The galaxy of sweets in Armenian cuisine is a wonder to behold, and, as M.F.K. Fisher noted in remarking on Turkish desserts in particular, they are virulent. That means, no holding back on the sugar as one after another dulcet delight is assembled to end the meal. This chapter contains a selection that comes out of my childhood memory and my recent imagination, all spun together in an appreciation of the Armenian sweet tooth combined with my love of fruit.
Makes sixteen to eighteen 1½-inch pieces
Baklava, or paklava, is one of those few dishes, like pizza or ice cream, that has become “owned” by the whole world. When I was young, my grandmother, Victoria Jenanyan, would begin cooking for family occasions early in the morning, making the dough and rolling it out on the dining room table with a broomstick handle into transparent sheets of fillo for the baklava. It was an awesome sight to see her well-toned arms and deft hands, so in rhythm with the rolling, turning out the most tender fillo sheets imaginable. These days, I bow to her as I purchase ready-made fillo and carry on the tradition of making baklava at home.
Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1 cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Filling
2 cups walnuts, finely chopped but not pulverized
½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
24 sheets (½ pound) fillo dough
To make the syrup, combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer briskly until thickened and reduced, about 12 minutes. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use. (The syrup should be at room temperature and still pourable when ready to use; if cooled too much, reheat slightly.)
To make the filling, in a bowl, mix together the walnuts, cinnamon, and sugar. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9 × 13-inch deep baking dish with some of the butter.
To make the baklava, place a layer of fillo in the bottom of the dish, cover with another layer, and brush the top with butter. Add another layer (2 sheets), brushing the top with butter, and then another layer, brushing the top with butter, until you have a stack 6 sheets high. Spread one-third of the filling evenly over the fillo. Layer and butter another 6 sheets in the same way. Spread another third of the filling over it. Layer and butter another 6 sheets in the same way and spread with the final third of the filling, so that you wind up with three nut layers. Top the final nut layer with the remaining 6 fillo sheets, buttering every other one as above. Finally, brush the top layer of fillo with butter.
With a sharp knife, cut through all the layers down to the bottom of the dish, making 16 to 18 diamond or 1½-inch square sections. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Pour the remaining butter across the top and continue baking until pale golden and crispy, about 25 minutes. Remove and set aside for 5 minutes, until no longer sizzling.
While still warm, tilt the pan and pour off the excess butter. Pour the syrup in between the cuts and around the edges of the sections, taking care to avoid the top or else it will get soggy. Set aside at room temperature until completely cool.
To serve, lift out the pieces as outlined. Serve right away or cover and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
In place of the walnuts, use 2 cups pistachios or a mix of 1 cup walnuts and 1 cup blanched almonds.
In place of lemon juice in the syrup, use freshly squeezed orange or tangerine juice.
In addition to the lemon juice in the syrup, add a few drops of orange flower water or rose water.
My grandmother, Victoria Jenanyan, looking as staunch as she was.
Serves 12
Also called kadeyef or kadayif, this sweet pastry is made with finely shredded fillo. You can find it in Middle Eastern markets or, sometimes, in large supermarkets. If you can’t find it, you can cut the more available sheet fillo into very thin, less than 
-inch-wide, strips.
Filling
1 pound fresh, unsalted cheese, such as Homemade Fresh Cheese (page 48) or farmer’s cheese
2 tablespoons half-and-half cream (if using homemade cheese)
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup pitted dates, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped orange zest
2 tablespoons sugar
Syrup
½ cup flower-scented honey
½ cup sugar
¼ cup Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
1 pound shredded fillo
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
To make the filling, mix together the cheese, half-and-half, if using homemade cheese, egg, dates, zest, and sugar. Set aside.
To make the syrup, combine the honey, sugar, and liqueur in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir to mix and boil for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spread out the shredded fillo on a counter and pull the strands apart with your fingers to separate them somewhat. Place half the strands in an 8 × 10-inch baking dish and toss with half the butter. Press down firmly to make an even crust. Spread the filling over the top. Add the remaining half of the fillo strands and pour the remaining butter over the top. Press down again to flatten and compact the layers. Place in the oven and bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Pour the syrup over the pastry. Let stand for at least 15 minutes, up to several hours, for the syrup to be absorbed. Will keep at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 3 days.
