up Your Dinners – Easy, Delicious, Healthy Dishes for Entertaining

Posted by Ozlem on Apr 23, 2012 in Cakes and Desserts, Roasts and Kebaps, Salads, Turkish Cooking Classes | 11 comments

Tags: Apricots, bell peppers, cumin, dried apricots, dried mint, garlic, onion, pide bread, pitta, red pepper paste, sharing food, Turkish cooking classes, Turkish culture, walnuts, yoghurt

What makes the food we eat memorable? Sure, there is the taste element, smell, presentation of the food; they all contribute greatly for making the food special. In Turkish culture, there is also the so important “sharing” element; we think even simple food tastes better when shared with family and friends. My grandmother used to put extra two plates at our dinner table, as someone would always just turn up and join our dinner table, happy days. Hospitality, generosity is a big part of Turkish culture. It was a great pleasure to...

Chocolate and Almond Easter Cakes

Posted by Ozlem on Apr 4, 2012 in Cakes and Desserts | 11 comments

Tags: almonds, chocolate, cocoa powder, Easter cake, egg, ground almonds, vanilla essence

I am a bit of an almond fan. Some of the best almonds come from Turkey and we eat them in abundance at home. They are not only packed with flavor but they also have great health benefits. To name a few; almonds are full of fiber and antioxidants, they reduce your risk of heart disease and lower risk of weight gain. I spotted this wonderful Chocolate and Almond Easter Cake at Rose Prince’s Easter Bake. The ground almonds make this cake really moist and the cake stays fresh for 4-5 days. It is a rich cake and I like to cut it in small...

Flourless Chocolate, Nut and Prune Torte

Posted by Ozlem on Dec 5, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorized | 0 comments

We have been well due for a nice, sweet treat:) I saw this lovely torte at the Good Housekeeping magazine; the original recipe used ground hazelnuts in the torte, my version has ground almonds – just because we love it- . It turned out to be a wonderful, moist torte that we enjoyed at the end of a meal with friends. The ground almonds make the torte really moist and torte stays moist for good 3-4 days, if there is any left! Vanilla ice cream or double cream goes very well by the side. Serves 8Preparation time: 25 min Cooking time: 35...

Madeira Cake with Chocolate Sauce

Posted by Ozlem on Oct 26, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorized | 2 comments

It was our cake bake to raise funds for my son’s class a couple of weeks ago, and I baked the Madeira cake with a little twist. Madeira cake is a lovely simple sponge cake, and it was used to be served with a glass of Madeira wine – today it makes an excellent accompaniment served with tea or coffee. It is best to eat the cake fresh, when it is soft and light. My little twist to this cake was the addition of a little chocolate sauce over the top – to tempt children (and adults!) for the cake bake. The result was delicious,...

Maria’s Apple Cake with Cinnamon and Walnuts

Posted by Ozlem on Sep 27, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorized | 2 comments

The UK apple season runs through Autumn and Winter. We have loads of different varieties at the moment and the orchards are packed full of apples. My good friend Sarah gave us a basket full of apples a few weeks ago, and I have been looking to find a good recipe to use them. Then another good friend, Maria, mentioned her mother’s apple cake recipe (from Greece); with use of cinnamon, it sounded yummy and reminded me my mother’s version. Cakes and pastries are favorite tea time treats in Turkey, and we use cinnamon, nuts and fruits...

Baked Fresh Figs with Honey and Clotted Cream – Kaymakli Incir Tatlisi

Posted by Ozlem on Sep 12, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorized | 8 comments

I love figs; my grandmother used to have a huge fig tree in her garden and we grandchildren used to love “helping” picking them up. Turkey produces some of the finest figs; they are sweet, juicy and darker than the average fig, especially the Bursa variety. There was an article on Turkey’s dark Bursa figs on the Daily Telegraph a couple of weeks ago, saying that they will be available at M&S; stores until late September – well, did I run to the M&S;? I sure did and got my beloved Turkish figs Figs are packed...

Baklava Uncovered, Gulluoglu – Istanbul

Posted by Ozlem on Jul 28, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorized | 3 comments

This whole post deserves to be dedicated to our Baklava Masterclass with the baklava experts at Gulluoglu. We have been looking forward to our baklava class for months to reveal how the genuine article is made – and here it is! Gulluoglu Baklava is a family owned store and they have been making “hand made” baklava for 6 generations – the daily production ranges from 2-5 tons, all hand made!They use organic butter, pure cane sugar – no honey!-, and it is a result of their mastership for 150 years, very...

Orange Crisps

Posted by Ozlem on Jul 18, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorized | 2 comments

It is the end of school year coming up in England and we thought to bake some biscuits to say thank you to our teachers with the children. Baking for school requires a nut free recipe, and I found this lovely Orange Crisps recipe at the National Trust Tea Time Baking Book by Jane Pettigrew. They are very easy to make and the children really enjoy preparing and cutting out different shapes. The citrus tang of the juice and zest makes these biscuits irresistible; a lovely treat for yourself or someone you’d like to share with. Apparently,...

Victoria Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream and Strawberry Jam

Posted by Ozlem on Jun 15, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorized | 5 comments

This is a very special and wonderful Victoria Sponge Cake recipe coming from a dear friend. My friend Gillian is a pro on this treat and she very kindly shared it. It is very easy to make and truly delicious, moist and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. One of the joys of life – at least for me – is to share a delicious bite with a good friend; we baked this cake with the children and shared with a dear friend visiting us. A special moment to treasure, pause and enjoy. I hope you can have a chance to make and enjoy this treat,...

Pistachio Cake with Lemon Glaze – Fistikli, limonlu kek

Posted by Ozlem on May 8, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorized | 3 comments

Merhaba:)It has been a while since I last posted and a lot happened – the Royal Wedding, a wonderful trip to Paris – my 40th birthday treat:), my parent’s visit to England; I look forward to sharing all. First, a wonderful cake that came to my way, thanks to Tori Ritchie and her wonderful website/blog www.tuesdayrecipe.com, where she shares simple, delicious, wonderful recipes. This cake is originally from the River Cafe cookbook, and the authors run the wonderful Italian restaurant, River Cafe in London. The cake combines my...