Celebrating an Early American Thanksgiving

A golden brown, herbed turkey, casserole dishes of cheesy green beans and dressing and five pounds of cream cheese-enriched mashed potatoes.

These were just some of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes I made last Sunday for my family in Nebraska. We celebrated our first Thanksgiving meal on American soil since 2009 with my mom, dad, brother, aunt and uncle. I had the menu all planned out and found it went off without a hitch minus the 12-pound turkey taking a bit longer to cook.

Since my dad’s health isn’t the greatest, I modified my normal recipes by using reduced-fat cheese and fat-free sour cream for my cheesy green bean casserole dressed with panko bread crumbs instead of fried onions. To make the potatoes richer, I used low-fat cream cheese instead of butter and heavy cream. For the dressing, I only used chicken stock in place of butter to make the dish more moist.

Then, I rubbed down the turkey with lots of garden-fresh herbs, freshly ground black pepper and some Smart Balance as well as filled the cavity with more herbs, onions and celery. The end result was still a moist and golden brown turkey.

I have to say you wouldn’t have noticed a difference!

Even for my Thanksgiving baking, I lightened up my recipes. Instead of my normal buttery pastry crust for pumpkin pie, I used ground gingersnap cookies and graham crackers mixed with a little apple cider and corn syrup. The crust was a little sticky and more rustic looking, but most importantly, it tasted great with the pumpkin pie filling.

Then, instead of an apple pie, I decided to make a low-fat apple cake for our second dessert. I found a recipe in one of my mom’s old issues of Light & Tasty magazine and made it even healthier with some substitutions below. The cake was moist and tasted like fall with the addition of ginger and cinnamon spices. I knew this cake was going to be a winner as soon as I tasted the spiced cake batter!

Our Thanksgiving desserts!

Though we’ve celebrated the last three Thanksgivings abroad in Istanbul, it certainly was nice being surrounded by my family members. We toasted each other with wine or sparkling cider and shared stories about our new expat life in Warsaw. My aunt and uncle filled us in on our other relatives living in the Midwest. It was wonderful to be “home.”

Family pics from Thanksgiving 2013.

Next week, we will be celebrating a second Thanksgiving dinner with more than 20 members of my husband’s family on the East Coast. More food is definitely in store for us!

Wherever you may be this holiday season, I hope it’s a happy one filled with plenty of good food!

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

Low-fat apple cake topped with Cool Whip, of course!

I'm ready to serve desserts!

Low-fat Apple Cake for Thanksgiving

Adapted from Light & Tasty magazine

Yields: One 9-inch metal springform pan

Ingredients:

3          Tablespoons    melted Smart Balance or butter

¾         cup                  granulated sugar

¼         cup                  Egg Beaters or 1 each large egg

1          ea.                    egg white

1          cup                  low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/3       cup                  unsweetened applesauce

2          Tablespoons    vegetable oil

2          cups                 all-purpose flour

½         cup                  golden raisins

1          teaspoon          baking powder

1          teaspoon          pumpkin pie spice

½         teaspoon          ground ginger

½         teaspoon          baking soda

½         teaspoon          salt

Topping:

2          ea.                    peeled, diced Gala apple

3          Tablespoons    chopped walnuts

1          Tablespoon      brown sugar

½         teaspoon          ground cinnamon

1/8       teaspoon          ground allspice

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until crumbly, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg, egg white, yogurt, applesauce and oil. Mix together.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

Combine the dry ingredients with the yogurt mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Spread the cake batter into a nonstick pan lined with baking paper. Using a pastry brush, brush the pan with sunflower oil.

In a separate bowl, toss together the apple, walnuts, sugar and spices. Spread this mixture on top of the cake batter. 

Bake the cake at 350 F/175 C for about 45 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Our final Thanksgiving table shot.

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3 Coffee Houses Not to Miss in Budapest

I wish I had started my days earlier in Budapest so I could have consumed more pastries.

I’d heard about the city’s multitude of fancy coffee houses, but still I was unprepared for the amazing pastries and lovely places I encountered. During the 19^th century, at its peak, Budapest had more than 700 coffee houses. Now, that’s a lot of coffee!

