Kazandibi

Ok, so I am disappointed to say that I tried the Turkish Chewy Ice Cream from the book I mentioned in the previous post and, well, it was far from being palatable. There were a couple of things wrong with it: the flavor of the mastic was wayyy too strong and overpowering and the consistency was like thick, gummy soup and did not set in the freezer. I think the latter might have been due to the sugar content; if the sugar content is too high, it interferes with the freezing; it will stay soft, or in this case, loose and like a thick runny paste.
I just left it at that (for now) and decided to experiment with something else on my own.

It's one of my favorite turkish desserts (actually all of the turkish desserts are my favorite but anyway); I don't know if it's the **texture**--thick, smooth and creamy on the tongue, or the comforting milky flavor, or that touch of caramel flavor that you get in every bite... I think it's all of these together that make it, well, one of my favorites.




It is called Kazan Dibi. I believe it means "bottom of kazan" Kazan being a sort of cast iron pan. I still need to confirm that though. It is a milk pudding that is cooked on the stovetop--thickened with a starch--and then baked in a pan to caramelize the bottom (sometimes this is done over the stove-top as well). I guess you can say it's the eastern meditteranean version of creme brulee. It is originally Turkish but has also passed into greek cuisine as well.

I did some research online, came up with some conclusions and put together a recipe. I'm pleased to say it came out very well. The texture was exactly what I was looking for, the flavor was pretty good too. I love it when things turn out well on the first try. I will probably make it again though and play around with it. I encourage you to do so as well.


**the texture reminds me somewhat of the best malabi (will probably be another post) I had... at a restaurant in Tiberias, Israel. And it is because of the mouthfeel that I cannot forget it.**


This kazandibi isn't a basic traditional recipe; I added a couple of things to it, like the mastic and the coconut. I feel like the mastic adds another dimension of flavor, and the coconut perhaps adds a tiny bit of flavor but mostly texture. Feel free to omit any of these, I don't promise the same results though (especially in flavor, texture will be fine).



Kazandibi

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk (2%)*
3/4 cup sugar
3-4 tbsp water
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp rice flour
A tiny piece of mastic**
1/4 cup coconut (finely shredded, desiccated)

powdered sugar, butter (for pan)



Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Grease a 11x8 inch baking pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
(I used a 10x7 and had a little left over so I poured it into a couple of ramekins to sample but 11x8 should be fine with no leftovers).

Heat the cream, milk, sugar and mastic in a pot until it comes to a boil, stirring frequently.

In the meantime, dissolve the cornstarch and rice flour in a little bit of water (3-4 tbsp is just a guideline, add more as needed), whisk with a fork until it resembles a loose, runny paste (no lumps! to prevent lumps add water gradually).

When the milk mixture comes to a boil, whisk in the starch mixture. Let simmer until thick (stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula)*** about 10-15 minutes (you will see it reduce slightly, by about a 1/4).

Pour into pan and bake about 15 minutes.
(This should be adequate time for it to form a caramelized bottom. If you find that it doesn't, increase your baking time or temperature slightly next time. It will be delicious regardless).

Take out of the oven and let cool to room temperature. Then cover and chill in fridge overnight (it actually tastes better as it sits, so please do so). When ready to serve, cut a piece and serve upside down so that the browned bottom shows, or cut a long strip and roll up (with brown on the outside). Sprinkle with some cinnamon and serve.

Enjoy!


*I used 1:1 ratio of 2% milk to cream because it was what I had on hand so I formulated my recipe accordingly. You could also use 4 cups of whole milk, but there has to be some fat in your mixture, otherwise it will lose it's creaminess.

**Please use a VERY tiny piece. Mastic can be very strong, and if you don't have the acquired taste, you might not enjoy it. If it is very small, you'll taste something there but it won't be too strong or overpowering.

***Do not use a whisk at this stage because the bottom of the pot will also start to brown and caramelize and you don't want to scrape it up and get it in the mixture. Stir gently, with a spoon or spatula.


Sorry I don't have a pic, I'll post one soon!

Mastic... Salep... mmm the Mediterranean.

Heyoyo...

So a lot's been going on (lots of drama too, which I won't get into, not here); I left my job, got a new one (better one), but my start date has been delayed because of the "economy". So I'm just sitting around for a couple of weeks, cleaning up our apt, doing some baking, doing a lot of reading...

Anyway, I was at B&N earlier today and in the cookbook/food section (of course) and came across a new book called "Turquoise- A Chef's Travels in Turkey" The cover is beautiful and seeing "Chef" and "Turkey" in the same title, I grabbed it off the shelf immediately and took it down to the cafe section to flip through it.

