2 Turkish Desserts: Pistachio Semolina Cake/Almond Cream 🌞

Last edited Sat Aug 9, 2025, 02:00 PM - Edit history (1)

Yesil Fistikli Revani
Pistachio Semolina Cake

(by request)


MAKES 16 SLICES


This recipe calls for vanilla crystals, which have a much more intense flavor
than vanilla extract. It canbe found in speci shops. If you cant obtain it
‘use vanilla extract instead.

Syrup

3 1/2 cups cold water
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
8 medium eggs at room temperature, separated
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla crystals or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Salt
1 cup fine-grain semolina
1/4 cup finely ground pistachio nuts
1 recipe Thick Turkish Cream (page 146) or fresh berries

Heat the oven to 350°F.

To make the syrup, combine the water with the sugar. Boil the mixture
for 5 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15
minutes. Stir the lemon juice into the syrup and let it coo.

Lightly butter and dust wih flour the inside of a 10 x 15 x 2inch
baking pan. Place it in the refigerator until you're ready to use it
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, vanila crystal,
and lemon zest until the mixture becomes sightly foamy. Gent fld in the
semolna, fur, then the pistachio nus Str the mixture unt its well blended.

Using an electric mixer or a wire whisk, beat the egg whites with a pinch
of salt until they form firm peaks, about 3 to 4 minutes. Gently fold the egg
whites into the batter. Pour the mnture into the baking pan and spread it
out evenly. Bake the cake in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes,
until the top is golden brown,

Cut the hot cake into slices and pour the cold syrup over it. Refrig
erate the cake for several hours Serve it chilled with Thick Turkish Cream
or fresh berries.


Kaymak
Thick Turkish Cream

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

This thick cream is traditionally made with unpasteurized water buffalo milk,
which is much richer than cow's milk. On a recent visit to Turkey | got the
recipe from a famous dessert shop in lzmir called Riza Aksiit. Buffalo milk
has become hard to obtain there, so they now use a mixture of sheep and
cow's milk. Since our milk is pasteurized, and water buffalo milk is scarce,
I've adapted this recipe using heavy cream.

It tastes completely different from Kay- mak, but it is a nice thick cream to
serve with desserts. Another specialty of lamir is dried apricots poached in
a light syrup, then stuffed with Kaymak.

4 cups natural heavy cream (no additives)

Pour the heavy cream into a heavy, 10 x 14 x 2inch baking pan and bring the
cream to a boil on the stovetop.

Lower the heat to a simmer, and stir the cream with a wooden spoon, lifting the
cream out with the spoon and letting it pour back into the pan from a height of
6 to 8 inches. This will make the cream foamy and help it thicken.

Do this for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cream increases in volume about 1/2 inch
up the side of the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat. Cover it with plastic wrap so that the
wrap touches the surface of the cream. This prevents mois-ture from collecting
between the cream and the wrap, which might make the cream watery and less
white.

Let the cream cool at room temperature for about 1 hour. Refrigerate it
overnight to set it completely. Cut the cream from the sides of the pan and divide
it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a cylinder and serve.

********************************************************************************************
KESKUL
ALMOND CREAM





(Serves 5)

250 g. (8.8 oz) sugar
100 g. (3 1/2 oz) uncooked rice
1 lt. milk
1/4 fresh grated coconut
3 tbsps. pistachio
5 tbsps. blanched almonds


COOKING

1 Pick over and wash the rice. Soak in a bowl of water overnight. The next day crush the
rice in a bowl.

2 Crush the grated coconut and half of the almonds in a bowl.

3 Boil the milk in a copper tin.

4 Put the crushed rice, coconut, nuts and almonds into the milk.

5 Cook it over a low heat while stirring.

6 Pour the mixture into separate bowls and sprinkle the top of each with pistachios, grated
coconut and almonds.

Both recipes from "The Sultan's Kitchen"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250119.The_Sultan_s_Kitchen

Satisfy you and yours sweet tooth!