To serve, cut into approximately 2 × 3-inch squares.
VARIATIONS FOR KADAIF
Right after pouring on the syrup, sprinkle finely chopped pistachio nuts over the top.
Instead of the cheese and date filling, use the nut filling for baklava, (page 264) or one of its variations (page 266).
Makes 30 cookies
My mother always made a version of these Armenian shortbread cookies for Christmas. She called them “dream bars” and made dozens upon dozens so that we could have our fill, with plenty more to give to the neighbors and shopkeepers for holiday treats. Kurabia remain the cookie of my dreams, and I offer a basic recipe, with a filling, which my mother didn’t use, and many variations because they are so adaptable to the whim of the cook.
Filling
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons raw sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg white, beaten (see Recipe Notes, page 271)
Cookies
½ cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature (see Recipe Notes, page 271)
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
¾ cup superfine sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
To make the filling, combine the walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir in the egg white and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the shortening, butter, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the flour and beat until thoroughly mixed (dough will appear crumbly).
Gather up the dough and press it into a smooth ball. Pinch off walnut-size pieces of the dough and roll each between the palms of your hands. Set the balls on ungreased baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Make an indentation in the top of each ball and fill with about ½ teaspoon of the filling. Bake for 25 minutes, until set but still soft. (Don’t overcook; cookies should not brown.) Remove and let cool completely on the baking sheets before serving. The cookies are best if left to rest overnight; they will keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.
VARIATIONS FOR KURABIA
Kurabia invite imaginative variations. Here are some of the best.
Add 1 tablespoon whiskey or brandy, 1 teaspoon almond extract, or ½ teaspoon orange flower water or rose water to the dough.
Add 1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest to the dough.
Instead of walnuts, use almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, or hazelnuts for the filling.
Instead of using the filling, incorporate the chopped nuts into the dough.
After filling, pinch the cookies into an egg shape, enclosing the filling. These are called Easter kurabia.
Add 1 teaspoon almond extract to the dough and instead of the filling, press a whole blanched almond in the center of each cookie.
Sift confectioners’ sugar over the cookies after baking, while they are still warm.
RECIPE NOTES
Kurabia are sometimes made with all shortening, sometimes with all butter, sometimes with half shortening and half butter. The latter is what I prefer because the shortening helps make the cookies tender without being too rich; they are supposed to be delicate. I strongly recommend an organic shortening with no palm or coconut oil or trans fats, available in health food stores.
For tenderness, also, use superfine sugar, which melts down more readily as the cookies bake at moderate heat.
The egg white may be beaten in a blender or mini food processor. It won’t form high peaks, but it will thicken and stiffen enough to do the job of binding the filling.
Makes one 10-inch pie and about 10 “extra cookies”
Whenever my mother made a pie, she always rolled out the leftover dough a second time and cut it into cookies to subdue the children while we waited for the pie to be done and the dinner to get to the dessert stage. I learned this trick from her and have never tossed out those little scraps of dough. The pine nut crust dough is especially amenable to easy re-rolling without cracking or becoming tough.
Pine Nut Crust
½ cup pine nuts
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold butter, cut up
4 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (see page 271), cut up
4 tablespoons water
Filling
5 ripe yellow peaches, preferably freestone for ease of pitting, peeled and halved (see page 288)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ pound red cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon raw sugar
To make the crust, pulverize the pine nuts in a food processor. Add the flour and salt and pulse 3 times to mix. Add the butter, shortening, and water and pulse until the mixture can be gathered into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, press to smooth into a thick disc, and chill for 30 minutes. Use right away or let chill longer, removing from the refrigerator 20 minutes before rolling out.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 10- to 11-inch pie pan with the dough.
Prick the crust across the bottom with a fork and place in the oven. Pre-bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
Slice the peaches ¼ to ½ inch thick and toss with the sugar and lemon juice. Arrange in the pie shell, along with the cherries, and sprinkle the raw sugar over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is dark golden and crisp. Let cool enough to handle, then slice and serve.