*Note: I love turkish food. I love middle-eastern food in general; maybe it's because our cooking at home is influenced by middle-eastern cuisine, maybe because it's just so darn good, and sort of exotic!

I really, really like this book, and am planning on getting it--these hardcovers are just so darn pricey. It's a great book, not only recipes but stories too, about Turkey and the places the Chef and his wife--Greg and Lucy Maalouf--traveled.
**They are also the authors of "Saha" and "Arabesque- Modern Middle-Eastern Food" both great books. I think they have a couple more, don't remember the titles...

So of course I went straight to the dessert/sweets section and boy oh boy I can't wait to try a couple of the recipes there: Turkish Chewy Ice-Cream and Pistachio-Halva Ice-Cream.
Turkish Chewy has mastic and sahlab and I am extremely intrigued and can't wait to make it!

Mastic is an aromatic resin of the Mastic tree: a small tree of the pistachio family. The tree is native throughout the Mediterranean and even the middle east (Turkey, Syria, Israel/Palastine). However, only the trees in the southern part of the island of Chios (Greece) produce the distinctively flavored resin. Thus it is also known by the name "Chios Tears." It starts out as a liquid but then is dried (by the sun) into drops of hard, translucent resin. When chewed, it becomes soft and a bright white gum.
It's used both for flavoring and for its gum properties.
A picture of the mastic tree and mastic "crystals."





Sahlab is the root of a species of orchid that grows throughout the Mediterranean. The name sahlab/salep comes from the Arabic expression hasyu al-tha'lab, which means "fox testicles." It's a description of the appearance of the orchid's roots. If you also look at the Greek word 'orchis, it means both testicle and orchid. The comparison to testicles also comes from the fact that salep/sahlab is considered an aphrodisiac. ;) Orchis mascula is the species most commonly associated with salep/sahlab. Here is a pic of Orchis Mascula.




Soooo... as soon as I make one, or both of these ice-creams, I'll be sure to give an update. I'm sure I'll like them.

So this is a cake I made for someone who ordered it :P I made another one that said " 'Cash Rules Everyting Around Me!' Happy Birthday ____" (I forget the name). I thought that was funny. Tomorrow I have to make a 4" one (tiny!); it's a birthday cake as well.



And then that's me with... APPLES! Every couple of days I have to peel, chop and cook apples, then strain them and cool them, thicken the sauce and mix everything together, portion them out and stick 'em in the walk in. Each time I have to do about 80 apples, give or take... and it's one of my least favorite tasks! It's just so time-consuming, and I'm by myself and I have a million other things to take care of, so... :-/ I have apples coming out of my...

Red Velvet... continued...

So...

Pomegranate juice, reduced, didn't work. I got the basic recipe off the internet (after some researching I realized that most recipes were the same, they went something like this):

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (some use cake)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. to 2 tbsp. cocoa powder (some like more, some less i guess)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (some use butter instead)
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ounces red food coloring. Red #40

What I did was reduce some pomegranate juice until it was slightly thick and concentrated and substituted that for the coloring. I had several issues with this cake.

First and foremost, the color. I think I knew off the bat that it just wouldn't do. While I was reducing the juice, I noticed that pomegranate juice isn't such a bright red (at least not the kind I got... I'm not talking about POM, which, who knows, might work better). It had a brownish tinge to it. But I proceeded regardless. The cake was nowhere near the shade of red. It was a tan-brown color and the texture... the texture was awful. It was slightly gummy and crumbly. It went straight in the garbage. I don't know if it was the recipe I used, or the addition of the pomegranate juice (which is slightly acidic) or maybe a combination of the two... but it was a disaster.

But that's alright. I'll keep trying. After all, it was only my first attempt/test.



Anyway, here's a little bit of info on Artificial red food coloring:


There's 2 different shades of red approved by the FDA: E129 (red shade) and E127 (pink shade).

Allura Red AC (E129) is a deep dark red and was introduced in the U.S. as a replacement for Amaranth, which was banned in 1976 for being a potential carcinogen.
Red AC is derived from coal tar and the red coloring in it is derived from the FEMALE (haha) Dactylopius coccus, a South and Central American beetle.

Here are a couple of pics of this beetle. The second one with the little red bubble/ball... that's a drop of blood.






Health Affects
Increased levels of hyperactivity, A.D.D. and lower IQ in children.
As to whether or not it is carcinogenic, studies are inconclusive (in my book, that means better to avoid it).
If you have an aspirin intolerance or an allergy it may cause a skin rash and nausea. In some people, even those without an allergy, it can cause difficulty breathing and even shock.

Allura Red is banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Austria. In the U.S. it is approved for use in cosmetics, drugs and food.




So there you go, that's it for now... I'll keep experimenting, you keep posted. :)