This is a simple milk “cream” that is prepared over the stove in  5 minutes with milk, starch and flavoring. It is similar to the muhallabieh, except here rose water is used (and starch instead of rice flour). It was traditionally consumed for breakfast according to Fayez Aoun, author of 280 recettes de cuisine familiale libanaise with dry cookies or toasted bread. The arabic name of this cream, hariré, means silky and is very fitting.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of whole milk
• 1/3 cup of cornstarch less one tablespoon
• 2 teaspoons of rose water
• 3 tbsp of sugar

METHOD:

1. Place the milk less 1/2 cup and the sugar  in a pan over the stovetop and heat it; add the cornstarch to the remaining milk and stir to dissolve. Stir the milk a little to dissolve the sugar and when it starts steaming pour the cornstarch mixture in it. Stir continuously until the milk mixture thickens. Add the rose water and stir to mix.
2. Transfer the cream to a large platter or several small bowls and cool. Refrigerate until serving time.

NOTE: You can use wheat starch instead of cornstarch or even rice flour to thicken the milk.

On the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, this is a popular and delicious Egyptian pastry called Oum Ali.

Oum is the word for mother in Arabic.

It is a Middle-Eastern bread pudding, made with phyllo dough or rakakat pastry sheets.

The neighborhood Middle-Eastern store had a few boxes of ROKAK, these pastry sheets imported from Egypt which I used (rokak is an adjective meaning extra-thin).

Substitutes?

Butter puff pastry, ready-made croissants, phyllo dough, even corn flakes!

This pudding is creamy, doughy, sweet, nutty, and super-easy to make!

Serve it for breakfast, or as a dessert. NO ONE will turn it down.

Story behind this dessert: Who was Oum Ali?

In Arab countries, it is customary to call a person as “Father of …” and then the name of the eldest son. Omm Ali was the wife of a ruler from the Ayyubid dynasty. Her rival Shagaret El Dorr (Tree of Pearls) was the second wife of that ruler. After his death, Shagaret El Dorr arranged for Om Ali to be murdered by her servants, and to celebrate, she distributed bread with milk and honey.

Shagaret El Dorr ruled Egypt for some time in the name of her husband, and would later die in a conspiracy too.

This became a dish known as Om Ali.

From: Egyptian cuisine

INGREDIENTS: 6 servings

• 10 sheets of phyllo dough (half a package), or half a box of rokak sheets, or 6 butter croissants or 3 cups of corn flakes.
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted in the microwave (or clarified if you have time)
• 2 cups of assorted nuts, toasted in a 300F oven for 10 minutes or so (I used hazelnuts, pistachios and almonds)
• 3/4 cup of golden raisins
• 2 cups of whipping cream or whole milk or a mixture of both
• 2 eggs, beaten slightly with a fork
• 6 tablespoons (1/2 cup) of maple syrup or brown sugar
• A pinch of cinnamon

• If using phyllo sheets or the rokak, first brush them lightly with melted butter and toast in a 300F oven for 10 minutes until caramel-colored. Set aside to cool a few minutes, then break up the sheets and place in individual ramequins or one large serving dish.
• Toast the nuts in the 300F oven for 10 minutes; peel the hazelnuts, and chop the nuts and combine with the golden raisins in a bowl.
• Heat the milk and cream with the maple syrup or sugar and when the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and cool a few minutes, then add the cinnamon and beaten eggs and whisk to combine. Add the milk mixture to the nuts and raisins and ladle over the phyllo bits (or rokak or other)
• Bake in a 350F oven for about 15 minutes until puffed up and golden; cool and seve.

NOTE: If using butter croissants, cut in small pieces and place at the bottom of the ramequins or serving dish.

If using puff pastry, roll out thinly and bake in a 375F oven till golden-brown  and crispy. Break off into little pieces.

If using corn flakes, just place at the bottom of each dish.

NOTE: You can make this traditional recipe without adding eggs; it will be creamier, more soupy  and not custardy.

