Cheesecake with cherry jelly ( Vişne Pelteli Cheesecake)

Cheesecake with cherry jelly

(Vişne Pelteli cheesecake)

Ingredients:

For crust:

1 1/2 packs biscuits/ crackers

                   ( yulafli bisküvi)

  50 gr. butter ( tereyağ)

For cake:

2 packs cream /labne cheese @300g

4 pcs. eggs

3 tbsps. yoghurt

1 glass granulated sugar

3 tbsps. flour

1 vanilya extract or powder

For cherry jelly: ( Pelte için )

2 glasses Sour cherry nectar

1 glass water

1 tbsp. cornstarch

walnuts

Methods: Preheat oven to 180C.

Step 1. Crumble the biscuits and melt the butter. Together in a clean bowl, combine together.

Step 2. Gently press down the crumbs onto the bottom of the pan with your clean hands or with the bottom of a tea glass to have that nice even layer of crust. Refrigerate and set aside.

Step 3. Separate the eggyolks from the eggwhites.

Step 4. With the eggyolks, add in the 1 glass of sugar and beat together till creamy.

Step 5. Place the labne cheese and yogurt into the cream mixture and beat together well. 

Step 6. Drop in the vanilla extract into the mixture and mix. Set aside.

** if vanilla powder is used, just add the vanilla powder to the flour  on Step 10 ** 

Step 7. With eggwhites in another clean bowl, add just a pinch of salt to aid for rising... beat in high speed till soft peaks are formed.

Step 8. This is how soft peaks look like.. now add in a pinch of sugar to form stiff peaks which we will need for this recipe.

Step 9. Stiff peaks are form!! 

Step 10. Slowly add in the flour and vanilla powder if you were not using the extract, as was mentioned in  Step 6.

Step 11. With a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, FOLD IN the eggwhites and flour together. DO NOT STIR OR BEAT. 

To fold:  Using a large spatula, cut a path down the middle of the mixture with the edge of the spatula. Then gently turn half the mixture over onto the other half. Continue cutting down the middle and turning a portion over. 

Step 12. After you have folded the eggwhites and flour, add them to the cream mixture ( Step 6). 

Step 13. Fold the eggwhite mixture into the cream mixture and immediately pour into the prepared crust that we have from Step 2.

Step 14. Bake for an hour or until the sides of the cake starts to loosen out.

For the cherry jelly:  

Step 1. With a clean pot, mix cornstarch and water with a whisk.

Step 2. Pour in the cherry nectar and sugar, stir well.

Step 3. Cook in medium heat till it thickens. Cool.

Assembly:

This is how your cheesecake will look when it's baked. Don't worry about the cracks for they will be covered with our jelly. :) 

With cool cake.. pour out the cooled jelly to the top of the cake and cover with aluminum foil, and store in the refrigerator till jelly has harden a bit.

Remove the cake from the fridge and drizzle in with some cherry jam and sprinkle in with crushed walnuts.

Slice and Serve!! Enjoy! :)

Fırında Tavuk Kapama ( baked chicken sealed with rice)

Fırında Tavuk Kapama

Recently I have been so much indulged with my culinary course that I almost forgot about my blogs here. Anyway, am back again  sharing my recipes to all of you. Hope you'll enjoy!! :)

My recipe today is Tavuk kapama.. a very well known dish for the Balkans, an important food in the cuisine. Although this is more presented  under the rice category, it's also considered as a main dish.

Rice ingredients:

2 cups rice ( 2 su bardağı pirinc)                            

1 med. onion chopped ( 1 adet kuru soğan doğran )

1 tbsp. tomato paste ( 1 yemek kaşığı domates  salçası  )

1 tbsp. butter  ( 1 yk tereyağı )

1 tbsp. olive oil  ( 1 yk zeytinyağı )

Salt, black pepper ( Tuz, karabiber )

Chicken ingredients:

4-5 chicken drumsticks ( 4-5 adet tavuk baget )

5 glasses water  ( 5 sb su )

1 potato  ( 1 patates )

1 medium onion ( 1 kuru soğan )

1 carrot  ( 1 havuç )

10 parsley stems ( 10 maydanoz sapı)

5 tbsp. olive oil  ( 5 yk zeytinyağı )

1 tbsp. butter ( 1 yk tereyağı )

salt, black pepper, thyme, red pepper flakes

(tuz, karabiber, kekik, pul biber )

Preparations:

This dish is made in two parts: boiling the chicken drumsticks and preparation of the rice. 

Step 1. Wash and remove skin off from the chicken.

             In a clean casserole, add in drumsticks, carrot, onion, potato, and parsley stems.Pour in 5 glasses of clean water and leave to boil till the vegetables are cook. From here, we will be using the chicken stock later.

Rice preparation:

Step 2. Wash and soak rice in warm water for 20 minutes and set aside.

Step 3. After 20 minutes, In a pot, pour in  1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter.

Step 4. When butter melts, add in the chopped onion and cook till translucent.

Step 5. Add in the tomato paste and stir to mix.

Step 6. wash and drain the soaked rice and add in to the pot.

Step 7. roast the rice for about 4 minutes more and add in the salt, and ground black pepper and turn off the heat.

Step 8. In a prepared baking pan, transfer the roasted rice distributing evenly.

Step 9. Remove the boiled drumstick and drizzle them with olive oil and    season them with salt, blackpepper, dried thyme and pepper  flakes.

Step 10. Lay out the seasoned drumsticks on top of the roasted rice and pour in 3 1/2 glasses of chicken stock that was made from Step 1. Top each drumstick with a little amount of butter. Bake at 180C till rice is cook...  Enjoy!! :)

Stuffed Leeks ( Pırasa Dolması)

Stuffed Leeks

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken breast

1 onion

1 egg

2-3 stalks leeks

2 tomatoes

2 green peppers

2-3 tbsps.half-cooked rice

salt and pepper

Preparations:

Wash and cut the leek stalks into 5-6 cms. long and submerge them in a bowl with cold water for around 5 minutes. this helps in loosening up the stalks.

Remove the core of the stalk and forming them into tubes.

This is now ready for filling. For the other remaining leeks we will be using that for the sauce.

Filling preparation:

Mince the chicken breast well  and transfer into a clean bowl.

With the minced chicken breast, add in the cooked rice, egg, minced onion, salt and pepper. Mix well.

With the ready tubes, stuff in the filling and set aside.

heat up a casserole with olive oil. Add in the remaining chopped leeks and saute till they become soft.

Add in now the sliced green peppers, and continue to saute till it softens.

Stir in the diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes this must be the result. this is our vegetable sauce.. turn off the heat.

Arrange the stuffed leeks in one layer, with some vegetable sauce under and some sauce on top.

Add in 2 cups of water or just till the leeks are covered with water., sprinkle seasonings and cover the casserole. Cook in medium heat till the leeks are soft.

Serve! :)