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When I had just launched my blog a little more than 4 months ago, I didn’t know I would soon be receiving emails from around the world from people who at one point in their lives happened to be in Azerbaijan, whether for work or for travel. Some share their stories about the country, some write about their experience with local foods. Some request recipes for the dishes they loved the most. I love reading such emails!

One of such wonderful letters came from Kathy, a mom to an adoptive son from Azerbaijan. When her family visited Baku to complete their son’s adoption, Kathy recalls being treated to dolma and a mimosa salad she loved. In her email to me, Kathy was asking if I was familiar with that salad. And sure enough I was. Not because I am a genius:) but because it is a pretty popular salad in Azerbaijan. So finally, here is the recipe. My cousin’s wife Saida, with whom we share a passion for cooking, sent me her version of the salad, which I tried and loved! Cokh sagh ol (thank you), Saida!

About the recipe. Mimosa Salad is a layered salad. One of the many layered salads we make in Azerbaijan using a great variety of ingredients. This one is probably the most common and is served in many local restaurants and cafes in Baku, the capital. It tastes as delicious as its presentation is beautiful. Once done, Mimosa Salad really looks like a festive cake. Shh, dont’ tell you guests it isn’t. Let them be pleasantly surprised:)

I would like to dedicate this recipe to all the people who adopted children from Azerbaijani orphanages. And those who are in the process of adopting. I admire you not only for giving loving and caring homes to the little kids but also for doing everything possible to keep them connected with their Azerbaijani roots. I hope I can contribute to this connection at least a tiny-tiny bit with the food I share with you on my blog.

MIMOSA SALAD

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1-hour refrigeration
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 6 to 10

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (450 g) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt, for boiling
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
3 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled
2 eggs, boiled and peeled
3 medium carrots, boiled, and peeled
salt, to taste

For Dressing
6 tablespoons sour cream mixed with 6 tablespoons light mayonnaise – use about 2 tablespoons each time dressing is called for. Use more for a moister salad. Note: You can also use creamy plain yogurt for the dressing (it shouldn’t be sour). Alternatively, use sour cream or mayonnaise only. If using mayonnaise only, be extra careful not to oversalt your salad since mayo is pretty salty by itself.

To Garnish
gouda cheese (In Azerbaijan: Holland Pendiri), shredded

1. Place the chicken in a pot with about four cups of water. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Drain and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into thin strips using knife or tear it into small pieces using your hands.

2. Grate boiled and peeled potato, carrots, and eggs on a coarse side of a box grater.

3. On a round serving plate, EVENLY layer the ingredients in the following order (do not mix!)

half the chicken
dressing
half the walnuts
half the potato
salt
dressing
half the eggs
salt
half the carrots
dressing

Repeat in the same order with the remaining ingredients, finishing with carrots.

4. Spread some dressing on top and around the sides of the salad to give it a cake-looking appearance. Top the salad with some shredded Gouda Cheese. I used fresh pomegranate seeds. Just use your imagination and you’ll have a fabulous cake, oops, a salad at the end!

And as we say in Azerbaijan – Nush Olsun! (read: noosh olsoon)

I can’t believe time has come to post the May Daring Bakers challenge! I feel like it was only a week ago, ok, two, that we devoured our Cheesecake Pops and here it comes again – another fabulous challenge. This month’s challenge is being hosted by the founders of the Daring Bakers group, Lis of La Mia Cucina Lis & Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice and they chose Opera Cake for us to bake. Ladies, thank you for the pick!

Let me tell you. It WAS a challenge. The cake was not difficult to bake, but I found the waiting times to chill/freeze and etc quite time consuming and they didn’t really fit into my super busy schedule. But then again, it is a challenge, and I am a daring baker, so no complaining, Farida:)

Some of the things I experienced/changed/used in the recipe along the way.

1. I made my own almond meal.

2. The layers took 15 minutes each to bake, as opposed to 5-9 minutes the recipe suggested. Plus, the layers seemed way to thin to me. They didn’t rise a bit. And were they supposed too? The recipe doesn’t mention it.

3. As a flavoring for the syrup I used honey – 1 tablespoon of it. I don’t think it added much flavor to the sponge. I think coffee could have done a better job.

4. As a flavoring for the butter-cream I used orange – peeled zest of 1 orange. Again, not a great idea. Didn’t go well with the overall taste of the cake. I also sprinkled the buttercream with halved fresh cherries for a fresh summery taste. Wasn’t that bad of an idea.

