Cakes and Desserts

My good friend Giada is from the Italian part of Switzerland, and used to bake these wonderful cookies around Christmas time to share with us all when we lived in Austin. We loved getting them and always looked forward to it; delicately flavoured, yummy cookies, just a wonderful thing to celebrate and share. She very kindly shared the recipe and me and my daughter had a go making them. They are lots of fun and easy to make as family, and putting a little edible glitter on adds an extra sparkle and magic 🙂

Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time : 10 minutes
Makes about 35-40 cookies (depending on the size and shape)

125gr/ 1 ¼ oz gr butter
125gr/ 1 ¼ oz sugar (1 cup)
2 eggs
pinch salt
Zest of ½ lemon
250gr/ 8 ¾ oz flour
1 egg yolk to brush the cookies
15ml/1 tablespoon (or more) of raspberry jam to decorate cookies
Edible sparkly glitter to decorate the cookies

Preheat oven to 200 C (about 400F)

In a large bowl, work the butter until creamy. Add sugar and eggs mix well. Stir in the salt, lemon zest and flour, and knead into a dough. Cover and keep in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Put a little flour on the surface and roll the dough flat. Cut the cookies with different shapes of your choice. If you like, spread a little raspberry jam to some for a different variety.

Place the cookies on a greased tray and brush with the egg yolk. Bake for about 10 minutes, until they turn golden colour. Once cooked, sprinkle with edible glitters and enjoy:)

Afiyet Olsun!

I can’t resist anything with almonds in it – and chocolate is a huge bonus too :). We eat almonds in abundance in Turkey, where some of the best almonds come from. They are packed with flavour and have great health benefits; full of fibre and antioxidants, one of the most nutritious of all nuts. Make sure to include almonds in your diet for a healthier life style.

This lovely moist torte is an absolute winner; it keeps very moist inside, a real treat for everyone. It is rich and even a little slice is enough to brighten the day. I like it served with fresh berries. Crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream would go well too.

I have adopted this recipe from the Food and Travel magazine, a great read, highly recommended.

4oz/120gr good quality dark chocolate (min. 70 % cocoa solids)
4 ¼ oz/130gr milk chocolate
250gr/8 ½ oz unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
6 free-range eggs, separated
125gr/ 4 ¼ oz light brown muscovado sugar
60gr/2oz ground almonds

Preheat the oven to 190 C/350F/Gas5

Lightly grease a 23cm springform cake tin. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir until combined then leave to cool.

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Using a large spoon, fold in the ground almonds.

Put the egg whites into a clean dry bowl and whisk until they form stiff peaks. Using a large metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until they are just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes. The torte will be very moist in the middle but resist cooking it for longer.

Remove the torte from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin before serving.

Afiyet Olsun!

Luscious bright orange pumpkin prepared this way warms up any winter evening. In Turkey, the seeds of the pumpkin are never discarded but oven roasted with salt to nibble on thru winter months, very delicious, nutritious and a huge Anatolian pastime!

This lovely light dessert is wonderful served with crushed walnuts. If you can get clotted cream, it accompanies Kabak Tatlisi wonderfully.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes

1 kg/2 ¼ pumpkin, peeled and deseeded
450 gr/1 lb sugar
8 lf oz / 1 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon

Crushed walnuts and clotted cream (if available) to serve

Cut the pumpkin into manageable wedges. Place in a broad-based pan in layers, sprinkling sugar between the layers. Add the lemon juice and water and cook on a low heat until the pumpkin is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add a little more water if required during cooking time to prevent the fruit sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Leave to cool in the pan. Serve sprinkled with crushed walnuts and accompanied with a dollop of clotted cream.

Afiyet Olsun!