This coffeecake, as with most baked goods, are best served on the day it is made. Enjoy with a cup of tea, coffee, and a good book!

Cinnamon Crumb Coffeecake

FOR THE CAKE:

1-½ stick Butter, Softened

2 cups Scant Sugar

3 cups Flour, Sifted

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1-¼ cup Whole Milk

3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff

FOR THE TOPPING:

1-½ stick Butter, Softened

¾ cups Flour

1-½ cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm—delicious!

Super easy to make, and quick to boot. These little guys should be made not more than a day in advance, as the berries can start getting a little sad under their chocolate coats after a while.

These don’t require a specific recipe, per se. After all, these are all about having fun and whipping up something delicious in a jiffy. You can use the following as a guideline.

Tuxedo Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2 lbs fresh strawberries, lightly rinsed and dried
1 package white chocolate melts/candy coating
1 package chocolate melts/candy coating
Melt the chocolate and white chocolate melts in separate bowls in the microwave in 30 second increments (You can pop them back in for another 15-30 seconds if it starts to harden).

Dip each strawberry in the bowl of white chocolate melts. Set aside on a foil-covered baking sheet until all the berries have been coated. Pop the baking sheet in the freezer for 2 minutes to harden.

Dip each strawberry now in the bowl of chocolate melts. Dip twice at an angle each time, to create the look of a tuxedo suit. See photos for reference.* Using a toothpick, dip into the chocolate and draw small dots on the berry to look like buttons.

Repeat for all berries. Chill until ready to serve!

The following dolmas are made with pine nuts and currants. Add a half teaspoon of allspice for a more Turkish taste. Delicious!

Pine Nut Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 cups canned chicken broth
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh mint, or 3 tablespoons dried mint
1 8-ounce jar grape leaves,* drained

Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until very tender, about 10 minutes. Add rice and cumin and stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups broth and currants. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Mix in nuts, parsley and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Place grape leaves in bowl. Cover with cold water and let stand 30 minutes. Drain. Cut off stems. Arrange 1 leaf veined side up on work surface. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of rice filling on stem end. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling. Place seam side down in 2 heavy 12-inch skillets. Divide remaining 3 tablespoons oil and 2 cups broth between skillets. Cover; simmer over medium-low heat until liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Uncover and let rolls cool. Transfer to platter. Cover and chill. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

Chocolate-covered Cream Puffs

Pate a Choux
(Yield: About 28)

175ml water
85g unsalted butter
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbl sugar
125g plain flour
4 large eggs
For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly. (You can also an electric mixer to speed up the process and save your arm strength).
Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes. It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I used a 1cm round tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.
Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.
Brush tops with the egg wash. Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more.

Remove to a rack and cool. Use a pastry bag to fill the cream puffs with cream and dip into chocolate. Best consumed on the same day.

Cream Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
2 TB granulated sugar

Combine cream and sugar in a the bowl of an electric mixer and whip to stiff peaks. Set aside.

Chocolate Coating
Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with 1 TB shortening. Stir together and use to dip the tops of the cream puffs.

Then again, sometimes you have to improvise. Turkish baklava is traditionally made with pistachios. That can get expensive, so a mix of almonds, cashews or walnuts are also delicious.

Syrup should be made at least a few hours ahead to let cool completely.

Baklava
adapted from Gil Marks

For Syrup:
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 TB lemon juice
2 TB light corn syrup

Filling:
1 lb coarsely ground nuts, preferably almonds, cashews, or pistachios (most traditional)
3 TB sugar

1 lb phyllo dough, thawed overnight in the refrigerator if frozen
2 sticks/ 1 cup melted butter

Make syrup: Combine syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the mixture is slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes, or until it reaches 225F. Let cool completely.

Combine filling ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch baking pan. Place a sheet of phyllo in the pan and brush lightly with butter. Repeat with 7 more sheets. Spread with a third of the filling. Top with 8 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Spread another third of the filling. Top with 8 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Spread on remaining filling and top with remaining phyllo sheets, brushing each with butter. Use any torn sheets in the middle layer. Trim any over hanging edges.