PINE NUT COOKIES
To make the dough into cookies, gather up the trim from lining the pie pan (or make a batch just for cookies) and roll it out about ¼ inch thick. Cut into 3-inch rounds or any other desired shape. Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar and place the cookies on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 9 to 10 minutes, until golden and crisp.
Makes one 9-inch cake
Yogurt cake, a staple of Armenian and pan-Mediterranean desserts, is sometimes served with just a dusting of powdered sugar or, more extravagantly, doused in a honey or sugar syrup. Here is an ultimate version for those, like me, whose teeth sometimes “itch” for extra sweetness. The cake itself is a “piece of cake” to make. So is the syrup, which lends itself to aromatic variations (see pages 275–276).
Cake
Butter for greasing the bundt pan
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 cup yogurt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Lemon Mint Syrup
1 cup sugar
¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup water
3 sprigs mint
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch bundt or tube pan.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the yogurt, then the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Beat in the lemon juice. Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the bowl and beat until well mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden on top, pulling away from the edges, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool until no longer hot, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the cake bakes and cools, make the syrup. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, stir to mix and dissolve the sugar a bit, and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk boil without overflowing the pan and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove the mint sprigs and set the syrup aside until cooled to warm.
When the cake and syrup are cool, loosen the cake around the edge and center tube of the pan with a knife. Leaving the cake in the pan, pour one-third of the syrup over the cake and let sit for 10 minutes for the syrup to soak in. Repeat twice more, with another third of the syrup each time. The final time, set the cake aside at room temperature to soak in the syrup for at least 1 hour, or up to several hours.
To serve, invert the cake onto a platter (pry it loose with a kitchen knife, if necessary). Slice, and serve.
FLAVORING VARIATIONS FOR LEMON YOGURT CAKE
Like the pound or sponge cakes that are more familiar to European and American cooks, lemon yogurt cake can be considered a base for many kinds of embellishments. Besides the lemon mint syrup, here are some ways to dress the cake in style.
For the syrup, instead of lemon and mint, vary the syrup flavorings with: orange flower water and some orange zest; rose water and a garnish of garden rose petals, preferably red roses; a tablespoon or so of good Scotch or bourbon.
Instead of the lemon mint syrup, use the syrup from Sun-dried Apricots in Almond-scented Syrup (page 281).
Instead of any syrup at all, garnish the cake with fresh blackberries, strawberries or raspberries, or a mix of them and a little Sweetened Yogurt Cheese (page 297).
Instead of soaking the cake in syrup, sift confectioners’ sugar over the top and sprinkle with shaved bittersweet chocolate while the cake is still warm.
Makes one 10-inch bundt cake
I use a bundt pan for this Caucasian-style nut cake because the cake has more surface to soak up the syrup. The raw sugar adds a pleasing, and unusual, crunch.
Butter for greasing the bundt pan
2 tablespoons plus ¾ cup raw sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Orange Honey Syrup
⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup honey
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup water
1 teaspoon orange flower water
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 10-inch bundt pan with butter and sprinkle the 2 tablespoons raw sugar around the bottom and sides.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
Cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and remaining ¾ cup raw sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the dry ingredients alternately with the yogurt, one-third at a time. Stir in the walnuts. Spoon the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
While the cake bakes and cools, make the syrup. Combine the orange juice, honey, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange flower water. Set aside until cooled to warm.
When the cake and syrup are cool, loosen the cake around the edge and center tube with a knife, leaving the cake in the pan. Pour one-third of the syrup over the cake and let sit for 10 minutes to soak in. Repeat twice more, with another third of the syrup each time. Set the cake aside to soak in the syrup for at least 1 hour, or up to several hours.
To serve, invert the cake onto a large plate (pry it loose with a kitchen knife, if necessary). Slice, and serve.
Makes one 10-inch bundt cake
Both breadlike and cakelike, poppy seed cake leaves nothing to be desired in the sweet realm, except, perhaps, for a dollop of sweetened yogurt.
Butter and flour, for preparing the bundt pan
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1¾ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup walnut oil
1½ cups half-and-half cream
1 cup walnuts, very finely chopped
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 recipe Sweetened Yogurt Cheese (page 297), for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the oils. Add the flour mixture in two rounds, alternately with the half-and-half, beating well after each addition. Stir in the walnuts and poppy seeds and pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 1 hour.
