Mediterranean Fusion Dinner: Dessert, Cheesecake Baklava

Cheesecake Baklava

This recipe I made up by combining a cheesecake recipe with a Baklava recipe. It was incredibly yummy.

There were several key aspects to making this successfully. For a pan I used a mini-loaf pan (six rectangular holes about 1 1/2" by 3" by 2" deep). One could also use individual ramikins.However, consider the general fact that Phylo (filo) dough is rectangular in shape and not easily cut, thus round ramikins might prove a challenge.If using a loaf pan it is also important to butter the bottom and sides thoroughly as my plan was to serve on separate plates after removing, Otherwise make Baklava in a similar manner to a standard recipe.

Syrup:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tabls fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick broken into a few pieces
zest of lemon and orange (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer until desired thickness is achieved (a syrup). Strain to remove zest and cinnamon sticks. Set aside to cool. [Can be made a half hour to a day ahead.]

Baklava ingredients:

1/2 pd of ground walnuts (or almonds or use both)
3 tabls sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted meled butter (clarify if desired)
about a half pd of filo sheets

Combine ground nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Make Baklava according to traditional recipe [Just be sure your result fits snuggly into whatever pan(s) you are using.] Or -- here's what I did:Layer and butter each filo sheet until you have six stacked on top of each other, spread on a layer of 1/2 the ground nuts, repeat with another layer of buttered sheets; top with rest of nuts and then another layer of buttered sheets. [Note this is one 'layer' short of a traditional recipe, as we need room for the cheesecake.] Refrigerate until ready to use -- 1/2 hour or more.

Make cheesecake batter.

You can use your favorite, or:

Two 8 ox. packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tabls sour cream
1 1/2 tsps vanilla
2 ex. lg eggs

Mix all ingredients well with a mixer or in a food processor.

Putting it all together:

Take Baklava from refrig and cut with a very sharp knife to fit pan -- in my case rectangles. Place each rectangular piece in bottom of well-buttered slots. Pour cheesecake mixture atop to fill. Place in oven at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until cheesecake is browned on top and set (best check is to push down lightly on browned top. It should spring back. Remove from oven and cool in refrigerator until well-cooled. When chilled slide wet blade (knife, flat spatula) around each edge and gently remove the baklava cheesecake to individual serving plates. Finish with a generous pouring of syrup on top. Serve cold.

Variation: add some lemon zest to cheesecake recipe for more tang and flavor.

Very, very yummy!

Enjoy,

Joe Koob

Mediterannean Dinner: Main Course

Lamb and Beef Kabobs with Aligot-Souffle

Lamb and Beef Kabobs

There are hundreds of recipes and marinades for Kabobs across the Mediterannean -- notably we find them in Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, etc. Here are basic ingredients, mix and match, add and subtract, to taste:

Grated Onion
Micnced Garlic
ground cinnamon
ground cumin
thyme
black pepper
cayenne pepper
fresh mint
flat leaf parsley (Italian style)
yogurt
allspice
cinnamon

More Tunisian:

olive oil
fresh lemon juice
caraway -- toasted and ground
ground coriander
black papper

For kabobs a little goes a long way, so unless you like strong flavors be judicious in adding spices, etc., to marinades. Marinade for 2 to 24 hours. Skewer meat (lamb or beef), or a combination. Cook on grill to desired wellness.

Cooking Kabobs with vegetables: [I didn't include these for this meal, but it is a popular thing to do.] Many vegetables will cook at a different speed than meat, especially if you are cooking some skewers rare and others well-done. I typically put vegetables that hold up well over coals with the meat -- onions and peppers. Other vegetables, squash, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, etc., should be cooked on their own skewers separately.

Aligot Souffle -- aligot is a combination of cheese and potatoes.

1 medium potato (Idaho or ?)
a cup or more of cheese (I used Manchego)
5 eggs separated (I made individual souffles, for a large souffle dish you might want 7 or 8)
Salt to taste
white pepper
Butter
Flour
Cream or Milk (Sour cream is nice as well)

Cook potato (boil) until soft; let cool slightly, then mash. Make white sauce with several tbls butter, a tbls or so of butter, and heated cream or milk or combination of milk and cream (add sour cream, too, if you like the flavor and effect). Whisk in 3 or 4 of the egg yolks to further thicken the sauce, whisk in cheese until just melted, remove from heat and mix in mashed potato. Add salt and white pepper to taste.

Beat egg whites until just stiff (if you hold bowl upside down they should stay in it!). Fold about a third of the beaten egg whites into potato-cheese mixture, then fold mixture into remaining egg whites gently.** The idea is to keep as much of the lightness of the egg whites as possible.

**As far as I am concerned there is no sacredness to this traditional ritual. You can fold the rest of the egg whites into the potato-cheese mixture, i.e. you don't have to add mixture to egg whites the second time. Your choice. Doesn't seem to affect the outcome either way.

Spoon mixture into (six) individual buttered souffle molds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned on top. Serve immeditaely with Kabobs.

Enjoy.

Net: The culmination of this meal: Cheesecake Baklava!

Joe Koob