Paklava

[zarhooie]

What it is: Paklava is Armenian baklava. The main difference between paklava and baklava is what it is sweetened with. Baklava is traditionally sweetened with honey, while paklava uses a simple syrup.

You should read this entry on clarifying butter before you attempt this. The flavor of paklava relies on the clarified butter. You should also take a look at this entry about simple syrups.

( Paklava paklava paklavaaaaa! )

-Kat

Clarifying butter

[zarhooie]

Clarified butter has a wide variety of uses. I usually use it for making middle eastern desserts, but it can also be used when eating lobster (you dip the meat in it). It's not a commonly used thing in other cuisines, but if you want to make paklava or anything using filo dough, you're going to want to have this one in your skill set.

( Pictures and instructions ahoy! )

Reasons to clarify butter:
-it gets rid of the milk solids
-has a "cleaner" taste
-doesn't mix with other flavors much, allowing a clearer flavor pallate to develop
-cooks at higher temps without burning or smoking

Thus endeth the lesson.

-Kat

Simple Syrup

[zarhooie]

A simple syrup is really simple: just sugar and water. It can be used for a lot of things which are complicated (paklava, khadaidff) and many which are not (sweetening ice tea).

( recipe under here )

Your syrup can be used to sweeten ice tea. Because the sugar is already dissolved, it won't sink to the bottom of your pot. :)

-Kat

Intro and a recipe

[sunfell]

I love the name of this community! And that's the sort of foodie I am- I like nom-a-licious food, simple, tasty, and definitely delicious. I am as big a kitchen geek as I am a food and computer geek, and am actively working on combining my interests. That involves loading my little Netbook with recipes, then slipping it into a vented 2-gallon ziplock bag and putting it on the counter to consult as I cook. Can't be ruining the Lenovo with flying batter or grease!

Here's a recipe I just tried (and absolutely adore!) to serve as an intro. I picked it up at my favorite Most Dangerous Store- Williams Sonoma. I swoop through there regularly to gather recipe cards, get great sauces, and drool over the Le Creuset and Shun knives. So many goodies, such a small budget...

Shrimp & Grits

( m-m-more! )

Crock Pot Beef and Sweet Potatoes

[lola]

invisionary recced this comm, and what a delicious place it appears to be!

So I come with a recipe that is currently making my whole little house smell divine. Hope you enjoy!

( Recipe behind cut )

Special Malteser Cake

[katieastrophe]

This cake started life as about three different recipes that all got jumbled together for my mum's birthday a couple of weeks ago, and it worked so wonderfully well that I figured I should let other people in on the nomminess. It's a chocolate sponge base with crushed Maltesers for added crunch, topped and filled with chocolate fudge buttercream.

( snip! Ingredients and recipe under here. )

Afraid I don't have any pictures - it got eaten too fast!

ETA: if you can't get Maltesers, you can substitute them with any kind of chocolate covered malted biscuit. Brands I know of are Necco Mighty Malts and Hershey's Whoppers :-)