5. Also, I didn’t quite like the idea of using white chocolate for the glaze. I am not a big fan of white chocolate and I think it made the cake too rich. The amount of glaze could have been reduced.

6. I just don’t think my cake looked very pretty. My picture says it all, doesn’t it. In fact, I think my coffee cup and my antique teaspoon I brought from Azerbaijan look prettier:) When I was making the cake, I really expected the result to be something out of this world. But it didn’t happen. I am really wondering what might have gone wrong. I did a search on google to see how opera cakes look (not daring bakers’) and wow, was I impressed! Most looked beautiful, with thicker butter-cream layers and sponges, and with perfect dark chocolate glaze!

7. I made this cake for my daughter’s B-day party and the guests loved it. I kind of liked the taste too, but not too much. I am assuming my choice for the flavorings was not quite good. But even with that, it just didn’t look quite appealing to me. Am I being picky here?

My Verdict: The cake is delicious but not super delicious. This is my personal opinion. Don’t trust me though, I am picky:) If you are going to make it keep in mind its preparation requires dedication, lots of time and patience. And I would suggest you make the best of your imagination for the flavorings. Dark chocolate would go better for the glaze. In spite of all the challenge along the way, I still had fun making the cake. Thank you Lis and Ivonne for the challenge! If you would like to see Opera Cakes my fellow daring bakers made, please check them out at the Daring Bakers blog. There are hundreds of opera cakes singing Eat Me Eat Me (I wish I could) posted on blogs around the world today! Enjoy!

Opéra Cake

This recipe is based on Opéra Cake recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.

The Elements of an Opéra Cake:

Joconde: The base of an Opéra Cake is a thin sponge cake that is made using nut meal, traditionally almond meal (finely ground blanched almonds).

Syrup: The joconde is flavoured with a sugar syrup that can be flavoured to suit your tastes.

Buttercream: The first two layers of the joconde are covered in a rich buttercream. This particular buttercream is made with a syrup, eggs and butter.

Ganache/Mousse (optional): In some recipes, the final layer of the joconde is covered in a ganache or mousse. While not hard to make, this makes the recipe quite involved. We are giving Daring Bakers the option of either using the buttercream to cover the final layer or, if they’re feeling up to it, to go ahead and make the ganache/mousse.

Glaze: The final step to an Opéra Cake is the glaze that gives the cake a very finished and elegant appearance.

For the joconde

(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:

•2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)
•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
•parchment paper
•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.)

1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream

Ingredients:

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) water
seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your buttercream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured buttercream, then by all means leave it out!)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)

1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C). Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse
Ingredients:

7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.
4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.
6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze
(Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

Ingredients:

14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.
2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

My friend Georgina of Culinary Travels Of A Kitchen Goddess is spoiling me. She awarded me not with one, but two awards in a row! Thank you, George! You brought a big smile to my face!

The first award is the “Yummy Blog Award” which is given to blogs with the most yummy recipes/photos. I am honored, considering that I’ve only been blogging for four months. Georgina, see the blush on my cheeks:)

As a part of this award I have to list 5 of my favorite desserts I prepared, and they are:

• Zebra Cake
• Prunes Dipped in Chocolate
• Easy Baklava
• Cheese and Yogurt Cake with Lemon Zest
• Zesty Fiesta Chocolate Fridge Cake

I have the pleasure to pass the Yummy Blog Award on to the following food bloggers I find yummy:

Margot at Coffee and Vanilla

Gloria at Canela’s Kitchen

Mimi at Mimi on the Move

The second award Georgina kindly bestowed upon me is the Thoughtful Blogger Award.

And I am passing it on to a very special blogger I met recently – Ayten at Sheki, Azerbaijan.

Sheki is one of the most beautiful cities in Azerbaijan. Ayten, who created the blog is doing such a great job – her writing is beautiful, her pictures tell the most interesting stories about this ancient city. Please take a moment to visit Ayten’s blog. Who knows, she may inspire you to get tickets, jump on a plane and visit Azerbaijan:)) By the way, the food is fantastic in Sheki!

In Azeri: TEBRIK EDIREM!
In English: CONGRATULATIONS!

