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Victoria Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream and Strawberry Jam

By Ozlem Warren on June 15, 2011 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorised 5

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, a staple of the classic English afternoon tea:) This cake is best eaten the same day. It can be refrigerated over night- if there are any leftovers!

Serves 6-8
Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time:20 minutes

Cake batter for the 1st sponge cake (please make one more batch for the 2nd sponge cake)
4oz/ half cup self-raising flour
4oz/ half cup sugar
4oz/half cup unsalted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Raspberry or strawberry jam
Whipped double (heavy) cream
Powdered (Icing) sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F

Bring butter and eggs to room temperature for about 1 hour ahead of time. In food processor cream butter and sugar together until light yellow and combined.

Slowly mix in beaten eggs (beat eggs well before including – the key to this recipe is beating in as much air as possible to make the sponge light and fluffy). Move butter, sugar and egg mixture to a bowl. Stir in vanilla.

Sift flour (adds more air!) and slowly and gently fold into the batter mixture. Pour batter into a 8″ cake tin.

Then, make a 2nd batch of cake batter and pour into a 2nd 8″ cake tin. Bake about 20 minutes – until light brown on top and knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Leave the sponge cakes to cool on wire track. Transfer to plates. Spread jam on the bottom (flat part) of each cake. With an electric hand whisk, whip the double (heavy) cream really well. Place the whipped cream on top of the jam on the bottom cake. Put on the 2nd cake on top. Sieve powdered(icing) sugar on top of cake.

Slice and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.

Afiyet Olsun!

Note: You may be asking – why don’t I make one big batch and divide between 2 tins? Good question. My friend says for some reason, the cake doesn’t turn out the same. So the cake is better when cooked in 2 separate batches!

Grilled Sardines in vine leaves with Tomatoes, Peppers; Sebzeli Sardalya

By Ozlem Warren on June 6, 2011 in Seafood 8

Grilled (or chargrilled) sardines are very popular at home, especially in summer time. It is also common to grill the sardines wrapped in vine leaves – the tangy taste of vine leaves work well with the distinctive flavor of sardines (You can buy preserved vine leaves in jars in supermarkets or Middle Eastern / Mediterranean stores).

I like to grill sardines with cherry tomatoes and bell peppers; their juicy, sweet flavor complements the strong taste of sardines well. Make sure to serve the sardines with wedges of lemon to squeeze over and perhaps with some boiled new potatoes for a complete meal.

Baked Sardines in vine leaves, with tomatoes and peppers; firinda sebzeli sardalya

Serves 4 – 5
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

250gr/10oz sardines (12 pieces), scaled, gutted and washed
1 green, red or yellow bell pepper (or mixture), cut in half and sliced in long strips
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of 1/2 lemon
12 preserved vine leaves
30 ml/2tablespoon olive oil
5ml/1teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Wedges of lemon to serve
Handful of fresh dill, coarsely chopped to decorate

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the bell peppers for 3-4 minutes. Toss the tomatoes into the pan and mix them well. Season with salt and pepper, and add the red pepper flakes. Combine well and turn the heat off.

Spread the vine leaves out on a flat surface and place a sardine on each leaf. Wrap each sardine loosely in the leaf like a cigar. Brush each leaf with a little olive oil and place seam side down.

Place the sardines on a baking tray. Spread the tomato and bell pepper mixture amongst the sardines. Squeeze half a lemon over the mixture.

Preheat the grill on a moderate heat. Place the tray under the grill for about 14 minutes, turning over every 2 minutes, until the vine leaves are charred. Once cooked, sprinkle the fresh dill all over and serve hot, with wedges of lemon by the side.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Lamb Kebab with Peas, Carrots and Onions, Wrapped In Puff Pastry – Talas Boregi

By Ozlem Warren on May 31, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Savory Pastries 5

Talas borek; lamb chunks with vegetables, wrapped in puff pastry

The spread of the Ottoman Empire into Europe resulted in influences from different cuisines. For instance, the use of puff pastry in this kebab reflects a French influence in the Ottoman and today’s Turkish cuisine.

These delicious pastry parcels are lovely served as an appetizer (the miniature versions would also make great finger food for dinner parties, like the little one made by my daughter :). You can also serve them as a main course with some steamed vegetables by the side. (I like Ghillie Basan’s way of serving the cooking liquid of as a sauce by the side too). The cucumber & yoghurt dip with mint, Cacik, would be also a great accompaniment.I hope you have a go at them sometime; they are easy to make, impressive and delicious!

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes

225gr/1/2lb lamb, cut into small cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely diced
60gr/2oz peas
10ml/2teaspoons tomato paste
15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil
5ml/1teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
4fl oz/ 1/2 cup water

345gr/12oz puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan. Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they are softened. Add the lamb and cook for further 3-4 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the carrots, peas and tomato paste, mix well. Season with salt and pepper and add the red pepper flakes. Pour in the water and give it a good mix. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid of the meat mixture to be used as a sauce later. Leave the meat mixture to cool.

If the puff pastry is frozen, please take out of the freezer 2 hours before using and bring it to the room temperature. If it is kept in the fridge, take out the puff pastry 20 minutes before using and remove its carton. Just before using, take off the outer plastic wrap and unroll the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the pastry into a thin sheet of a rectangle. Cut out squares, about 13cmx13cm (4x4in).

Place a little of the meat mixture in the center of each square and fold over the edges to form a packet.

Place the packets, seam-side down, in the baking tray. Brush the egg yolk over the pastries and bake them in the oven for about 35 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown.

Warm up the reserved liquid of the meat mixture and serve as a sauce by the side of the kebabs in puff pastry. You can also serve them with steamed vegetables and some Cacik (yoghurt, cucumber and mint dip) as a main course.