Sticky Pecan Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

The first signs of autumn have arrived in D.C. and I am in a baking mood!  So I pulled out my Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook and started drooling over recipes.

There are several different no-knead bread recipes you can make from scratch (these recipes are SO easy... all you need is patience to let the dough rise... and I, of all people, know patience is usually the hardest to come by when you want fresh-baked deliciousness right out of the oven).  So you can use the simple master recipe OR the AMAZING, buttery, calorie-packed brioche recipe from the book (What? 8 eggs and 3 sticks of butter??? Mmmm... believe me, it's worth it!)

This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven...

This is what it looks like when you flip it onto the plate...

And this is what it looks like before you devour your first piece and try not the eat the rest (because you remember all the butter, sugar and eggs!)

The best thing is that the bread recipe makes at least 2 more loaves that you can keep in the fridge for a week or freeze.  I froze my extra dough because I wanted to fit into my pants this winter but I'm definitely making this again... maybe for Christmas when there are more people around to share the calories!

Brioche Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt, eggs honey and melted butter with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or lidded (not airtight) food container.

Mix in the flour, using a spoon until all of the flour is incorporated.

Cover (not airtight), and allow to sit at room temperature for about two hours.

Sticky Pecan Caramel Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

INGREDIENTS

The Dough
A cantaloupe sized chunk of dough (about 1.5 lbs)

The Gooey Sticky Caramel Topping
6 tbl unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
30 pecan halves

The Heavenly Sweet Cinnamon Butter Filling
4 tbl unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans
pinch of freshly ground black pepper

On baking day, cream together the butter, salt and brown sugar. Spread evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter the pecans over the butter-sugar mixture and set aside. (Note: If you have a pan with high sides, that might work best. Otherwise, place a pan (disposable or not) on the rack below your pan to catch the spillage.

Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1.5 lb piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thick rectangle. As you roll out the dough, use enough flour to prevent it from sticking to the work surface but not so much as to make the dough dry. If the dough is being stubborn, let it sit for 20 minutes, then come back to it with the rolling pin.

Cream together the butter, sugar and spices. Spread evenly over the rolled-out dough and sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a log. If the dough is too soft to cut, let it chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. With a serrated knife, cut the log into 8 equal pieces and arrange over the pecans in the prepared, with the “swirled” edge facing upward. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise 1 hour.

Bake buns about 40 minutes or until golden brown and well set in center. While still hot, run a knife around the inside of the pan to release the caramel rolls, and invert immediately onto a serving dish. If you let them sit too long, they will stick to the pan and be difficult to turn out.

Curried Lamb Potpie

Autumn has arrived... and we could think of no better dish to celebrate the crisp weather and early setting sun.  It was in this month's Food & Wine and Michael wasted no time trying out this delicious recipe.

It doesn't look like a traditional Marie Calendar pot pie, but believe me... it's better!  The crust and the filling are just as delicious as they look!

We hope your first weekend of Autumn is off to a good start!

INGREDIENTS
Pastry
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup ice water

Curry
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds trimmed boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1-inch dice (10 ounces)
2 cups chopped Tuscan kale
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

MAKE THE PASTRY
In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt. Add the butter; pulse to the size of peas. Sprinkle the ice water over and pulse until the pastry starts to come together. On a work surface, gently knead the pastry a few times. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, 1 1/2 hours.

MAKE THE CURRY
In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and add half to the casserole. Cook over high heat until browned on 2 sides, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a bowl; repeat with 1 more tablespoon of oil and the remaining lamb. Pour off the oil in the casserole.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the lamb to the casserole. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, then slowly stir in the wine until smooth. Add the stock and bring to a boil, stirring, until thickened, 1 minute. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender, 1 hour. Add the squash, kale, carrot and coconut milk to the casserole and simmer over moderately low heat until the vegetables are tender, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Spoon the curry into a buttered 8-by-11-inch baking dish. Brush the dish rim with beaten egg. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 14-by-12-inch rectangle. Fold the pastry in half, unfold it over the curry, and gently press onto the edge of the dish. Brush with beaten egg; cut 4 small steam vents in the top.

Bake the potpie for 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 450°; bake for 20 minutes longer, until the pastry is browned and cooked through. Let rest for 20 minutes, then serve.

Warm Chocolate Budino

So it was our wedding anniversary yesterday.  Can you believe it's been 3 years already?  We totally can't.  It's crazy how time flies when you're having fun!

