It all began in the 1870s with a sweets vendor in Hama Syria. The patriarch of the Salloura family figured out a way to make sweet cheese pancakes rolled around sweet cream, called Halawet El Jibn, which in Arabic means “sweetness of the cheese.” The cheese rolls were scented with rose or orange blossom, then doused…… Continue reading Halawet El Jibn: An Iconic Syrian Dessert for My Baba’s Bday!
Tag: Middle Eastern dessert
Miraculous Orange Almond Cake- Gluten free and No Sugar Added!
During this time of high caloric temptations, can you have that cake and eat it too with zero regrets? Absolutely you can! Today’s recipe features a Greek and Egyptian inspired low-carb cake that has no added butter, oil or sugar, yet still has the moist texture of a pound cake. One easy to find ingredient…… Continue reading Miraculous Orange Almond Cake- Gluten free and No Sugar Added!
Hilbeh – Fenugreek Cake Recipe by Grandma Reva
Arabs throughout history had an uncanny ability to incorporate foods with medicinal properties into dishes. Many times superfoods like fenugreek are not palatable and almost bitter on their own. But the health properties of fenugreek are too massive to ignore, so Palestinians figured out how to put this seed into a popular cake called Hilbeh. …… Continue reading Hilbeh – Fenugreek Cake Recipe by Grandma Reva
30 Minute Baklava Recipe!
Hello My Feasting Friends! Ask people from any Middle Eastern country where Baklava originated, and they will all claim to have invented this popular dessert. It is widely believed however, that the Assyrians at around 8th century B.C. were the first people who put together the concept of chopped nuts between layers of thin bread…… Continue reading 30 Minute Baklava Recipe!
How to Make Halva (Halawa) 3 Flavors!
Yes it’s the time of year for pumpkin spice everything, and I love every bit of it! If you have been following my videos long enough, you know I love to combine Arabic traditions with an American twist, and today is no exception. Halawa means “sweet” in Arabic, and this sesame confection called halawa is…… Continue reading How to Make Halva (Halawa) 3 Flavors!
Ma’Moul and Ka’ak Bi Ajwa- Semolina Cookies for Easter
There is a special cookie that has been around since the Egyptian Pharoahs, a cookie that carries religious significance for Christians and Muslims, a cookie that is so meaningful it is only made once a year in most Arab households. That cookie is….Ma’moul, and the date ring cookie cousin called Ka’ak bu Ajwa (also known…… Continue reading Ma’Moul and Ka’ak Bi Ajwa- Semolina Cookies for Easter
Best Qatayef (Kateyef) Recipe EVER!
One recipe request I have received most often lately, is that for Katayef, also known as Qateyef. These fluffy little pancakes are filled with either nuts or cheese then drizzled with a rose and lemon scented syrup. If you go to any Arab country during Ramadan, you will see bakeries churning out these pancakes by the hundreds…… Continue reading Best Qatayef (Kateyef) Recipe EVER!
Mouthwatering date fritters!
Why don’t people use dates more often? Growing up in a Middle Eastern/American household, dates were a staple in our kitchen. My mom would serve dates alongside almonds and dried apricots as an appetizer or snack, and she would also chop them up to put them in breads or cakes. The neighbor’s kids thought it…… Continue reading Mouthwatering date fritters!
Prince William’s Groomscake recipe–or lazy cake as it is known in the Middle East…
Honestly why should all the pomp and circumstance be reserved for the royal family? While watching all of the British hoopla unfold on television one particular detail caught my eye: the groomscake. A towering chocolate confection, this cake is supposedly Prince William’s favorite, a chocolatey cake containing biscuits. Just then it hit me that this…… Continue reading Prince William’s Groomscake recipe–or lazy cake as it is known in the Middle East…