My first stop was at the Alexandra Bookstore, a modern-looking bookstore cum wineshop, until you ascend the escalator to Lotz Terem Café on the second floor. Your eyes immediately gravitate toward the breathtaking ceiling, painted in a bold Renaissance style by Károly Lotz in 1910. (His paintings also decorate the rooms of the Parliament building.)

I could imagine plunking myself down in one of the café’s armchairs, nestled in a corner with a good book and a strong latté and spending a whole afternoon here. Nearby, a handsome Hungarian man was playing classical piano music. This place is the ultimate bookstore!

At Lotz, I ordered a latté and a slice of the infamous Hungarian Dobos torte, a five-layer sponge cake with chocolate buttercream and garnished with a hard caramel glaze. The cake was invented by Hungarian confectioner József C. Dobos, introduced at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885 and presented to the Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph I and his wife. Now, this cake is definitely one for royalty!

On my second day strolling around Budapest’s Fisherman’s Bastion and Buda Castle, I dragged hubby to the nearby historical, quaint coffee house of Ruszwurm. This is one of the city’s oldest pastry shops, opened in 1827 by Hungarian confectioner Ferenc Schwabl. The interior of this cozy and always crowded shop, named after its owner Vilmos Ruszwurm, from 1884 to 1922, even has some of the original 1840s Empire-style furniture.

Ruszwurm isn’t a place to linger long as plenty of other tourists are waiting to grab a seat and sample another decadent bite of Dobos torte. However, I think it’s worth waiting for a table to taste a delicious bite of history.

A decadent chocolate cake for hubby and another slice of Dobos torte for me at Ruszwurm in Budapest.

My most expensive coffee house visit was at The New York Café (New York Kávéház) located on a picturesque boulevard inside the luxurious Boscolo Budapest Hotel (formerly the New York Palace). One of my Istanbul friends, Elaine, had urged me to go to this café, telling me that I would love it. She was right!

As soon as I walked inside, I took a step back in time and was greeted by gorgeous frescoes on the ceiling, gilded columns and stunning crystal chandeliers. This café, originally built by the New York Life Insurance Company as its local head office in 1894, once served as the local hangout for Hungarian writers, newspaper editors, poets and artists. Luckily, the building survived World War II, Communist rule, a sporting goods shop conversion, neglect and finally was restored to its original splendor in 2006 and converted into the Boscolo Budapest Hotel.

Interior of The New York Café in Budapest.

Since I was solo, I treated myself to a fancy lunch of mixed greens with grilled rabbit, a glass of Hungarian white wine and of course, dessert, a sublime piece of “crunchy nut cake.” This sweet confection contained layers of a hazelnut dacquiose cake, a praline mousse and caramel glaze – at least that’s what I determined. This is the type of dessert I would have made at any of the restaurants I previously worked at in the U.S.

Service is a bit harried here, but I took it all in stride and enjoyed my 90 minutes of people watching and leisurely lunch. The atmosphere and delectable dessert was well worth the 10,000 HUF ($45) price tag!

My only complaint is the nearby table of five older women that only ordered pasta and coffee drinks. If you’re going to visit the New York Café , you damned well better order dessert. You’d be crazy not to!

Budapest has dozens of coffee houses throughout the city, but these were three I visited and would return to in a second.

Locations:

Alexandra Bookstore, Andrássy út 39, near the Oktogon metro stop, Budapest

The New York Café (New York Kávéház), Erzsébet körút 9-11, Budapest

Ruszwurm, Szentháromság St 7, near the Buda Castle, Budapest

 The amazing pastry display case at the Lotz Terem Café in Budapest.

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Baking with Joy at Istanbul Culinary Institute

Craving NY-style cheesecake, but don't think you can make the same thing with Turkish ingredients?

Well, you would be wrong.

It takes a little improvisation, but you can make some of the moistest, creamiest NY-style cheesecake you've ever tasted outside of NYC here!

This coming Tuesday, Aug. 28, I will teach you how to make NY-style cheesecake and three other recipes at the Istanbul Culinary Institute in Beyoğlu.

NY-style Cheesecake topped with a lemon curd glaze. You can learn both of these recipes next week with me at the Istanbul Culinary Institute.