So as usual, Michael cooked a delicious dinner featuring bison filets and I made a new chocolate dessert!  It was not very difficult to make and REALLY super yummy (totally my style!).  Who would think to serve this soft, rich, not-too-dense chocolate cake with drizzled olive oil and salted roasted almonds???  Food & Wine of course!  Definitely worth a try for those chocolate lovers out there.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Hot water
Salted roasted almonds and vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter and flour the paper.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the salt and baking powder. Chop the chocolate and, in a large microwave-safe bowl, heat it with the butter at high power in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sugar. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the dry ingredients until evenly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Set the cake pan in a small roasting pan. Transfer the roasting pan to the center of the oven. Carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to reach one-third of the way up the side of the cake pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the budino is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

Transfer the cake pan to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the budino and invert it onto a plate. Peel off the paper and invert the budino again. Cut into wedges and serve with roasted almonds and vanilla ice cream drizzled with olive oil.

Guacamole: Dip + Breakfast Recipes

Last night we brought homemade guacamole to our friend's house for their delicious Mexican-themed dinner party.  Super delicious and super easy with such an abundance of cheap and ripe avocados at the store these days.

This morning, Michael made this potato pancake, guacamole and egg dish with the leftover guacamole... surprisingly delicious!  Food & Wine has done it again.

INGREDIENTS
2 medium ripe avocados
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press
Salt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
About 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Fresh hot green chile to taste (I like 1 serrano or ½ to 1 jalapeño), finely chopped
1/4 small white onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium tomato, chopped into 1/4-inch dice

Cut the avocados in half, running your knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back up again. Twist the halves in opposite directions to free the pits and pull the halves apart. Dislodge the pits, then scoop out the avocado flesh into a medium bowl. Mash the avocado with a large fork or potato masher. Stir in the garlic and about 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus any other sets of ingredients you've chosen. If your list includes the white onion, rinse it first under cold water, then shake well to rid it of excess moisture, before adding to the avocado. (This reduces the risk of having onion flavor overwhelm the guacamole.) Taste and season with additional salt if appropriate. If not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate—preferably not more than a few hours.

BREAKFAST...
Shred two medium-large (10 to 12 ounces total) red-skin potatoes; squeeze out excess moisture between your hands. Heat a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium and lightly coat with oil. Form 4 small potato pancakes, sprinkle with salt and press flat with a spatula. When browned on one side, flip and brown the other side. Smear with the simplest guacamole, top each with a poached egg and sprinkle with salt, black pepper and cilantro.

Tomato, Chard and Gruyère Casserole

Michael has dubbed this "French lasagna" made with bread instead of pasta and with more veggies and less cheese!  It's REALLY good and is perfect for late summer when you can get tons of tomatoes and chard from the farmer's market.  Food & Wine has done it again.

INGREDIENTS
5 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, stemmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 cup dry white wine
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
One 1-pound loaf of day-old peasant bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 pounds beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
1/2 inch thick
9 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (3 cups)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the chard for 2 minutes; drain. When the leaves are cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water. Coarsely chop the chard.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and thyme and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 12 minutes. Add the chard and the wine and simmer over moderately high heat until the wine is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Line the bottom of the dish with one-third of the bread, overlapping the slices slightly and cutting the bread to fit. Top with half of the tomato slices and season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the chard on top, then sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat the layering once and finish with the remaining bread. Pour the hot stock over the casserole and press with a spatula. Brush the top with the melted butter.

Cover the dish with foil and bake in the upper third of the oven for 1 hour. Uncover the dish and bake for about 10 minutes longer, until the top is browned and crisp. Let the casserole rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

MAKE AHEAD The cooked chard can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Arctic Char with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes in Garlic Oil

From balcony garden...

To the dinner plate...

This recipe is one of our FAVORITE dishes in For Cod and Country and always super quick and easy to make.  Fortunately, the Denver Post decided to publish the recipe so now so I don't feel guilty copying the recipe out of the book and publishing it to the world wide web!

Enjoy while fresh cherry tomatoes are plentiful and delicious!