To serve, loosen the cake around the edge and center tube and unmold onto a plate. Cut into portions and garnish with the Sweetened Yogurt Cheese.
Makes about 3 cups
Armenians describe this as “apricot delicacy.” And it is, a very sweet one, at that. Suspended in their syrup, which I like to scent with almond and brighten with lemon, the apricots make a complete treat on their own, like a Greek-style spoon sweet. Or, combine them with a little of the syrup to drape over a mound of ice cream, to top scones, or garnish Lemon Yogurt Cake (page 274).
1 pound dried apricot halves
2 cups water
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
Place all the ingredients except the almond extract in a heavy saucepan large enough to hold the apricots in one slightly overlapping layer. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the apricots are completely soft and the liquid is thick and golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the almond extract and set aside to cool.
Use right away or transfer to a storage container and refrigerate for up to several months.
Makes 36 filled apricot halves
With a jazzy name and carnival look, these delightful tidbits are a sure conversation opener, and the taste consistently satisfies anyone looking for a sweet bite at the buffet table.
Note: The apricots may be filled with the cheese, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Sprinkle on the pistachio dust just before serving.
½ cup shelled pistachio nuts
36 Sun-dried Apricots in Almond-scented Syrup (page 281)
1½ cups Homemade Fresh Cheese (page 48) or Sweetened Yogurt Cheese (page 297)
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, if using homemade cheese
Spread the pistachio nuts in a heavy skillet or on a microwave plate. Toast over high heat, stirring, or microwave on high until golden, 3 to 4 minutes either way. Transfer to a food processor and finely chop until dustlike. Set aside.
Lift the apricot halves out of the syrup and place them, open-side up, in one layer on two plates or a large platter. If using homemade cheese, stir the sugar into it. Fill each apricot half with about ½ tablespoon of the cheese. Drizzle a little of the syrup over each half and sprinkle some pistachio “dust” over the top. Serve right away or keep for up to 2 days as described in the note above.
Serves 6
Earthy, dense, heady, and big-fruited Zinfandel evokes the taste of ancient Armenian wine in my imagination. With figs poached in it, accompanied with a New World zinfandel ice, garnished with a knob of thick, Armenian-style cooked cream, you have a splendiferous sweet plate.
Zinfandel Ice
1 750-ml bottle zinfandel wine
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Figs
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cups zinfandel wine
1½ pounds firm, ripe Mission or other dark fresh figs
¾ cup Kaymak (page 296), for serving
To make the ice, stir together the wine, sugar, and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, until beginning to thicken. Remove and cool completely, then transfer to a glass or heavy plastic container and place in the freezer for 2 hours, until ice crystals begin to form around the edges and across the top. Whisk to break up and mix in the ice crystals and return to the freezer for 2 hours more. Whisk again, breaking up the crystals and making an evenly granulated mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and return to the freezer until frozen through, 2 to 3 hours, or up to several days.
To poach the figs, combine the sugar, water, and wine in a large, heavy saucepan and stir to mix and dissolve the sugar a bit. Set over mediumhigh heat and bring to a boil. Add the figs, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, until the figs are wrinkled and slightly soft but maintain their shape. Remove from the heat and let the figs cool in the liquid. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
To serve, place 2 of the poached figs on each of 6 high-lip plates or wide bowls. Spoon some of the poaching liquid over and around them. Set a small scoop of the ice to one side of the figs and top it with a small scoop of kaymak. Serve right away.
Makes four 1-cup custards
In my interest to expand yogurt horizons as far as possible, for this volume I made a panna cotta, the delightful Italian molded custard of sugar and cream set with gelatin, based on it. What better to top it with than a sauce of one of Armenia’s beloved fruits, cherries. The cherry sauce can be used to top ice cream, cake, muffins, waffles, or pancakes.