Did you ever experience having people turn down a dessert you slaved over saying “sorry, I am on a diet”?  Nearly everyone is on a  diet these days and this is a solution.

Serve it in a mini-container (each serving  less than 100 calories), and no one will refuse to have a spoonful of this pistachio cream.

Or spoon it onto a liqueur glass.

INGREDIENTS: 4 servings

• 1/2 cup of whipping cream
• 1 heaping teaspoon of powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup of pistachio paste (recipe is included) OR
• 1/4 cup of ground pistachios (peeled and toasted first); keep a few for garnish
• A handful of raspberries
• 1 tablespoon of berry jelly (optional, to glaze the raspberries)

METHOD:

1. Place the mixing bowl and beater in the freezer for a few minutes. Pour the cream and sugar and beat till thickened; add the pistachios or pistachio paste and mix to combine. Serve with raspberries.

PISTACHIO PASTE:

• 2 cups of peeled and toasted (5 minutes in a 300F oven) pistachios.
• 1/2 cup of almond flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar syrup or any other syrup or light honey
• 1/4 cup (or more) of grapeseed oil
• a few drops of green food color (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor till pasty; taste and adjust, adding more oil if needed to get the right texture.

NOTE: To peel pistachios, pour some boiling water over the nuts and let it cool; rub with your fingers and the peel will come off easily.

To make a sugar syrup, pour 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan; bring to a simmer, add a teaspoon of lemon juice and let it boil gently for 5 minutes.

If you walk into a pastry shop in Beirut (specializing in Arabic sweets), a good third of all pastries will be made with this dough, called kataifi or shredded phyllo dough. I saw  once  how this dough is made: A batter is piped through hundreds of minuscule little holes onto a hot griddle which forms the long hair-like strands of dough. In Beirut, this pastry is made in certain shops and can be purchased fresh. In the US, the option is to buy it frozen or in a bag (not frozen) imported from Turkey.

I prefer to buy it in a bag, which affords me the luxury of using only as much as I need; with the frozen dough you have to use the entire package within 10 days or so.

These  pastries are just easy to make at home; they can be prepared in advance; they get the “wow” response with  minimal effort.

INGREDIENTS: 8 servings

• 3 cups of kadaifi dough (either frozen or not)
• 1 1/2 cup of clarified butter (can use margarine or oil as well)
• 1 1/2 cup of mascarpone or ricotta or mozzarella or unsalted akkawi cheese
• 1/2  cup of syrup (or honey)

METHOD:

1. Grab the quantity of dough you need; untangle it (if it is frozen, it will be shaped as a long rope) and place in a bowl; pour the clarified butter (or melted margarine or oil) on it and with two forks combine thoroughly to make sure the strands are well-buttered.
2. Place small equal-size mounds in cupcake liners in a muffin tin. Let it sit there for a while (cover and place in the fridge overnight if you wish). When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden throughout.
3. Serve warm with a dollop of mascarpone or ricotta or cream and pass a small jug of syrup around to sweeten as desired.

NOTE:

Another option is to insert a piece of cheese in the middle of the pastry; the challenge here is to keep the cheese from hardening with the long baking time and yet make sure the pastries are golden and crispy. Best cheeses for this are mozzarella-type cheeses, which need to be soaked in water several times to remove any trace of saltiness. Middle-Eastern store sell a special cheese called “sweet cheese” made especially for pastries that could be used here.

After the pastries have baked and are golden and crispy, you can tilt the muffin tin and remove the extra butter or oil.

MAKING THE SYRUP:

1 1/2  cup of water, 1 cup of sugar: Boil for 10 minutes with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add a teaspoon of rose water and orange blossom water at the end.

Chocolate is such a personal thing. I almost feel the same with chocolate as I do with perfume. I would hesitate to offer someone chocolate (as perfume) unless I knew exactly what they liked.

By the way, have you heard of  Le Whif? The idea here is to sniff chocolate scent, getting a high from it minus the calories.

