Lemon Tahini Dressing or Sauce

[rarerollingobject]

And if you're interested in a sweet use of tahini - here's one of the best things I ever made; it's just tahini, mixed with sugar and lemon juice, spread over a sheet of puff pastry, rolled up, sliced and baked.

With more lemon zest over the top.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

22 minutes ago, rarerollingobject said:

And if you're interested in a sweet use of tahini - here's one of the best things I ever made; it's just tahini, mixed with sugar and lemon juice, spread over a sheet of puff pastry, rolled up, sliced and baked.

With more lemon zest over the top.

 

Thanks, RRO!

 

I am interested in ALL things tahini, and it just so happens that I have Trader Joe's frozen puff pastry in the freezer, lemons, tahini and sugar in the house. This will be happening at chez TftC soon.

 

Would you say 400 F/205 C oven or a bit more? Also did you mean to mix the tahini with lemon juice and/or zest?

[shain]

@Thanks for the Crepes Imam bayildi is one tasty dish! I don't think I ever made it myself, but it's common in restaurants.

By "oil from the jar", I assume you mean from the top of the tahini jar. If you are not into raw garlic I'll opt for sautéed rather then roasted, but both will be tasty. Not sure about dried.

Also, I think the recipe should contain salt, you miss it for a reason. 

 

@rarerollingobject This looks delicious. I never had a sweet flavored with tahini and lemon, but it just seems so natural. I now think of a toast with tahini and lemon/orange marmalade. Might be an interesting variation on my goto combination with honey. 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

11 minutes ago, shain said:

Imam bayildi is one tasty dish! I don't think I ever made it myself, but it's common in restaurants.

By "oil from the jar", I assume you mean from the top of the tahini jar. If you are not into raw garlic I'll opt for sautéed rather then roasted, but both will be tasty. Not sure about dried.

Also, I think the recipe should contain salt, you miss it for a reason. 

 

Yes! I loved my first attempt at Imam Bayildi, and even my husband did, but he did comment, "It's just vegetables, but still it's really good." He is a dyed in the wool carnivore.

 

Also some people look down on garlic powder and that is their prerogative. I do not. Their are some recipes or applications where I prefer it to fresh garlic, although there is always a bulb of fresh garlic in my kitchen stored at room temp along with my tomatoes. 

 

And yes, "oil from the jar" means the separated toasted sesame oil floating on top of my jar of tahini.

 

I totally agree about the salt element. I know tamari is not traditional, but I'll be danged if it wasn't delicious, with a serious umami note to add with the saltiness to the nuttiness of the tahini. I think the water content in it allowed me to get away with not adding any additional water in my first batch.

[rarerollingobject]

52 minutes ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

Thanks, RRO!

 

I am interested in ALL things tahini, and it just so happens that I have Trader Joe's frozen puff pastry in the freezer, lemons, tahini and sugar in the house. This will be happening at chez TftC soon.

 

Would you say 400 F/205 C oven or a bit more? Also did you mean to mix the tahini with lemon juice and/or zest?

 

Yep, I just mix tahini, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl till smooth. Sometimes I add zest to the mix, sometimes I don't. But I always sprinkle zest over the top; after baking, so that it doesn't burn, but while the pastry's still hot, so the lemon oils release from the zest.

 

And I'd generally bake at 220C for 15-18 mins. I don't bother with egg wash.

[Nicolai]

On 6/6/2016 at 5:55 AM, Thanks for the Crepes said:

I made a batch of lemon tahini tonight to go with a green leaf lettuce and chickpea salad. It was according to the Serendipity recipe linked, but I had no fresh parsley, so I left that out. I also do not remember either the texture of even very finely chopped parsley or a greenish tint which would result if it was whirred up in a blender, which I suspect is the way the restaurant does it. It would take them too long to get big batches homogeneous by hand. I didn't add garlic the first time I made it just before starting this thread, but I did add a small clove this time because the Serendipity recipe calls for it. So:

 

4 T tahini

2 t sesame oil from jar

1 small clove garlic crushed in a press

1 lemon juiced

plus quite a bit more than the 2 t water called for because it was so thick

 

I generally don't care much for raw garlic. This time was no exception, but the sauce was still good. I may try dried garlic powder on the next batch. Roasted garlic might also be very nice in it. I decided I quite like the first one I mentioned here with the tarmari, but I have always liked a salty taste.

 

I also served the sauce with Imam Baildi or Imam Bayildi depending on which of my cookbooks you consult. It was very good with this eggplant dish too.

 

I fried up the green tomato one night and enjoyed it with the leftovers from the first batch I made with tamari. Recommended.

 

 

Quote

 

 

 

I would not put Theeneh sauce i.e. Tarator on Banjan Iman Bayeldi as you will loose all the taste of the dish.

 

Coming back to Theeneh, We do that very often and never think of the recipe as at is a Chef's measure.

 

You have to note two very important preps:

1- The garlic is too be mashed in a mortar and pestle with salt

2- You have to use COLD water to dilute the Theeneh. Duno why but that's the way we do it. I am sure there is a chemical explanation somewhere.

Tepid or normal temp water does not give the same texture and taste.

 

I guess for 1/2 cup of Theeneh, one garlic clove, half juice of a medium size lemon and COLD water.

Start by mashing the garlic with salt, macerate and mix with the lemon juice and set aside.

Dilute the Theeneh with COLD water a little at a time until you get a paste consistency, add the lemon juice and garlic and stir, this will dilute the Theeneh even more.

Add lemon juice and/or water to taste.

 

We do not add Cumin in the Levantine version. Egyptians like to add Cumin.It changes the taste.

I personally add a pinch of Aleppo Pepper. As a matter of fact, We just had the very Theeneh today poured over Tuna (canned) and scooped with flat bread with a serving of green onions and Pickled Turnips and Caulifower. A pot of Foul was served as a hot dish. Of course salad a side dish.

All washed down with a red Melon and dessert was a bar of Lindt Sea Salt Dark chocolate.

Edited June 13, 2016 by Nicolai (log)

[shain]

 

 

1- The garlic is too be mashed in a mortar and pestle with salt

2- You have to use COLD water to dilute the Theeneh. Duno why but that's the way we do it. I am sure there is a chemical explanation somewhere.

Tepid or normal temp water does not give the same texture and taste.

 

 

I completely agree with the cold water advise. It also helps to form a lighter color (which probably means it form a better emulsion).

I also agree that mortar and pestle is better, by I usually use a garlic press since I make small amount and am lazy.

[Lisi]

I make regular tahini sauce as a side for falafel filled with garlic and lime juice. Haven't tried mixing it into the tahini though. Looks nice