Panna Cotta
1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
1 tablespoon hot water
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
1 cup yogurt, whisked smooth
½ teaspoon almond extract
Cherry Sauce
1 pound cherries, pitted
½ cup sugar
¼ cup kirsch
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
To make the panna cotta, combine the gelatin and water in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes, until the gelatin softens. Combine the cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and, stirring constantly, bring almost to a boil, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture, whisking to smooth. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
Whisk in the yogurt and almond extract and pour the mixture into 4 small custard cups. Cover each cup with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill and set, at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
To make the cherry sauce, place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan, stir to mix, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium low and simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the cherries completely collapse and the liquid is thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When cool, transfer to a storage container and chill before serving. Will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.
To serve, unmold the panna cotta onto 4 serving dishes. Spoon some of the cherry sauce over each plate and serve right away.
Makes 4 quarts peaches
My mother made perfect tourshi and other savory Armenian pickles, but her preserved peaches were her biggest claim to fame. Not cooked, they were simply covered in a light sugar syrup, sealed, and stored for winter days. Orange-fleshed freestone O’Henrys were the variety of choice—perhaps because my father’s name was Henry, and also because they are one of the most ambrosial of peaches. The first jar was always opened for his birthday at the end of November, and the peaches were sliced to top a thirteen–egg white angel food cake. On other days, my mother served these as halves, each moistened with some of the syrup. They are equally divine cut up and spooned over ice cream, morning cereal, or Tarkana Pudding (page 293).
I always add pomegranate molasses to the syrup and, sometimes, whole spices, such as allspice berries, cardamom seeds, whole cloves, or coriander seeds. Today, I don’t seal the jars in a water bath, preferring the less time-consuming method of refrigerator storage.
Syrup
3 cups sugar
5 cups water
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
12 freestone peaches (6 to 7 ounces each), such as O’Henrys or Babcocks
2 whole lemons, scrubbed and cut in half
My mom, on the left, with my three sisters (in homemade dresses) and me, on the right, at Fairyland in Oakland, California, 1958.
To make the syrup, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, stir to mix, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring once, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in the pomegranate molasses, and set aside to cool completely.
While the syrup cools, bring a pot of water large enough to hold the peaches in one layer to a boil over high heat. Ever so gently drop in the peaches, leave to the count of 20, and gently drain. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
With your fingers, slip the skins off the peaches. Pare away any bruised or soft spots, then cut the peaches in half around the “seam.” Twist the halves in opposite directions to release the pits, and discard the pits. Pack the halves into quart jars. Pour in the completely cooled syrup, filling to the top. Set a lemon half on top (to keep the peaches submerged) and cap the jars. Refrigerate for 3 days before using. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
The microwave is a candy-making machine par excellence. Brittles are particularly successful, and I offer three variations that smack of Armenian deliciousness and are so easy to prepare, you might wonder why you don’t just make some today, or at least for the next party. Be sure to read the safety guidelines before beginning (see page 292).
Note: Brittles need to be cooked to the hard-crack stage. There are two ways to determine this: When drops form brittle threads when dropped into cold water, or when the candy mixture registers between 290 and 310°F on a candy thermometer.
Makes about 1 pound
Butter for greasing the foil
1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil, for toasting the seeds
2 cups hulled raw pumpkin seeds
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds
2½ cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, cut up
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
Lightly grease a 24-inch length of extra-wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil with butter. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and salt and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Combine the cardamom, sugar, corn syrup, butter, and water in a 6-quart microwave bowl and microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes, until the butter melts. Stir to mix and continue microwaving on high for 5 to 6 minutes, until bubbling briskly. Stir in the pumpkin seeds and microwave for 5 minutes more, until the hard-crack stage. Remove and whisk in the vanilla and baking soda, stirring until the bubbling stops. Immediately, and very carefully, pour the candy onto the foil. Set aside to cool and harden for at least 1 hour.
Makes about ¾ pound
Butter for greasing the foil
1½ cups white sesame seeds
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup natural raw honey
3-inch piece cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon orange flower water
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Lightly grease a 24-inch length of extra-wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil with butter. Heat a large, heavy, ungreased sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sesame seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden and beginning to pop, 2 to 2½ minutes.
