Not Smelling the Roses

a Poem by: Füsun Atalay ~ Copyright © 1998

Smooth skin stretches
over fine blood vessels
mapping the hand
which offers me the largest bouquet,
of blue and purple roses I’ve never seen before
scattered among
ordinary red, pink, white and yellow ones —
The roses so sharp in my mind, yet the face
hovering above the bouquet fades
with the poignant smell of roses...
only their thorns still sharp in memory.
I recall the feeling
sporadically ~
like connection to cyberspace
that comes
and
goes. . .
and suddenly a
time out error
and the joy
(just when i thought i was connected)
can not be transmitted;
something just froze.
Then colours burst
like fireworks
in shimmering cascades
and spotlight
faces from the past, the present -
some, i have not
even seen before -
They speak out in unison.
i can’t hear what they’re saying...
So i strain
to read their lips
and understand their words.
They try to convey the ultimate
wisdom and truth
while warning.
But, like the unscented roses,
my senses are deceived, beleaguered and
long to find meaning
when my subconscious cognizance
is muffled by their incoherent cries.
Then i know: this is another one
of those plains
where roses can be waltzing-
people can sprout a warning finger ~
and bellow without being heard !


Copyrighted Material ~ Copyright © 1998 All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay

Sweet Endings

Text and Photos by : Füsun Atalay © Copyright 2007

I’ve always been curious about the difference between a tart and a torte; and oftentimes I don’t know which is which. Pies, on the other hand are a little more familiar— at least I think of them as baked pastries which contain savory or sweet fillings. But the jargon becomes somewhat more mystifying especially when we add the crisp, crostata (from Italian), crumble (from English), galette and tartelette (from French) into the mix.

A little research revealed that torte-derived from German- is a rich cake made with eggs, ground nuts, sugar and flour. The Hungarian Dobos Tort is a labour-intensive six, sometimes seven layer basic sponge cake supporting a butter cream between each layer. The final top layer is coated with chocolate and hazelnut cream. As with many cakes, the layers are moistened with a simple sugar syrup during assembly.

A tart, however, is an open topped pastry which can be filled with sweets such as fruits — or savory fillings such as onions, cheese and eggs. On the other hand a crostata, although not baked in a pan but rather "free form", is another name for 'tart' . Go figure !

But, what’s in a name? All that matters is baking your cake (or tart) and eating it too by taking advantage of the season’s ripe fruits. Pears, plums and apples are at their peek now. Besides biting into one of these juicy ripe fruits, what better way to use them than in these spectacular sweet finalés to a special meal?

The following recipes are not half as confusing as their names, and the results are truly something to be proud of when you present them at the table .

Linzertorte

Born in Linz, Austria, almost three centuries ago Linzertorte , with its beautiful golden brown crust filled with ruby red raspberry preserves shimmering through the lattice design, is a distinctive classic.

1 /2 cup blanched ground almonds
1 -1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 /2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
2/3 cup raspberry jam
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, almonds, cinnamon, granulated sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal.. Add in egg and pulse to blend with the flour mixture.

Spoon 2/3 of dough onto bottom of 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Pat dough evenly over bottom and up side of pan. Combine lemon juice with jam; spread jam over bottom of dough. On lightly floured surface roll remaining third of dough into 10x5-inch rectangle ; cut ten 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Arrange strips in lattice pattern, trim and press ends into edge of crust. Bake 25 -35mins or until crust is golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Remove torte from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges. Store, tightly covered, at room temperature upto 2 days.

Pear Frangipane Tart

Prangipane refers to a filling made from almonds which can be used in cakes, tarts, croissants and other pastries. It’s a great fall dessert when pears are plenty.

Base:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk

Frangipane:
5 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup natural almonds, ground
1/4 tsp almond extract

Tart:
3- 4 pears, halved , peeled and cored
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp apricot jam

Combine flour, sugar and butter in a food processor ; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the yolk and pulse until all is combined into a ball. Flatten into a disk between sheets of plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Roll out to to fit into an 8 inch tart pan with a removable bottom and with floured fingertips push dough up and down the sides and bottom of the pan . Cover with aluminum or parchment paper, top with dry beans and "blind bake"at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove beans. Cool.

Meanwhile prepare frangipane by creaming together butter and sugar. Add eggs and cream some more, stir in ground almonds and extract, and mix well. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fill baked tart shell with the frangipane.

Cut the pear halves, lengthwise into thin slices, keeping them together at the stem end.
Fan the pears slightly and place over the frangipane filling in a petal pattern.
Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar over the pears. Bake the tart for 50 minutes.
Melt apricot jam and brush over the warm pears. Serve at room temperature.

Apple Tarte Tatin

The result of forgetfulness rescued by ingenuity, this tarte was created by sisters Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin who operated a hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron in the early part of the 19th century. It was such a success that it found its way to Maxim's of Paris in no time.

Short crust pastry

1-1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp sugar
3-4 Tbsp ice water

Combine flour and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. While the motor’s running, slowly add ice water and process until dough begins to come together. Remove from processor and pat into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap ; chill 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry to a 10-inch circle of 1/4-inch thickness. Chill until use.

Filling:

4 Golden or Red Delicious apples
1/3 cup butter
1 /2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375º F.
Peel, core and quarter apples.
Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring until bubbly. Add vanilla. Spoon into the pie or cake pan.
Arrange apples cut sides up on sugar.
Poke holes in pastry and place on top of apples.
Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crust is rich golden brown and apples are tender.
Turn out onto a plate, so that apples show on top. Watch for hot syrup that might drip. Serve warm.