When my friend Marysol of Memories In the Baking commented on my Cheese and Yogurt Cake with Lemon Zest quoting David Lebovitz : “there are two kinds of people in this world, the lemon people and the chocolate people ” I was about to jump with joy because I had made something that had both the chocolate and lemon a few days earlier. What a coincidence) Marysol, I am dedicating this recipe to you since as you say you are “an active member of the both” kinds:) and of course, to all the chocolate and citrus lovers in the world!

This is my entry to the Beauty & the Beast Challenge the most talented Diva of Sugar Bar created. If you haven’t submitted your recipe yet, please do so, or else I will grab the first prize for which I am shooting with my zesty creation:)

Let me tell you a little bit about the contest. What we have to do is pick up a beauty product that has either a name that is food-related or has food-related ingredients. Then create a dish inspired by the product. Isn’t it a fun challenge! It didn’t take me too long to find the right product since there are not too many beauty related items in my possession. I quickly ran my eyes over whatever I had searching for some interesting ingredients that would scream at me until this hand lotion reading Lemon – Lime – Orange caugt my attention. That was it! It was amost a recipe by itself! There were so many ways I could use the three ingredients.

Soon all sorts of ideas came flowing to my mind and my brain faced a difficult task of sorting them out, crossing out the ones not quite appealing, and picking the winning idea which was combining chocolate with citrus! I made chocolate fridge cake with zesty and nutty filling. Sadly, fridge cake is not my invention. The general technique of making it is not mine either. But fridge cake with lemon-lime-orange-nuts-dried fruits filling is mine:) And I came up with a fancy name for it too:)

Below is the creation I whipped up to share with you. I loved the result – nuts added a nice crunchy feel, dried fruits chewiness and citrus zest a tangy taste. It is a pretty easy dessert to fix. Plus you can experiment with different kinds of nuts and dried fruits. Note that this is a not a light dessert – it is pretty rich, so be careful not to give in to the temptation to finish the whole thing in one bite! I won’t blame you if you do – this cake is sinfully delicious! Enjoy!

POST NOTE: Ok, I just won the 1st Prize I was shooting for:)) Congratulations to all the winners and those who didn’t win because all the dishes submitted are lovely looking! Check them out! Diva, thank you for the challenge!

ZESTY FIESTA CHOCOLATE FRIDGE CAKE

Serves a party of 8-12

INGREDIENTS

20 crackers (about 150g / 5 oz) (NOTE: You can use any crackers/cookies of any flavor as long as they are hard. Some ideas: graham crackers, amaretti cookies, Arrowhead Biscuits etc.
1/2 cup almonds, halved
6 large prunes, quartered or coarsely chopped
6 dried apricots, quartered or coarsely chopped
grated zest of 1 medium lemon
grated zest of 1 small lime
grated zest of 1 medium orange
12 oz (340 g) bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Prepare a container which will be the mold for your cake. I used a 9 (23 cm) X 5 inch (13 cm) loaf pan. Line it with plastic wrap, making sure there is extra to fold over the edges and cover the chocolate before it goes in the fridge. Using plastic wrap will make it easier to remove the hardened cake from the container.

2. Break the cookies/biscuits into small pieces in a medium mixing bowl. Add almonds, prunes, apricots, and grated zest of lemon, lime and orange. Mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the chocolate, butter and maple syrup. To melt the mixture use either of the following methods (I used method 1). Method 1: Microwave the mixture until it melts. Stir several times during the process. Method 2: In a medium pot boil some water. Place the bowl with chocolate over the pot with water and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter have melted and the ingredients are well blended.

4. Add the melted chocolate into the bowl with cookie mixture and mix well. Pour the batter into the
prepared container. Pack down and cover with plastic wrap.

5. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or until firm. Refrigerating will also allow the flavors to develop. To serve, remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes ahead of time (this will make the cake softer and it is how it should be eaten) and unmold onto a serving plate. Cut into chunky slices. You can store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge to serve later.

Nush Olsun! Bon Appetit! Enjoy!

And here’s the product that inspired me. Hand Lotion with Lemon, Lime and Orange.

Diva, thank you for such a unique challenge! I had a lot of fun!