Transfer to a 6-quart microwave bowl. Add the sugar, honey, cinnamon stick, and water and stir to mix. Microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes, until starting to boil. Stir and continue microwaving on high for 1 minute. Stir again and microwave for 3 minutes, until the hard-crack stage. Remove and whisk in the orange flower water and baking soda, stirring until the bubbling stops. Immediately, and very carefully, pour the candy onto the foil. Set aside to cool and harden for at least 1 hour.
Makes about 1¾ pound
Butter, for greasing the foil
Olive or vegetable oil, for toasting the nuts
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups sugar
1 cup natural raw honey
2 tablespoons butter, cut up
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon rose water
½ teaspoon baking soda
Lightly grease a 24-inch length of extra-wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil with butter. Lightly grease a large sauté pan with about 1 teaspoon of oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, honey, butter, and water in a 6-quart microwave bowl and microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes, until the butter melts. Stir to mix and continue microwaving on high for 5 to 6 minutes, until bubbling briskly almost to the top of the bowl and starting to turn golden. Stir in the walnuts and microwave for 5 minutes more, until the hard-crack stage. Remove and whisk in the rose water and baking soda, stirring until the bubbling stops. Immediately, and very carefully, pour the candy onto the foil. Set aside to cool and harden for at least 1 hour.
SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR CANDY MAKING
Use a 6-quart glass bowl so that the candy mixture doesn’t boil over during cooking.
Use only heavy-duty, extra-wide aluminum foil for pouring the candy onto, so the counter is protected from the heat of the candy and doesn’t burn.
When the candy is done, work quickly to pour it onto the foil: an extra pair of hands to scrape the candy out of the bowl as you hold it is a big help here.
Take care to keep from touching the bowl when stirring the candy during cooking and never, ever, be tempted to take a taste before it has cooled because hot sugar will cause an immediate burn.
NUT BRITTLES AT THEIR BEST
Hard as it may be to resist serving and eating them right away, nut brittles are quite a lot better if allowed to “cure” for a week or so. To do so, store brittle at room temperature on its foil bottom, loosely covered with another length of foil. It will keep this way for many weeks.
Serves 4 to 6 as a pudding or makes twelve 1 × 2-inch bars
Ancient as wheat and honey, old as water, the confection called tarkana nonetheless did not reach its pinnacle of perfection until the spice routes were opened from the Far East through the Caucasus and to Armenia. That’s because it is the spicing that Tarkana relies on to elevate it beyond a mere sweet into a treat. It can be served warm as a pudding, but I find it far more interesting if left to dry out into a granolalike bar—I think of it as the original power bar you can take anywhere (see page 294).
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon grape syrup (see box, page 295) or natural raw honey
4 cups water
¾ cup cracked wheat or coarse bulgur
¼ teaspoon powdered cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Optional toppings, if serving as a pudding
Chopped walnuts
My Mother’s Put-by Peaches (page 287)
Armenian Crème Fraîche (page 26)
Combine the sugar, grape syrup or honey, and 1½ cups of the water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir to mix, add the remaining 2½ cups water and the cracked wheat, and bring to a boil again. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the mixture is very thick but still moist, about 45 minutes. Stir in the spices, decrease the heat to low, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture is almost dry, 10 to 15 minutes.
To serve, spoon into bowls and top with chopped walnuts, sliced preserved peaches, and a dollop of Armenian Crème Fraîche, if using. Or, see below for making dried tarkana bars.
TARKANA “POWER BARS”
When the tarkana is done, stir in ¾ cup chopped, toasted walnuts. Rinse an 8 × 8-inch or 9 × 5-inch metal baking pan with cold water (this is to prevent sticking). Spoon the tarkana into the pan and set aside to cool completely. Cover loosely and let sit overnight at room temperature.
The next day, preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a cookie sheet with cheesecloth. Unmold the tarkana onto a length of wax paper and cut it into 1 × 2-inch rectangles. Transfer the bars to the cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 3 hours. Turn off the heat and let sit in the oven overnight.