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, each cut in half
2 pints cherry tomatoes
Salt
2 portions skin-on arctic char fillet (about 5 ounces each)
(NOTE: We get frozen char from Trader Joe's and always keep the freezer stocked)

Preheat the broiler. Set a large cast-steel or cast-iron skillet on the stove over high heat until it is smoking hot. Add the olive oil and garlic. Cook the garlic until it is blistered and golden brown. Add the tomatoes, but do this very carefully, otherwise searing hot oil will splash up onto you. Cook until the skins of the tomatoes begin to blister in the hot oil, about 1 minute, then season very generously with salt.

Carefully place the char fillets, skin side up, on top of the tomatoes and transfer the pan under the broiler. Cook for 6 minutes, then check on the fillets. The skin should be blistered and bubbling. Remove the char fillets to serving plates. Spoon the tomatoes onto the char fillets and serve immediately.

Istanbul Scrapbook

I finally finished our scrapbook from Istanbul! (I know, it took me a while to complete...)  CLICK HERE to look at the final product. (To zoom in on a page, just click on it and it will enlarge so you can read the captions)

Michael and I were looking through it the other night... and now we want to go back again!

3rd Annual Garden Party & Bonfire

It's that time again!!! Let us know if you can join us!

Sorry I've been slow on posting lately.  This summer is just flying by!

Summer Eats From Michael's Favorite Cookbook

As we've mentioned before, Michael's favorite cookbook is still For Cod and Country, and we are still discovering delicious new recipes from Barton Seaver's book.  Some of our summer favorites so far are these delicious clam appetizers (above) and the squid with green beans, potatoes and basil pesto (below).

And since soft-shell crabs are in season, we had a delicious meal of soft-shell crabs with corn and black bean relish.  Mmmmm...

I can't wait for Michael to discover more recipes from this fantastic cookbook so I can keep eating like a queen!  Bad for the diet but good for the soul.

4th of July Cupcake feat. Cream Cheese Frosting

Yesterday, we went to our friends Roger and Martha's house on Capitol Hill to cook out and watch the fireworks.  Michael made his famous gazpacho because it's delicious and refreshing, and because Martha is vegan.

Upon hearing of Michael's contribution to the BBQ, Garvey sent him this clip from The Simpson's.  HILARIOUS!


And I made mini black-bottom cheesecakes with jam and chocolate cupcakes with a new cream cheese frosting and berries on top!  The combination of moist chocolate cupcakes with fluffy frosting and fresh berries was PERFECT.  Needless to say, we did not bring any home because they were devoured by our friends.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Independence Day!  Here's our new favorite cream cheese frosting recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cake or cupcake.

Cod with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Arborio Rice

This is our first meal cooking with the spices that we bought in Istanbul.  What I learned after the first bite is that spices purchased in Turkey are AMAZING compared with spices purchased in the United States.  The red pepper flakes and saffron did not disappoint AND we were able to use the oregano, bay leaves, and parsley from our balcony garden!

Food & Wine, once again, has given us a perfect recipe!

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 pounds tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
5 oregano sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 orange, in 1-inch-wide strips, plus finely grated zest, for garnish
5 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
1 cup arborio rice
Four 4-ounce skinless cod or halibut fillets
Chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and saffron and cook over moderate heat until the tomatoes just begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and season with salt and black pepper. Cook the sauce over moderately low heat, stirring and crushing the tomatoes with a spoon, until the sauce is thickened and the liquid is reduced, about 35 minutes. Discard the oregano.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, combine the orange zest strips, bay leaves, cloves, rice and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and cook until the rice is al dente, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain the rice, discarding the zest, bay leaves and cloves. Return the rice to the pot. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.

Nestle the cod in the tomato sauce and cook, turning the fillets once, until just opaque throughout, about 12 minutes.

Spoon the rice into bowls and top with the cod and sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and finely grated orange zest and serve.

Warm Scallop Salad with Mushrooms and Zucchini

Here's another Food & Wine favorite!  Perfect for a Sunday night dinner in the summertime.

INGREDIENTS

2 anchovies, minced
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1/4 inch thick
1/2 pound oyster mushrooms
16 large sea scallops
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small head of Boston lettuce, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 teaspoons chopped tarragon
Finely grated bottarga (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the anchovies with the lemon zest, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the zucchini, season with salt and cook over high heat until browned in spots; transfer to a large plate. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the mushrooms to the skillet; season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over moderate heat until starting to brown. Uncover and cook until tender and browned; transfer to the plate.

Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet until shimmering. Add the scallops and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom. Turn the scallops and cook for 1 minute longer; transfer to a small plate. Add the shallot to the pan and cook until softened. Add the wine and simmer, then stir in the zucchini and mushrooms and reheat. Swirl in the anchovy dressing, any scallop juices and the butter.

Arrange the lettuce on plates and top with the scallops and vegetables. Garnish with the chives, tarragon and bottarga and serve.

Memorial Day Weekend 2012

On Memorial Day Weekend, we were out in the bay area to celebrate Pat's graduation from Sacramento State and his 30th birthday party in San Francisco.  Fortunately, we also got to squeeze in a wine tasting day in Napa too!

Michael's good friend Schieffer hooked us up with wine tasting and gave us a very detailed tour of Keever Vineyards, where he currently works.

Schiffer knows a lot about wine... more than I ever wanted to know... haha!

But it was really cool to see how a small, family-owned winery makes its wine compared to a large-scale operation.

My childhood friend Jen and her husband Drew also joined us in Napa with their new bundle of joy, Miss Zelda!  She was just perfect and I couldn't not get enough of her chubby little cheeks!

The next day, we got to hang out with my other childhood friend Janelle and check out her awesome new apartment just steps away from Fisherman's Wharf.  It was such a gorgeous day walking around with her and boyfriend Greg after they had us over for a wonderful brunch at their swanky new pad.

Then we met Ming-Cee and Pat at the W Hotel for the celebration!  If you don't already know, Pat has a twin so it was double trouble as we celebrated both Pat and Matt's 30th birthday with siblings (and a cousin) with our significant others from both sides of the family (16 of us in total!).

Matt's wife did a great job organizing the dinner reservations and Ming-Cee did an awesome job organizing the hotel accommodations and the after party at the Wreck Room on Nob Hill.

Friends drove and flew in from all over California and we had a super fun evening.  And of course Eva, our oldest childhood friend, was there too!

We all had such a great time... complete with funny photos!

The rest of the weekend we recovered in Walnut Creek with mom and dad.  We cooked dinner one night and Michael played doubles tennis with daddy at one of his tennis clubs while mom and I went to the garden store and spruced up mom's balcony garden for summer.  And lastly, for those of you that live in DC, we saw a marionberry pie at Whole Foods!

It turns out that a marionberry is a variety of blackberry, but for those of you that don't know the notorious DC Councilman and former DC mayor, Marion Barry, you can read about his very interesting political career, crack cocaine scandal, and recent Asian American controversial comments on wikipedia.  He's a character.  Unfortunately, the marionberry pie is not sold in DC area Whole Foods Markets... we checked!

It was a fantastic trip with perfect weather and we wish we could have stayed a few more days.  There's always a part of us that misses the bay area, but especially in the summertime when we have to return home to high humidity and temperatures in the 90s in DC!

Ziti with Portobello Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese

This recipe is now in our new mid-week dinner rotation!  Quick and Easy... our favorite!  (From Food & Wine)

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 pound portobello mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved and then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
3/4 pound ziti
3 ounces soft goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

In a large frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are well browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan.

In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved onions, the parsley, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti until just done, about 13 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water and drain. Toss the ziti and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water with the mushroom mixture, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the goat cheese, and the Parmesan. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Personal note: We love our balcony in the late summer and early spring and sitting outside eating appetizers and drinking wine before sitting down for dinner.  The only way it could be more enjoyable is if I could create a force field that would keep out all the bugs without obscuring the view!  But until I figure that out, it's still pretty nice... until the summer heat comes to DC...

Istanbul: FOOD!

FINALLY!  The food post!  Sorry for the delay... May was a hectic month.  So of course you know we fell in love with the spice market and were overwhelmed with the variety!  We finally decided to purchase Iranian saffron, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, red chili flakes, turkish delights (pomegranate was our absolute favorite flavor), figs, and the best dried apricots I've ever tasted in my life (and if you know me, you know I'm addicted to dried fruits... so you know those apricots had to be amazing)!

And now about breakfast... you see the little cart in the street below?

These are simit vendors and they are everywhere... morning, noon and night.  For 1 TL (Turkish Lira) you get this Turkish bagel that tastes like a toasted sesame bagel with a bigger hole in the middle.  No cream cheese, no peanut butter... it's most delicious eaten plain while walking down the street.