This hands-on class will run 7-10 p.m. I do teach the class in English, but there is a Turkish translator who helps me if you speak Turkish. Please call 0212-251-2215 if you would like to attend; or check the Institute's web site for more information about the classes.

At the end of baking, mixing and stirring, we finally get to sit down with a glass of wine or tea and enjoy our desserts together. Each participant also is able to take some of the desserts home!

Who could resist this sinfully rich American chocolate cake called Devil's Food Cake?

This past Christmas, I made the Devil's Food Cake with chocolate mousse filling with my niece when we visited North Carolina.

To make the cake kid-friendly at Christmas, we decorated it with a creamy frosting and colorful
red and green sugar crystals.

And you'll even learn how to make a dark chocolate mousse that can be used as a filling for the cake, as pictured, or simply served in a parfait glass.

The tangy lemon curd that you will learn in class can be used as a glaze for all kinds of baked desserts as well as a filling for lemon tarts!

You can find my lemon tarts for sale at Denizen Coffee in Sultanahmet in Istanbul.

Earlier this month, I even took a Turkish cooking class at the Institute with Ozlem of Ozlem's Turkish Table. See post and photos at Turkish Cooking with a Chef, Blogger in Istanbul. It was a tasty, fun experience! I highly recommend stopping by someday.

If you can't take this class with me next week, hopefully you can join me another time. Or keep a look out for other cooking classes that might interest you! It's a great activity to do with your girlfriends or with your significant other.

Afiyet olsun!

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Celebrating 4th of July Abroad - Year 2 in Istanbul

Yesterday was just a normal day in Istanbul.

While friends and family members in the U.S. celebrated 4th of July with fireworks and BBQs, my husband worked a 12-hour day, and I hosted a patriotic lunch with several American friends at our apartment.

As with every holiday abroad as an expat, we make the most of it. Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, is the only one where I really miss being in the U.S. But I've learned to adapt and I enjoy spending time celebrating American traditions with my new friends abroad. (Here is last year's post about celebrating 4th of July in Istanbul.)

So yesterday, I prepared hamburgers with all the fixings, a ranch dip with yogurt, sangria and an old-fashioned Jell-O "poke cake." (I also shared my treasured baklava from Gaziantep.)  My friends, met through the American Women of Istanbul group, brought deviled eggs, a carrot salad, three kinds of potato salad, chicken salad and chocolate chip bars.

Our 4th of July buffet spread at my apartment yesterday.

I've had pudding poke cakes while growing up in the U.S., but I've never had a Jell-O poke cake. Apparently, this type of cake was invented in 1969 as a way to increase Jell-O sales. The basic recipe usually entails baking a boxed cake mix in a 9"x13"cake pan, poking holes in the baked cake, pouring a Jell-O mixture on top, and later topping it with whipped cream.

Well, I'd been saving my imported blueberries for this holiday and decided to make a patriotic poke cake with a bit of Turkish flair of course. The cake layers ended up looking more pinkish and purplish with white frosting versus red, white and blue, but we ate it anyway!

(NOTE: Blueberries are nearly impossible to come by in Turkey without paying an arm and a leg for a pint. Feel free to substitute another fruit to make a colorful layer.)

Luckily, I saved a piece of cake for hubby and grilled a fresh burger for him when he finally got home from work.

Burgers at home in Istanbul. 

Being with friends and loved ones is all that really matters when you celebrate a holiday abroad.

Did any other expats celebrate 4th of July yesterday?

Afiyet olsun!

I quickly took a photo of my Red, White and Blue Poke Cake before it got devoured.
The "pokes" didn't quite turn out as nice as I had hoped, but you get the general idea of the colored layers.

Red, White and Blue Poke Cake (Turkish Style)

Ingredients:

2          (9-inch/22 cm.)            baked, round white cakes, completely cooled and still in pans (I made my cake from scratch, but a boxed cake mix would work as well.)

4          c.                     lightly sweetened whipped cream (I whipped up 2 packages of Dr. Oetker Krem Santi with whole milk to keep it simple.)