On the third day, while the tarkana is still in the oven, preheat the oven to 250°F. Remove the tarkana once the oven reaches 250°F and transfer the bars to a large plate lined with paper towels. Cover with paper towels and let sit overnight at room temperature. Use right away. Or, loosely wrap each bar in waxed paper and store at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
GRAPE HONEY: PEKMEZ
Called pekmez, grape honey is an exotic ingredient of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. But it’s not particularly mysterious; it’s simply the juice of sweet, ripe grapes that has been clarified with potash and slow-cooked until reduced to a honeylike consistency. I highly recommend its fruity sweet flavor for sweetening tarkana. You can find it in markets that cater to those cuisines, or order it online from www.kalustyans.com.
Kaymak is like cream-cheese candy. Its dense texture is achieved from slowly boiling heavy cream to evaporate the water content, leaving just the toothsome butter-fat. An alternative that requires no cooking, just lengthy draining, is Sweetened Yogurt Cheese (page 297). Both are used profusely in Armenian desserts to top pastries and poached fruits or to spread on toast that is then drizzled with honey. I offer both recipes below—Kaymak for the archivists among us who like to contemplate as they stir, and Sweetened Yogurt Cheese for those who prefer a less laborintensive cream cheese.
Makes about 2 cups
1 quart heavy (whipping) cream
Pour the cream into a heavy saucepan, set it over medium-low heat, and bring to a boil without stirring. This will take about 45 minutes or so, depending on the width of the pan.
With a ladle, lift out some of the cream and pour it back into the pan from a height of 12 inches above the surface of the cream. This will cause bubbles to form. Repeat several times until the skin is reincorporated into the cream. Let come to a boil again, 5 to 7 minutes. Repeat the ladling process for about 45 minutes, slowly letting the milk come to a boil again each time. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, ladle once more, and remove from the heat. Transfer to a rectangular dish and set aside at room temperature until the cream is set. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
With a knife, loosen around the edges of the cream with a knife, divide into 6 to 8 sections, and transfer to a plate with a metal spatula. Use right away, or wrap the sections in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Makes about 2 cups
1 quart plain yogurt, drained overnight (page 24)
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Stir the sugar into the yogurt. Continue to drain until you have a cheeselike consistency as described on page 25. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Makes 8 demitasse cups
Turkish coffee, served after dessert, is an essential finale to traditional Armenian meals. It is boiled rather than pressed or dripped or percolated. In this sense, it is akin to American “cowboy” coffee, which is a rapid, single boiling of the grounds in a container over a fire, but the Turkish version is more refined, and it requires a more elaborate procedure of several boilings. It also requires a very fine, pulverized grind, preferably of medium-bodied arabica beans such as are grown in Yemen, but any coffee with similar characteristics can be used successfully. Turkish coffee is invariably a sweet beverage. The somewhat acidic arabica beans cry out for sugar to soften them and make them palatable, and the sugar helps create the desirable foam. You can add more or less sweetening to taste.
8 rounded teaspoons very finely ground coffee
8 rounded demitasse spoons (about 2 teaspoons altogether) sugar
3 cups water
Place all the ingredients in a narrow pot over medium heat (see opposite page). Stir briefly, then bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 15 seconds, until a creamy foam begins to collect on the surface. Remove from the heat long enough to stop the boiling. Return to the heat and repeat the process 4 more times. (Each time, the foam becomes thicker and increases in quantity).
Spoon the foam into 8 demitasse cups. Carefully pour the coffee into the cups without dispersing the foam and serve right away.
TURKISH COFFEE-MAKING FINESSE
The very fine grind necessary for Turkish coffee can easily be achieved with a simple, revolving-blade electric coffee grinder or, more authentically, with a tall, cylindrical Turkish hand grinder that can double as a spice grinder.
If you don’t have an ibek, a Turkish coffee pot, a 1-quart saucepan will do as long as it is tall and narrow rather than wide-mouthed, so that when the coffee boils up, the desirable foamy “head” is thick and creamy.
A FINAL NOTE: HOW THINGS CHANGE
In Turkish-Armenian tradition, a festive get-together is always finished with a round of Turkish coffee and several rounds of backgammon. Traditionally, the coffee was made by the women as they cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes while the men and older children played backgammon. These days, the men often make the coffee, the game has changed to poker—women invited, if they’d care to play—and the children often beat everyone at the game. Always, everyone helps with the dishes.