In any case, this is  made with Callebaud, which is my favorite maker with  a touch of lime zest.

INGREDIENTS: For 8 truffles (can double or triple the recipe)

• 2 ounces of whipping cream
• 100 g. or 3.4 ounces of Callebaud dark semi-sweet
• 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter
• Zest of half a lime
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

METHOD:

1. Grate the chocolate into slivers with a knife. Set aside.
2. Heat the cream to the boiling point; remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir till the chocolate melts completely. Add the butter and stir to melt. Add the grated lime zest and stir to combine.
3. Pour into a greased small cube-shaped container. Cover with wrap and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours; remove from the fridge and unmold with a knife; cut into small squares, sprinkle with cocoa powder on all sides and serve.

This post is part of a truffle mania challenge in which some chocolate loving foodies are bringing their own personal touch to truffles on May 30, 2011.

Heavenly Housewife at http://www.donutstodelirium.com/

Stevie at http://weirdcombinations.com/

Shelly at http://www.franishnonspeaker.com/

Karen at http://www.gourmetfood.org/blog/

Su at http://suvellecouisine.blogspot.com/

Erika at http://lifestooshorttoskipdessert.blogspot.com/

The Baking Addict at http://themorethanoccasionalbaker.blogspot.com/

This soup can be consumed as a savory and cold panna cotta or a warm traditional soup. It has the elusive but delicious flavors of asparagus and (in the background) calabasa squash, and not much else.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch of green asparagus (500 g. or 1 pound)
• 3 small calabasa squash
• 2 cups of whipping cream
• 4 ounces of fresh goat cheese
• Spices: 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of red Aleppo pepper, a dash of black pepper

METHOD:

1. Boil the asparagus and the squash for 5 to 7 minutes or until a knife inserted in comes out easily. Drop into a bowl of icy water and drain well. Reserve part of the cooking water.
2. Place the asparagus (keep a few to use for a garnish) and the squash in the food processor; add 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water and purée the mixture until smooth; add the cream, spices, goat cheese, and purée some more until very smooth; taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Now if you want to serve warm, you are done. If you wish to serve this as a panna cotta, place the cream back on the stove, sprinkle .1 ounce (4 grams or 2 teaspoons) of agar-agar on the surface and start stirring. When the mixture steams, keep stirring for 2 minutes then set aside. Pour into ramequins or small bowls, garnish with the asparagus spears and let cool. When at room temperature, refrigerate covered until firm, about 2 hours. Serve cold.

When I saw Chef Ornella Hubel present a recipe for Earl Grey cake, I felt this instant flood of regressive memories; my mother used to entertain her girlfriends with weekly tea parties (such was the life in Beirut in those days) and she always served Earl Grey tea and an English cake with diced candied fruits from a can (which I disliked); of course she used her blue and white china set. The parties eventually turned into bridge parties.

My guess is Earl Grey is very popular throughout the Middle East, because it is always prominently displayed at the Arab markets in the US. In any case, this was the tea we drank at home.

Not to say that you need to buy Earl Grey tea to make this cake! The technique can be applied to your favorite tea. The idea here is to infuse the cream with tea, and then the syrup. Kind of like getting a double shot. Plus, a bit of tea leaves go in the batter as well.

If your oven bakes unevenly as mine does, cautiously place a cookie sheet on the oven shelf and then place the cake pans on top.

INGREDIENTS: Yield 3 mini loaf pans or 2 medium loaf pans (18 servings)

• All-purpose flour (270 g. or 9.5 ounces)
• 5 Large eggs
• sugar (350 g. or 12.4 ounces)
• whipping cream(150 g. or 2/3 cup-use a measuring cup for liquids)
• yogurt or melted butter (100 g. or 3.6 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons Earl Grey tea
• For the syrup: 1 1/2  cups of water and 1 cup of sugar plus 1 tablespoon of tea

METHOD:

1. Place the cream in a microwaveable jug and set the tea on top; heat it for a minute and let the tea infuse in the cream for at least one hour or overnight if possible.
2. Place the eggs in a mixer bowl and beat for one minute; add the sugar, salt, and beat some more, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and mix. Add the flour and baking powder and mix. Add the yogurt and mix.
3. Preheat the oven to 375F and bake the cake in a pan that has been lined with parchment paper. After 10 minutes of baking, cut a line throughout the middle of the cake to help it bake more evenly. Bake 35 minutes until golden and puffed up and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
4. Remove from the oven and drizzle the syrup all over the cake. Let it sit undisturbed for several hours or overnight. Serve.

