shain

Roughly based on my recipe for lemon cake. This makes one not very large cake in a 25x10 cm (10x5 inch) pan. Please tell me if you make it - I really hope that you will like it! For pecan mixture: 35g toasted pecans, finely chopped (you want them large enough to have texture in the cake) 35g dark brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cocoa powder Topping: A handful of whole or chopped raw pecans Maple syrup for glazing (apx. 4 tsp) For batter: 140g white flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 large eggs 170g light brown sugar (I substitute with a mix of half dark brown sugar and half white sugar) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 medium apple (not too tart - I used a Gala apple), peeled and cut into small dice (apx. 150g) 200g sour cream 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste/extract optional: A small amount of maple flavor extract optional: A few drops of almond extract Method: Heat oven to 170 deg C (340 deg F). Grease the cake pan. Mix together the pecans with cinnamon, cocoa and brown sugar. Set aside. Prepare 2 mixing bowl: one of them should be quite large. In the smaller bowl, mix flour and baking powder. In the large bowl, beat the eggs with sugar and salt until the sugar is melted and the mixture is aerated. Mix the sour cream, apple, cinnamon and extracts. Sieve flour and baking soda mixture over the liquids. Fold from the bottom up just until uniform. Do not over mix. Pour half of the batter into the greased pan. Sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly. Pour the rest of the batter on top. Cover with the raw pecans. Bake for apx. 50-60 minutes. A skewer should come out cleanly. The cake should rise and get a tan color. Avoid over baking. Brush the cake with maple syrup. Let cool a little. I find the cake to taste best when it's slightly warm. Serve with tea or coffee. Keep covered or wrapped in nylon. You may heat it briefly, if serving on following days.

Hummus with roasted peppers, feta, sumac.

Sour cream, apples and pecan cake. With maple and brown sugar,. A middle layer of chopped pecans, cinnamon, cocoa. Chopped apples in the batter. Maple glaze.

You should definitely get some and give them a try. They have a nutty flavor, a bit like sunflowers. they also resemble carrots a little sweet, not starchy. But sunchokes are snappier than carrots. Simply roasted is a good start. Washed well and left skin on.

Top 11, in no particular order: Coconut (raw and "flowery" more so than toasted and nutty) Tahini Vanilla with cream / ricotta / other milky goodies Rose water (with a hint of lemon or with berries) Basil, with tomatoes Espresso coffee Caramelized onions Toasted nuts (esp. hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios and almond. The latter only if they're really good) Cheese, if I had to choose one, than a good nutty and grassy Emmentaler (that's flavor-wise, taste wise I prefer a nice moldy ewe-milk cheese) Beer (a good Belgian ale, or a not-to-bitter IPA, tough a good porter, amber ale and German wheat beers are close by) Lychee Honorable mentions: Bread (wheat based, preferably spiced with some other grains and nuts) Grilled/sauteed mushrooms (with butter) Olive oil (even more so when coupled with garlic) Dark chocolate Tarragon, mint, anise and the like Fresh and brined cheeses - ricotta, sirene, feta, mozzarella (when cooked) Cumin Fenugreek Maple Mango Pineapple Plums, esp. those with a bitter almond edge to them So hard to choose That's not even covering stuff that are a combination of flavors e.g. five spice mixture and various spice & herbs blends used in Indian and Southeast Asia cousins, which I adore.

Pasta with roasted peppers, feta, chickpeas, olives, basil, Pecorino Romano.

Potato and sunchoke gratin. Peas and egg salad, with a mayonnaise based dressing kept on the vinegary and light side, to complement the gratin. Dill, mustard, pickles.

Soft cooked omelette with toasted cumin and sesame, garlic, light soy sauce and a hint of sesame oil. Short rice.

I always loved Loacker wafers. I appreciate them not being overly sweet. This flavor is new to me, and it's good, though my favorites are still the coconut, and the chocolate flavors.

I made a cross between Greek pastitsio and moussaka (pastissaka? moussatitsio?). The minced meat subbed with a mixture of chopped mushrooms, walnuts and chickpeas. I went a lighter on the bechamel than is traditional in either preparation. Served with chopped salad and labaneh. My apologies to the Greek grandmas that are rolling their eyes, it was delicious and IMO fits the spirit of the dishes .

My guess would have been salted butter being used for greasing the pan. Is it possible?

Crepe Suzette.

Georgian bread (bought). An quick bread of sorts, with walnuts and celery, dill seeds and caraway. Butternut squash with beans and walnuts. Cauliflower and eggplant, with roasted tomatoes, olives, lots of parapika, garlic and olive oil.

Chowder. Mussels, cause clams are to expensive here to be made into soup.Potatoes, some corn, and not too much cream. Plenty of celery and bay leaves. Fish shaped crackers, because why not.

In Israel, there's a large Yemeni population, as fatoot was once quite a common home made dish (a bit less so today, with recent health trends). There are many versions, notable are the sweet one - served with honey and sour cream / butter milk. A savory version is served with grated tomatoes, sometimes zaatar is sprinkled on top. Some also add olives (though there's surely something wrong with their mind). I'd say that around here, malawach (a sort of laminated flat bread) is more commonly used than pita. During Passover, it will b made of matzo, which is almost the same as (some versions) of matzo brie (which I think is a dish you'd like). An eggless version of fatoot is often served with soup. The term fatoot is related from the Arabic fatteh, which is used to refer to an array of dishes based on leftover bread. Like the well known fattoush salad.

Doriyaki. Half with the classic anko paste, then again, some of them with peanuts and some with chestnuts. The other half with matcha creme patissiere.

Vegetable stew (zucchini, sweet potato, kohlrabi, celery, onion) with chickpeas and red lentils. Garam masala, cinnamon, pepper. Couscous.

Filo cups, with good ricotta, flavored with vanilla. Some pomegranate and mint. Some with dark chocolate and Amarena cherries.

Vegetarian miso and garlic ramen (sort of based on the recipe from Serious Eats). Hand cut ramen noodles, roasted sweet potato, mushrooms, eggplants.

A custard (clafouti style), flavored with orange zest, vanilla, anise, brown sugar, and a generous drizzle of dark rum. With a filling of poppy seed pudding. Some good ricotta on the side.

Fattoush salad, the dressing is thick buttermilk, sumac, garlic, parsley, scallions, lemon and vinegar. Some crisp, and some softended pita chips. Freekeh, cooked into risotto texture, (but no cream/cheese) with chickpeas and mushrooms, paprika, a touch of cumin and a hint of cinnamon. Plenty of olive oil.

Okonomiyaki. Not the prettiest, but so good

A buddha bowl / cold rice bowl of sorts. Sushi rice, flavored with mirin and lime. Arugula, mint, basil, cuces, carrot. Edamame with lime zest. Chilis, cashew. coconut flakes. Tofu marinated in soy sauce, chili and lime. Eggs, later drizzled with soy sauce. I nearly forgot the avocado! At was then added generously, but is therefore missing from the picture.

A quick pizza made out of a laffah. A few tomatoes, blended and simmered shortly with some sauce. Motz and basil. Arugula salad with orange vinaigrette, pomegranate and almonds.

Pad thai.