The other day I was going through my old notebook recipe collection and this recipe caught my attention. I had all the ingredients available so I decided to give it a try for the first time since the recipe found its way into my precious collection almost two decades ago. I don’t even remember where I got it from. The poor thing was called Piroq, which in Russian means Pie, so I had to brand it with some type of fancy name to make it sound appealing and attractive. And this is how the cake got its new name – Cheese and Yogurt Cake with Lemon Zest. Is it fancy enough?:)

The recipe did not call for any baking powder or soda, which I found bizarre. But I still decided to stick to the original and I am glad I did. My cake turned out beautifully. It didn’t rise much but I still loved its soft and moist texture. Tasted and looked almost like cheesecake. Then this idea about no baking powder started to bug me and two days after we devoured the fist cake, I knew I had to make another one (since I am a Daring Baker), this time using what I thought was the missing ingredient – baking powder. I also used 4 eggs instead of 5 and added more flour. Result? My cake did not rise a bit, and was more dense and heavier in texture than the previous one. A lesson taught. I am now sticking to my good old recipe I have a pleasure of sharing with you.

Note: Per Deeba’s suggestion (thank you, Deeba!), I am submitting this recipe to the Sugar High Friday, a monthly event created by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess. This month’s theme is Citrus and the event is being hosted by Helen of Tartelette.

CHEESE AND YOGURT CAKE WITH LEMON ZEST

Ingredients

1/2 pound (250 g) unsalted white cheese (I used part skim milk cheese. If you are in Azerbaijan, use kesmik/tvoroq)
1/2 cup (4 oz/113 g) butter, melted
5 eggs, at room temperature
a pinch of vanilla powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
coarsely grated zest of one lemon
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).

2. In a large mixing bowl, coarsely crumble (break up into small pieces) cheese using your hands. Add butter, eggs, vanilla powder and flour. Using a mixer, beat at medium speed until well blended. It should take you only a minute or less.

3. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and yogurt and beat with a mixer until well blended. Add lemon zest and mix.

4. Gradually add the yogurt mixture (step 3) to the cheese mixture (step 2) and mix. The batter will be quite thin, and this is how it should be.

5. Lightly coat a 8 1/2 (21 cm) x 4 1/2-inch (11 cm) loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan and place the pan on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden on top and spongy when lightly pressed, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. You will notice the cake will only rise a little – this is normal. Remove the cake from the oven. Allow to cool in the pan, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before serving. Dust the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar and sprinkle with lemon zest, if desired. Enjoy your cake with a cup of hot tea!

A couple of days ago I received three more awards (actually 2, I am in the process of claiming the third one) from my fellow foodies. They made my day but I am also incredibly humbled and flattered. And before I get all nervous and forget, here’s my 30 second thank you speech: I would like to take this opportunity and thank all of you for taking the time to visit my blog, to try my recipes and to leave comments. Thank you for your support and friendship. It means a lot to me and… End of my Oscar speech:)) Sad. I could say so much more.

Back to my awards. The lovely Gretchen of Canela & Comino honored me with a Blogging With a Purpose Award. Thank you so much, Gretchen! I will cherish it!

I am pleased to pass this award to some of my favorite food blogs. Check them out!

1. Marija at Palachinka - for sharing the best of Serbian/Balkan cuisine with us.

2. Maryann at Finding La Dolce Vita – for sharing traditional Italian recipes with us.

3. Kay at Cooking From A To Z – for sharing the best of Indian cooking and beyond.

4. Amy and Jonathan at We Are Never Full - for their interesting stories and recipes from around the world.

5. Erik at My Life As Chef Erik – for sharing his delicious and healthy recipes.

And this is not all. My dear friend Amy of Familia Bencomo gave me this cutest sweetest award I just loved! Thank you, Amy! I love you back!:)

And this award goes to the following bloggers I can’t stop admiring for their creativity, talent and enthusiasm.

1. Susan at Food Blogga - delicious recipes and wow, what a stunning phogtography!

2. Julia at Dozen Flours – for the most delicious desserts to satisfy the most demanding sweet tooth!

3. Diva at The Sugar Bar - if you haven’t checked out Diva’s Beauty and The Feast Challenge, you are missing out on a lot. It promises to be a lot of fun!

Another news. Looks like I have a competitor in the kitchen. Guess who? My daughter Meltem, who just received her first blogging award (hey, who is blogging here?). My dear friend Medena of Cafe Chocolada awarded Meltem with Arteypico Award for being “the cutest chef in the world“!

Thank you, Medena. Meltem is very happy and she now proudly displays the award in her room. Thank you for making her day! I am jealous but proud:)) And now with Meltem’s permission I would like to award the following bloggers with the Arteypico award. Please check out their blogs -you won’t regret.