For making the syrup: Place the sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, adding a teaspoon of lemon juice, and add the tea leaves; boil for 10 minutes and cool. Pour over the cake.

Do you like to end your main meal with a touch of sweetness?

I don’t really want a thick slice of cheesecake; just a little something sweet, not too sweet, just right.

Ashtalieh is a cream pudding; it comes from ashta, which is the Arabic word for cream; here, I simply added a handful of pistachios and instead of serving it in a bowl as is the custom, I used a cookie dough scoop to make little balls of ashtalieh, to savor individually, for a touch of creamy sweetness at the end of a good dinner.

Not a smidgeon more.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup of whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups of whole milk
• 3 Tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of rose water or orange blossom water or a bit of each
• 1/3 cup of cornstarch
• 1/3 cup of ground pistachios
• 1/2 cup of whole pistachios, chopped coarsely

METHOD:

1. Place the cream and milk in a measuring jug; pour 1 1/2 cups of this mixture into a saucepan. Add the sugar and stir over low to medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add to the remaining mixture the cornstarch and mix well to dissolve. As soon as the milk and cream in the saucepan starts to steam, pour the cornstarch mixture over it, stirring with a rubber whisk constantly. It will thicken in a matter of minutes. Add the flavoring of your choice and stir. Add the pistachios and set aside or pour into small bowls.
3. If using the ball idea, grind some pistachios in a coffee grinder. Dip the cookie dough scooper into the ground pistachios first and then into the ashtalieh, and form little balls. Sprinkle with additional ground pistachios or leave as is. Keep in the fridge until serving time. Serve cold.

NOTE: If you are so inclined, you can stir into the ashtalieh in the last few minutes of cooking a dash of mastic pebbles ground with a dash of sugar.

The beauty of some Lebanese home-style desserts is that they are lighter than the average dessert with eggs or butter; take this chocolate muhallabieh for instance; cream is added sparingly to the milk and the dessert is thickened with cornstarch. It is super creamy and chocolaty, but very light.

The pink meringue hearts are for fun and crunch-crunch.

OK. So how do we proceed?

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cup of whole milk
• 1/2 cup of cream
• 1/3 cup of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup of cocoa, Dutch processed (I like Droste)
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

METHOD:

1. Place the milk and the cream in measuring jug to get a total of two cups. Pour 1 1/2 cups of that mixture into a saucepan and add the cocoa and sugar. Pour the cornstarch on the remaining mixture in the jug and mix with a fork to dissolve the cornstarch.
2. Start heating the milk and cocoa mixture while stirring it slowly to dissolve the cocoa and sugar. When the mixture starts steaming, add the cornstarch mixture and keep stirring for several minutes (about 4 minutes total) until the mixture is very thick.
3. Pour into a sieve placed over a large bowl with a spout. Use a spoon or the whisk to press the pudding mixture through the sieve; this step is to ensure no lumps remain and the pudding is as creamy and smooth as can be. Pour into 2 or 4 ramequins or verrine or goblets. Cover with a plastic sheet and keep in the fridge until serving time. You can serve as is in the ramequins or flip over into a pretty plate. To help dislodge the pudding, surround the ramequin with a hot and wet towel. Serve with meringues or a crumble of caramelized nuts or marshmallows.

Assembly with the cream and meringue:

Pink cream: Whip 1/2 cup of cream with two teaspoons of powdered sugar and a few drops of rose water; add a couple of drops of red food color to the cream. Whip for several minutes until soft peaks form.