Using a sharp knife, cut 6 equal lengthwise strips, about 1 3/4″ wide, through the top layer of pastry. Make 1 1/2 inch wide diagonal strips to form diamond shapes.

Just before baking, lightly sprinkle the top of the pastry with cold watr. This stops the pastry from curling. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 15 more minutes.

Cute through the scored lines. Drizzle the cooled syrup s=lowly over the hot baklava and let cool for at least 4 hours, then chill for at least 4 more hours. Cover and store for up to 1 week.

Above (left to right, top to bottom): Spices at the local bazaar, lamacun and cigkofte at the local “fast food” joint. Turkish bread (Ekmek) baked fresh every morning. Sour green plums and blackberries picked fresh from the neighborhood fruit trees (sweet, fresh and organic!). Chewy Turkish ice cream (dondurma) stand, and locals enjoying breakfast at the corner bakery (Komsufurin).

Above: Treats and breads at the local bakery, traditional Turkish breakfast with filled pastry (borek), veggies, olives, and cheese. Doner man, with spinning meat stand- served thinly sliced with bread. Turkish fresh corn stand- heated in small pots, mixed with your choice of spices and served with the tiniest spoon possible. Tea service man on ferryboat- these guys are serious about their tea!

Above: Bright green pistachio baklava- so many variations to choose from! Desert selections and Turkish ravioli (manti) with yogurt sauce and chili oil. Turkish rice pudding (sutlac), and chicken and rice dish encased in pastry leaves. Various other delicious pastries from the dessert shop (they’re everywhere!).

Above: Chocolate fountain stand at Via/PORT shopping center, complete with hundreds of shops, restaurants, and even a small amusement park. Turkish desserts: Blueberry cream cake, and wheat berry pudding (azure- said to be a an aphrodisiac).

A week left to go, stay tuned for more deliciousness from Istanbul, Turkey!

I will be in Istanbul for the next 2 weeks, be prepared for oodles of yummy food travel pics! Or maybe I might be too busy sampling all the Turkish delight, baklava and olives! Yum.

Until then, here’s a photo of my Pompom to hold you over

Corn Bread with Corn Kernels
courtesy William Sonoma

3/4 cup (185g/ 6oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup all pupose flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, from one 8.75 oz can

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. If using a glass baking dish, reduce the oven temperature to 375F.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another bowl, stir together the cornmeal, cake flour, all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, and salt. Using the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat until smooth and well combined. Using a large silicone spatula, fold in the corn kernels just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until the edges are golden brown and pull away from the sides, 30-35 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the bread should come out clean. Transfer the pan to the wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove the sites of the springform pan, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges or squares.

Note: This bread is best served the day it is made. If there are leftovers, store wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator.

These honey almond squares need the best quality honey to taste their best. Of course, the buttery shortbread underneath and the toasty almonds on top helps out. But the honey caramel syrup just brings it all together. Make a batch today and see if you can eat just one. I double dare you.

Honey Almond Squares
courtesy Gourmet

For crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For topping

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon mild honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon heavy cream
8 1/2 oz whole almonds with skins, toasted

Make crust:
Butter a 9-inch square metal baking pan (2 inches deep) and line with 2 crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Butter foil.

Blend together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add egg and stir with a fork (or pulse) until a crumbly dough forms.

Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Press dough evenly onto bottom (but not up sides) of baking pan and bake in middle of oven until edges are golden and begin to pull away from sides of pan, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.

Make topping:
Bring honey, brown sugar, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil, without stirring, 2 minutes. Add butter and cream and boil, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in all nuts until completely coated.

Pour nut mixture over pastry crust, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until topping is caramelized and bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack. Lift dessert out of pan using foil overhang and cut into 25 squares.

Cooks’ note: Honey nut squares keep, layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

Turkish Yeast Bread
2 cups milk
250 g margarine
1 tsp sugar
1 TB yeast
1 tsp salt
about 5 cups flour
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
about 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Mix the sugar and yeast with 1 cup warm milk and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the remaining milk, salt and melted margarine. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Let rise for 1 hour.
Divide dough into egg-sized pieces and set on baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, cut a slit on each roll. Let rise 30 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of rolls and bake 13-15 minutes at 375F.