1. Helen at Food Stories

2. Nina at Nina’s Kitchen

3. Eva at Tea For One

4. Mag at Hommus & Tabbouli

5. Patricia at Technicolor Kitchen

The Arteypico award comes with these rules:

I know, you are probably saying – Liver? Nah, thank you, I’ll pass it. But wait! Make no mistake – this is not just liver. This is delicious and fancy roulade of liver pate, my favorite appetizer. A very presentable starter that is guaranteed to impress your palate and …well, your guests, too. Azerbaijanis love liver pate. It is a popular starter that frequents the tables at wedding parties and other special celebrations. Always a hit.

So, if unlike me you are not friends with liver, you will convert:) at your first attempt to make this appetizer. I know you are already heading to the kitchen: ) So, without much ado, here is the recipe. Note that this is enough to feed a party of about 15. Reduce the ingredients accordingly if you want a smaller roulade. Enjoy!

LIVER PÂTÉ ROULADE / Jiyer Pashteti

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours refrigeration
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes 14 inches (35 cm) long roulade

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs (about 1 kg) beef or lamb liver
3 tablespoons oil or butter, for frying
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, boiled and peeled
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2/3 cups (6 oz/ 170g) unsalted butter, softened

NOTE: You can prepare pâté with chicken livers, too, in equal quantity. Just trim the livers and cook as directed in the recipe. Note that chicken livers usually cook faster than beef or lamb liver.

1. Clean the liver by removing the membrane if any. Cut into medium sized pieces.

2. In a medium saucepan, put about 6 cups water. Add liver and bring to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, skim off the froth that will rise to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20 minutes or until the liver is cooked. Check to see if it is ready by piercing with a knife or fork. Juices should run clear when the liver is cooked. Drain, then puree the liver in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

3. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until brown. Remove from heat and puree in a food processor until smooth. Set aside. In a food processor, separately puree the carrots.

4. Place the pureed liver, onion, carrot, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until very smooth. Or, using a potato masher, blend the ingredients together until you obtain a creamy mixture. Adjust seasoning to taste.

5. Place the mixture in batches on a parchment paper (do not use foil paper!) and spread using a large knife, until you obtain a layer about 1/4 inches (0.6cm) thick, 14 inches (35cm) long and 10 inches (25cm) wide. Using a knife, spread butter evenly over the liver mixture.

6. Lifting the parchment paper, slowly roll up the spread to form a roulade. Tightly wrap the parchment paper around the roulade.

7. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. When ready to serve, remove parchment paper and slice the roulade into circles (neither too thick not too thin). Serve plain or with bread or crackers.

Nush Olsun! – Enjoy!

And here’s one interesting Azerbaijani proverb:

A house without a guest is like a mill without water (Qonaqsiz ev susuz deyirman kimidir).

So, be my guests today, dear friends!

Meltem (almost 5) making her own cupcakes from her Cupcake Book. She inspired the name for my tag.

Recently I’ve been noticing more and more tags going around the blogosphere and I thought it would be cool to create one of my own. Anna at Anna’s Kitchen Table, who created this wonderful tag called Top Ten Pics inspired me. I wanted something that would be benefitial to the food blogging community. So I came up with this idea for Look What I Made! Maybe something like this already exists, I don’t know, but I am happy to share my idea with you anyway:)

My friend Diva of The Sugar Bar who instantly approved of it says she “can’t wait to see this tag floating about the blogosphere.” Diva, thank you for your encouraging words. The idea was born a week ago but lazy (actually, super busy ) Farida was postponing telling the world about it for no obvious reason. Until.. a lovely food blogger and my wordpress theme buddy Amy at Eggs on Sunday published a very interesting post where she wrote about her never-ending ‘To Cook” list of recipes she found on other blogs, web site, magazines and cookbooks. Amy wants to try all of the recipes she has collected. And she actually listed some of the dishes she has prepared from the list so far. Amy’s post prompted me to finally launch my tag:)

We all leave comments on each other’s blogs, drool over mouthwatering pictures, print out the recipes and file them somewhere to cook/bake later. But at some point we do make some of those recipes, don’t we? And I thought it would be great to share with others what we cook from other foodies’ blogs.