Meringue: Place 4 egg whites in a mixing bowl; beat at high speed for a few minutes till frothy; add a pinch of cream of tartar. As soon as the meringue is stiff, start adding one cup of powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time as well as a few drops of red food color. Beat till stiff and still shiny. Place in a plastic decorating bag with a round tip (small size) and pipe on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 225F oven for one hour or longer until the meringue is stiff and dry.

I discovered the concept of making lasagna aperta through Enrico Masia, an Italian chef. Great idea!  Lighter than the classic lasagne bolognese that would entail  three days of laborious effort to produce.

I made pasta using a bit of greens for color, rolled the pasta with a pin and let it air dry for three days on a sparse blanket of cornmeal. (I could have used it that day but had other plans).

The sauce is made with shrimp, shrimp stock, onions and tomatoes, garlic (of course), fresh ginger, cream, and some saffron for flavor. Chef Masia used asparagus and white noodles. I preferred brussel sprouts since I hardly eat those little things and I quite like them.  Oh, and I added some orange rind to the sauce and some Aleppo pepper to give it a touch of heat.

Fun to make, perfect make-ahead meal for a party, I am going to be making lasagne aperta from now on!

P.S: aperta means open in Italian. (I am guessing since in French it is ouverte, and in Spanish abierta)

First step: Make the pasta

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces or 250 g. of all-purpose flour (if you have Flour 00, great!)
• 2 eggs (large)
• 1 ounce of steamed greens (I used arugula)

METHOD:

1. Can use a food processor or your fingers; place the steamed greens in the bowl of the processor (make sure they are well drained and quite dry first); chop in the processor with the eggs for one minute or so.
2. Add the flour and process until the dough holds together. Remove, knead briefly on the counter and let it rest for 30 minutes covered with a damp towel.
3. If using a pasta machine, cut small pieces of dough and run through the machine; if using a rolling pin, roll out as thin as possible. Cut the pasta and lay on the counter. When finished with all the pasta, take each wide ribbon of pasta and roll out some more until the pasta is as thin a paper.
4. Place the rolled out pieces of pasta on a cookie sheet on which you have sprinkled some cornmeal or semolina or flour. Let them air dry if not using right away, for several days. Store in a box if not using for a week or longer.

Second step: Making the sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound of pasta or boxed lasagne noodles
• 1 pound of large pink shrimps
• 1 cup of whipping (light) cream
• 2 cups of shrimp stock (or 1 cup of stock and 1 cup of white wine)
• 10 cloves of garlic (1 tablespoon of mashed garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon of saffron shreds
• 3 tablespoons of grated ginger
• salt, pepper, Aleppo red pepper (for heat, optional), grated rind of an orange or a lime or lemon
• 1 bag of frozen brussel sprouts (12 ounces) (can replace with asparagus or zucchini)
• olive oil, as needed
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• Chopped parsley or basil for garnish

METHOD:

1. Make the shrimp stock: Peel the shrimp, cut off the heads. Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise and get rid of the intestinal tube.
2. Place the shrimp heads and skins in a saucepan, cover with tap water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, strain the stock and let it reduce to about 2 cups.
3. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet, add the onions and fry till golden. Add the shrimps and fry till they turn pink. Remove the shrimps and set aside and fry the brussel sprouts till softened and golden, add the garlic, ginger and spices (less the saffron). Add a splash of white wine (if using), pour the cream and let it reduce a bit by simmering for 15 minutes. Place the saffron in the cream and let it infuse the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning. Place the shrimps back in the sauce and keep in the skillet till serving time. (Chef Masia added some fresh basil to the sauce).

Assembly:

• Heat 2 quarts of salted water in a large pot. Add the pasta in two batches and boil for two minutes (or less) until al dente (the cooking time will depend on whether the pasta is still moist and fresh or dried).
• Drain the pasta and place in a serving dish. Add the sauce with the shrimp, garnish with some fresh parsley or basil and serve.