1          pkg.                 Turkish or regular strawberry-flavored Jello-O (made according to boxed directions)

For Blueberry Syrup Layer:

1          c.                     blueberries

3/4       c.                     water

2          T.                     sugar

In a small saucepan, cook above ingredients together over medium low heat until blueberries are softened.

Stain the fruit, if you desire, discarding the solids. I didn't because I wanted the blueberries.

Then, add 2 Tablespoons of prepared gelatin. Let the mixture cool down slightly.

For Strawberry or Cherry Syrup Layer:

1 1/2    c.                     strawberries or cherries (I couldn't find strawberries so I used frozen sour cherries instead.)

1/2       c.                     water

2          T.                     sugar

In a small saucepan, cook above ingredients together over medium low heat until strawberries/cherries are softened.

Stain the fruit, discarding the solids.

Then, add 2 Tablespoons of prepared gelatin. Let the mixture cool down slightly.

Fruit syrups and Turkish gelatin ready to be used for the cake.

To assemble:

Using a skewer or kebab stick, poke 25 holes in the top of each cake, twisting slightly to make the holes bigger.

Pour the cooled blueberry syrup over one cake and the red fruit syrup over the second cake. Cover cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the gelatin is set, about 3 hours or overnight.

Run a knife along the interior of the cakes. Flip the cakes over onto a wire rack or plate.

Place the blueberry layer on the bottom of a plate/cardboard cake circle, top with whipped cream. Place the strawberry/cherry layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over the top and sides of cake.

Let the cake set up for a bit in the refrigerator and then serve.

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Making My Own Birthday Cake in Istanbul

I'm often of the mindset that if you want something done right, do it yourself.

Or train someone to do it the way you would do it.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pastry assistants running around my home kitchen to help me when needed. So on Monday, I set about making my own birthday cake.

You may wonder why I would do this, especially since the Turks love sweets. There are dozens of pastry shops within walking distance from our apartment here in Istanbul. However, no one, that I've found yet, makes a cake the way that I would. 

I want my cake to have a nice crumb texture. It should be moist and tender. Most importantly, the cake's custard filling should be made from real whole milk, heavy cream and granulated sugar - not made from an instant package or mass-produced mix.

During our recent trip to Italy, I ate a strawberry torte that was exactly like how I would make it. As soon as I spotted the wild strawberries in the pastry display case, I knew I had to have one of those desserts at Gran Caffè Gambrinus in Naples. My husband is lucky he even got a bite of this delectable dessert!

The pastry display case in Naples, Italy. I ordered a slice of cake with these wild strawberries.

As soon as we returned to Istanbul, I knew I would be replicating that strawberry torte for my own birthday cake. Strawberries are in season right now and are cheap. Only 4 TL or less per kilo!

The sponge cake recipe that follows is one of my favorites. I've used it for several years in many of my restaurant desserts and for layered cakes. A genoise is a rich, light cake that is meant to be soaked in a syrup - an Amaretto syrup in this case.

I layered my cake with a homemade vanilla bean custard and fresh strawberries. I finished my cake just in time to let in set up in the freezer as my husband walked in the door from work. At least, he cooked the antrikot steak and did all the dishes for me for my birthday.

I might even have a piece of my cake with my coffee in the morning.

Afiyet olsun!

Strawberry Sponge Cake done right! But next time, I would add even more strawberries.

Genoise Vanilla Sponge Cake

Yields: 2-9-inch (22 cm.) round cake pans

Ingredients:

11        ea.                                large eggs at room temperature

1 2/3    c.         (375 g.)            granulated sugar or vanilla sugar

1          ea.                                zest of a lemon, finely grated

2 1/3 c. + 1 1/2 T. (375 g.)      cake flour, sifted

1 1/2    tsp.                              lemon juice or vanilla extract

1/2       c.         (125 g.)            unsalted butter, melted

As needed:

1          c.         (240 ml.)          simple syrup spiked with Amaretto or left plain

Fresh strawberries

Custard filling of your choice

Whipped, lightly-sweetened cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C.

2. Place baking paper circles in the bottom of the cake pans. Grease or pan-spray the pans. Set aside.

3. Place the eggs and sugar into a metal mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, whip the eggs and sugar until they have turned pale in color and increased in volume. You must whip the ingredients until they fully reach the ribbon stage - about 10 minutes. (You are relying on this stage to create the volume for your cakes.)