This is a great opportunity to give kudos to the fellow foodies whose recipes we used and inspire them to post more of their yummies. A way to say thank you for what they do. I also think this tag will help us discover some interesting recipes and blogs out there. There are a lot of delicious recipes hidden somewhere in the archives, and this tag may actually give them another chance to shine:)

When I want to take a break from testing recipes for my own cookbook, I turn to my foodie colleagues for inspiration and for some great meal ideas and recipes. I have a “TO COOK” folder with a huge amount of printouts from other blogs. As soon as I finish my own cookbook, the number will increase for sure:)) In the meantime, here are 5 of the recipes I have tried so far. I encourage you to make them too. They are simply great. I wish I could list more because I did cook/bake more but the rules allow for only 5 at a time and I’ll stick to the rule:) I’ll confess – for the 4 months of my blogging activity I’ve tried about 15 recipes from other food blogs. I think it is still good considering my time constraints. Most of the recipes I’ve tried so far quickly became keepers.

So here they come, the first lucky 5. This time mostly baked goodies. I’ll save more recipes for next time somebody tags me back:)

1. Corn Bread with Cheese from Cafe Chocolada - Medena’s doesn’t stop amazing me with her wonderful recipes. She is an artist in the kitchen. You’ll know what I am talking about as soon as you visit her blog. This corn bread was simply yummy. Note that the 16 spoons of flour the recipe calls for is 1 cup. I also added some spinach fried with onion to the batter and it turned out nicely. Great recipe! Thank you Medena!

2. Pumpkin Yeast Rolls from Erin Cooks - As soon as I saw these yellow rolls I knew I had to make them. Erin’s blog is one of my favorites and she posts great recipes all the time. My changes: The recipe calls for canned pumkin. I used fresh butternut squash. I cut it into wedges and baked it in the oven, then mashed and added to the dough. I also added a little more sugar for extra sweetness. Instead of using a muffin pan, I simply shaped my rolls and baked them on a regular baking sheet. This recipe is a Keeper! thank you, Erin!

3. Chicken and Wild Garlic Squares from Palachinka – Marija is a true inspiration. A very talented and creative cook. I really want to make everything she has on her blog! These pastry squares were a hit at home. The only change I made was I used chives instead of garlic leaves. Everybody in the family loved it! Thank you, Marija!

4. Prune and Nut Bread from Sunita’s World – If you want a healthy snack, go for this recipe (Allen, are you reading this?:) . The only change I made was I used walnuts instead of cashew nuts. My bread baked beautifully and was moist. But I noticed Sunita’s bread was darker inside than mine – I liked hers better. I am blaming my sugar for that – was not dark enough:)) Great recipe! Thank you, Sunita.

5. Paneer from Eating Out Loud- Allen is a gifted guy. Cooking, pottery, making soap, sewing, crocheting, writing poetry – Allen does it all:) I used his Paneer recipe when I had some milk sitting in my fridge but no cheese at all. As a souring agent I used plain yogurt and it added nicely to the overall taste. I also added salt before I left the cheese to harden. Follow Allen’s advice – use whole milk! I used reduced fat milk and I only had a little cheese at the end:) It tasted great nonetheless but, alas, it disappeared quickly. Thank you, Allen!

ENJOY!

And I am tagging the following 5 bloggers to tell us what they made from other blogs!

1. Amy at Familia Bencomo

2. George at Culinary Travels Of A Kitchen Goddess

3. Brilynn at Jumbo Embanadas

4. Erin at Erin Cooks

5. Allen at Eating Out Loud

HERE ARE THE RULES to LOOK WHAT I MADE! (you can copy paste in your blog)

1. List the names of 2-5 recipes you tried from other blogs. Provide a direct link to the recipe. If not available, give the blog link and let the reader search for the recipe by name.

2. Shortly describe your experience with the recipe.

3. Tag 3-5 other bloggers or the authors of the recipes you listed to post the links to the recipes they have tried from other bloggers. Note: If you are new to the blogging world and haven’t had a chance to try any recipes form your fellow foodies, just pass the tag on to someone else.

4. Notify the tagged bloggers about the tag either by leaving a comment on their blogs or by emailing them.

I received another sweet award. This time from my dear foodie friend George at Culinary Travels Of A Kitchen Goddess who surprised me with the You Make My Day award! George, it is you who made my day:)) and I am flattered as much as I am thrilled. Thank you!

I am pleased to pass this award to the following wonderful bloggers I visit often and enjoy. Please take a moment to visit them too! They are all AMAZING!

1. Medena at Cafe Chocolada

2. Susan at Wild Yeast

3. Diva at The Sugar Bar

4. Marie at Proud Italian Cook

5. Nicola at Cherrapeno