Now the highlight of our first hotel in Taksim Square was the breakfast buffet.  This put American continental breakfasts to shame!  EVERYTHING was delicious: yogurt, 4 types of homemade jams, fresh bread, pastries (although not sweet pastries like I'm used to), turkey bacon (Michael appreciated the effort they made in this Muslim country), olives, cheeses, quince (my new favorite fruit!) and great dried apricots and figs that we stashed in my bag for snacks the entire week!  We must have devoured like $40 worth of dried apricots and figs that week... the figs were especially good.  


I must also mention the brunch at Yıldız Palace with a raw honeycomb sheet on the buffet table.  You just took the knife, sliced off a piece of honeycomb, and popped it in your mouth!  It was fabulous! 

Next we move on to appetizers.  Unfortunately from this point on, I don't remember most of the names of the dishes but I can guarantee that they were great if I took a photo of them.  I mean, fried meatballs with yogurt and tomato something-or-another??  How amazing does that look?  Mmmm...

This is a good segway to let you know that we updated our Istanbul google map to reflect "M+M Notes" that give our opinion of all the places we went to, most especially restaurants.

The bean dishes were always delish... cold or hot.

The Turkish really love their mezes and presentation seemed to be really important too!  Look at those little lids with the crescent moon lid tops... so cute!

Speaking of presentation, this was our most memorable waiter of the entire trip!

He even humored me by helping us take photos of the food!  All kidding aside though, the food was really good even though we were the only people at the restaurant.  Literally.

Did I mention the yogurt??  Amazing on everything!

Even on this sausage ravioli pasta dish that I recall being surprisingly light!

This isn't a great photo, but the grilled vegetables were out of this world!  If there's one thing Turkish know, it's how to cook over an open flame.  Perfection.

This was the restaurant we went to for Sania's birthday... I just loved how everything looked lit up... especially the bridge.

Maybe the best duck and poached pear I've ever had.

And MAYBE this would have been the best grilled fish intestines that I'd ever have... but we decided not to try it that night.

Instead, we got two of the fresh fish caught that day.  Since this restaurant was on the bridge right over the Bosphorus, and the fish were caught from the Bosphorus, it was a great experience and yummy too!  So easy to de-bone!!!

Now before I move on to desserts, I need to introduce you to Iskander Kabab with yogurt (of course).  We ordered this dish all the time!  In fancy restaurants like the one below:

And in hole-in-the-wall restaurants like below:

You couldn't go wrong... it was always a good choice!

And now for desserts.  You know Turkey is known for Turkish delights, baklava, and halva (well, you may not know about halva, but it's definitely more common than Katmer).  Katmer is pistachios and philo dough... always served warm... always delicious.

It's much thinner than baklava and you can really taste the pistachios, which is fitting because Turkey is very well known for its pistachios and hazelnuts!

This next dessert is also rather traditional and tastes like shredded wheat in sweet milk.  It wasn't bad even though it doesn't look like much.

On the contrary, here's a traditional pudding with sour cherry sauce... with tulip!  LOVE sour cherry!  I just don't understand why it's not more popular in the US.

OOOOOH.... and the ice cream!  Could not get enough of the ice cream!!!

And the chocolate pudding from Mado's (only the location on Istiklal Avenue) was addicting!  Sania and I tried another Mado's up in Ortakoy and it tasted like a jello pudding pack!  Can you believe it??? You can imagine my rage after my first bite.  Still upset about that.

All desserts pair well with Turkish tea!  (Beware, the little bowls with the cookie and the crunchy things are savory... not sweet!  I was not a fan.  Michael rather liked savory cookies.)

But if you'd rather drink beer, it was really simple!  You could choose from two: Efes and Efes Light.  Sometimes the menu only said "beer" and you knew exactly what beer you were getting... the national beer of Istanbul!

The national liquor of Istanbul is Raki, an anise-flavored spirit that tastes like licorice.  It was a little intense for me, so Michael had the hard task of tasting different brands every night so we could pick the best one to take home as a souvenir.  (Spoiler Alert: All the brands pretty much taste the same so we bought the cheapest).

As you can see, here's our raki bottle, our pomegranate turkish delights, and Michael's favorite candy bar in Istanbul: tadelle!  It was dark chocolate and hazelnuts.  That's pretty much always a recipe for success.

And that concludes our food post and our Istanbul trip posts.  This was such an amazing trip, but now back to our regular programming... mainly the backlog of recipes that I have to post!  Cheers!