A very Turkish meal: Kabk Mücveri and Yogurt Soup

If there is anything that fascinates me more than Germany, it is Turkey...its people, its religion, its culture,and its intimate connection with Germany. But, what concerns most people here is its food. I can't tell you how much I miss döner kebabs! I've been looking all over the bay area for a place that sells real döner kebabs and so far haven't had much luck. They were everywhere in Italy. There was this one place a block from where I lived in Torino, and I went there almost every other day. I made friends with the two Turkish guys that worked there with my broken Italian. One time they even asked if I had a boyfriend, I said no, and didn't have enough Italian in me to explain further. Good times. Then few weeks back when I went to visit Doug in San Francisco, we went to a Turkish restaurant and I ordered the lamb kebab dish, and a cup of Turkish coffee. I asked the Turkish waiter for a little cream for my coffee, he laughed and said I should never ask such a thing if I was in Turkey. He brought me some though, and taught me how to read fortunes from my coffee. My cup said good luck is coming my way.

Apfelstrudel: German Apple Strudel

Uff. I want to say sorry to my apple strudel because my dreadful camera skill is not doing any justice to my baking. I guarantee you this is a lot more appetizing than it appears. And that's not meat in my strudel... So my love for all things Deutschland continues. I'm learning the language as well, piano piano as the Italians would say. I came across this recipe many months ago on tastespotting, and have wanted to try it out for a while. I'm not usually a fan of baked fruits, especially pies..yucks, but I am more forgiving when it comes to apples. Or maybe it was the puff pastry that appealed to me, or the fact that it is German. In any case, I was glad to have made this dessert as it is not too sweet, and very delicious.

Oh, and by the way, Happy Valentine's Day.  I am getting a fantastic present from myself, and I'm constantly checking the UPS tracking... it is supposed to be delivered on the 23rd!

Japanese Souffle Cheesecake

I'm not a fan of the usual dense American-style cheescakes, but I really like this Japanese souffle cheesecake. It tastes light and airy with a slight hint of cake. This type of cheesecake is so much more difficult to make than teh regular dense cheesecake. A lot of techniques go into mixing this cake and whisking the white. Very easily it can fail. I made this cake for a get-together a while ago that I couldn't attend because of the lunar new year. It was supposed to be a birthday cake so I couldn't cut it open to see if it turned out alright. Actually to this date, I don't know if it turned out okay since no one that ate the cake really said anything to me. I can only hope from the beautiful exterior, that it was a success.

Christollen

Ich liebe deutsche Weihnachten!!! Do the Germans know Christmas or what?? Well, they certainly know what food to eat during the holiday. Pfeffernüsse and Vanillekipferl can't hold a candle to stollen, or at least this stollen recipe. Remember my Christmas in July post? Well, that doesn't even hold half a candle to this stollen. This not-cake-nor-bread texture tastes just like the store bought version, except it has significantly more flavor than the store bought ones. In fact, this recipe is said to come from Dresden, Germany, the motherland of Stollen.

Chap Chae (Korean Transparent Noodle)

One of the very few things that I like about being in the US is that you get an abundance of international foods easily accessible. Chap Chae has quickly become a family favorite in the past month after I got this wonderful recipe from Yonza. I love the hard texture of the transparent noodle and the sesame dressing is just fantastic. This is a step-by-step instruction for Nick.

Christmas in a basket Teil I

Last Tuesday I had a gift exchange at work, and I took the opportunity to try out several new recipes. Since it's a holiday gift exchange, I want everything to be Christmas specials. I've done a lot of Italian recipes in the past, and Spain doesn't offer much Christmas sweets, so I turned to my third love, Germany, for some delicious inspirations.