Italian Plum Tart

Easiest of the three, the base isn't even rolled out for this tart that showcases purple Italian plums.
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup walnuts
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 cups cold butter, diced
1 egg
2 pounds (about 12) firm, ripe Italian prune plums, pitted and quartered lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, walnuts, sugar and butter in the food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal. . Add the egg and pulse on-off until egg is combined but the dough is somewhat still crumbly.

Press 1-1/2 cups of the crumbly mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 inch tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side up, in a circle; starting from outside, work to the middle.
Sprinkle rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar ; serve warm or at room temperature

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Yummy Yogurt

A food from the ages with a modern-day cachet!

Story and Photo by: FÜSUN ATALAY Copyright © 2007

Yogurt has been the soul food in my family ever since I can remember, but we consumed it in its most modest form: plain. Occasionally we’d be adventurous and spike its flavour with crushed garlic, salt and mint to serve with what Turkish cuisine classifies as summer vegetables, since green beans, eggplants, bell peppers or zucchini did not grow in Anatolian winters.

Yogurt’s use is not limited to being a flavourful topping for eggplants fried in olive oil, or a refreshing accompaniment with cucumbers and garlic or stuffed bell peppers and wine leaves. Grilled meats or spinach-filled phyllo would be considered incomplete without a side dish of yogurt.

Ottoman Emperor Sultan Süleyman introduced yogurt to France’s ailing King François I in 1542. According to “History of Food,” by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat (translated by Anthea Bell in 1992), after the health of the French king improved, the Ottoman envoy returned home taking the secret of yogurt making back with them, “and yogurt was forgotten for nearly four centuries.”

John F. Mariani, in the “Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink,” credits Turkish immigrants with the introduction of yogurt to the States in 1784. But its popularity wouldn’t arrive until 1940, when a man named “... Daniel Carasso emigrated to the United States and took over a small yogurt factory in the Bronx, New York. He was soon joined by Juan Metzger, and the two sold their yogurt under the name Dannon.”

Craig Claiborne’s “The New York Times Food Encyclopedia” states that “(Yogurt) first gained international prominence in the early 1900s when Ilya Metchnikov, a Russian bacteriologist, observed that the lifespan of Bulgarians, whose diet included the consumption of large quantities of soured milk, was 87 years and beyond.”

Today, the culinary versatility of yogurt is acclaimed worldwide. Yogurt is more than a fruit-flavoured light dessert or a healthy smoothie base. It enhances soups, marinates meats, dresses salads, moistens pancakes and replaces fatty creams in many recipes.

I was beside myself with joy when I recently saw “ayran” pronounced (I-run), on the dairy shelves of some Middle Eastern markets. Ayran is a national yogurt drink that refreshes the thirst of many during sizzling Anatolian summers. We made it by stirring one part yogurt to four parts of ice-cold water and a good pinch of salt. Served with extra ice, it is a healthy, thirst-quenching drink which is also an antidote against sunstroke.

Yogurt cheese is another product gaining in popularity and replacing cream cheese on bagels and toast or traditional cheese cake recipes in low-fat versions. I remember my father turning his homemade yogurt into a cheese-cloth lined sieve set over a large ceramic bowl, placing a dinner plate on top and leaving it in the fridge, overnight. By next morning we’d have a thick, creamy spread for bread.

Whenever I was on antibiotics, I was given yogurt. As a child, I never questioned the explanation that it would protect me against bacteria. Now I know that antibiotics kill not only the bad, but also some of the beneficial bacteria in the intestines, causing diarrhea and gastrointestinal infections, and the “Lactobacillus acidophilus in yogurt produce bacteriocins, restoring natural intestinal cultures.”

Aside from its gastronomical and medicinal virtues, yogurt has its practical uses. Some sources claim that two servings a day clears canker sores, while others advise spreading yogurt on the skin and waiting 20 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water to soothe the pain of sunburn, cleanse the skin and tighten up pores.

But, I’d rather eat yogurt than wear it

Although many varieties and flavours fill the market, I prefer low-fat, plain yogurt containing active and living cultures. This gives me a base which I can turn into yogurt cheese, healthy drinks, incorporate into salad dressings, sauces or baking. Whether it’s eaten plain, served with fruits, drunk as a smoothie or baked into a whole grain muffin, I could not imagine a day without yogurt.


Orange Yogurt Crepes with Maple Yogurt Cheese
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 Tablespoons oil
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
Filling
1- small package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups low fat yogurt
sliced fresh fruit of choice

In a large bowl combine instant pudding and yogurt. Beat until mixture thickens. Refrigerate until use.

In a large bowl, beat eggs; add milk, yogurt, oil, flour, salt, sugar and rind. Beat until smooth. Leave at room temperature for one hour.
Heat a 10 inch skillet.

Brush with oil or butter and spoon in 3 Tablespoons of batter.

Tilt skillet to spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Cook 15 to 20 seconds or edges of crepe pull away from sides of pan, over medium heat. Lift crepe with fingers and turn immediately onto waxed paper.

Repeat until batter is used up, oiling pan after each crepe.
Place 4 tablespoons of refrigerated filling in one half of the crepe and top with fresh fruit. Fold the other half over.

Dust with powdered sugar.

Serve with maple yogurt cheese.

Maple Yogurt Cheese
1 cup firm yogurt cheese
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Using a fork or wire whisk, beat the ingredients together until creamy.

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