4. Next, add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Then, add the flour while the mixer is running to avoid getting any flour pockets in your cake batter.

5. Then, add the butter by hand, using the whisk attachment to carefully fold the ingredients together.

Here you can see how smooth and ribbon-like the cake batter should be.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick or metal cake tester to see if they are done.

7. Let the cakes cool on a metal rack. Then, trim and slice each cake into half. You will have 4 cake layers. Use an adjustable metal cake ring to help you assemble your cake.

8. Then, soak your cake layers with the simple syrup. 

9. Add a bit of custard and sliced strawberries in between each layer. Repeat.

Let the finished cake set in the fridge/freezer for at least an hour before unmolding and decorating.

I decorated my cake with a simple lightly-sweetened chantilly cream.

We made a half recipe of my Saffron Risotto Milanese to go with our antrikot steaks.
This risotto is our favorite for birthdays or special dinners.

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Kumquat, Mandalina Pound Cake

Who wouldn't want to wake up to a freshly baked pound cake for breakfast?

Our first guests of 2012 arrived today, so I figured I should bake a special treat for them. I've been dying to use the candied kumquats I bought at the Yalıkavak Pazarı near Bodrum. I decided to make a variation of my favorite Meyer Lemon Pound Cake and use kumquats and mandalina (mandarins) in place of the Meyer Lemons.

The candied kumquats had an intense citrus flavor similar to candied orange peel, but a bit more unique. The only other way I've candied and preserved kumquats is in a simple syrup. I love the flavor of kumquats, but I hate all the tiny seeds.

Sliced candied kumquat. I did have to remove the larger seeds as I was slicing.

If you are fortunate enough to find candied kumquats or make them yourself, by all means, then use them in this recipe. Otherwise, candied orange or lemon peel also will work wonderfully here. I especially liked seeing the bright orange slivers throughout the cake slices.

We couldn't wait to try the pound cake, so we each enjoyed a slice for dessert tonight. The pound cake will probably make its way around the breakfast table too. Tangy, citrusy and delicious!

Afiyet Olsun!

Kumquat, Mandalina Pound Cake

(Adapted from “The Dessert Bible” by Christopher Kimball)

Ingredients:

8          oz.       (250 g.)            unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ½      c.         (350 g.)            granulated sugar or vanilla sugar*

3          ea.                                zest of mandalina (mandarins), finely grated

5          ea.                                large eggs at room temperature**

1 ¾      c.         (260 g.)            Turkish all-purpose flour (use only 1 2/3 c. if in the U.S.)

2          T.                                 fresh mandalina juice

scant 1/2 c.      (100 g.)            candied kumquat or orange peel, diced small

Glaze:

As needed                               powdered sugar and fresh mandalina juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C.

2. Grease or pan-spray a standard metal loaf pan. Set aside.

3. Place the butter into a metal mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer beat the butter until smooth and creamy.

4. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the butter turns almost white and is very fluffy, about three to five minutes.

5. Next, add the mandalina zest. Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated. The batter should look smooth.

5. Add the flour in three parts, folding it into the batter with a large rubber spatula, making sure the batter is well mixed. Lastly, add the juice and the candied citrus.

You should end up with a perfectly smooth cake batter.

6. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 1 hour. The top will split open and be nicely browned. Insert a toothpick or metal cake tester to see if the cake is done. If not, continue baking and check every five minutes. (My cake needed to bake 10 more minutes.)

7. When cake is done, run a knife around the edges and turn out onto a metal cooling rack. Let cool for about 1 hour before adding the glaze.

To make the glaze:

Add approximately, 1 cup of powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Then, slowly drizzle in mandalina  juice and whisk until the glaze is thoroughly combined. Adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding more sugar or more juice as needed. Pour over the top of the pound cake after it has cooled.

* I make my own vanilla sugar by grinding dried, leftover vanilla beans with granulated sugar in the food processor. Sift to remove the larger pieces. You can substitute vanilla sugar in most baking recipes.

**If the eggs are not at room temperature, place them in a bowl of hot water until they feel warm. Cold eggs could make the batter look grainy and separated.

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