The feast preparations have speeded up at homes since there are only few days are left to go to the Ramadan Feast. The preparations of the foods that will be offered for the feast to be lapsed in unity have already taken start.  The Academic Member, Semanur Özcan, from the Department of Gastronomy of the Istanbul Gelisim University, who advised to consume light desserts during the Feast period when the warm climatic conditions were taken into consideration and in the meantime, not to force the already exhausted stomach during the winter time, recommended the consumption of the cold baklawa that has been a must and rising trend of recent periods since it contained less sugar in comparison with the milk or classical baklawa. The Academic Member, Semanur Özcan, who gave a recipe of the cold Baklawa, which could easily be made at home with all of its most delicate parts and more economically in comparison with buying it, also mentioned about the dessert culture at the Turkish cuisine.

The Academic Member, Semanur Özcan, who indicated that the Turkish cuisine had a significantly wide range of a dessert culture, said: ‘’We have a dessert culture at the Turkish cuisine, inherited from the Ottoman cuisine. We can understand this from the Turkish delight and halva shops or production places. The baklawa is one of the products, extended to our current period. In this respect, it is a globally well-known and favourite product of us, therefore, it will maintain its existence all the time.’’

LIGHT DESSERTS ARE PREFERRED

(Ms.) Özcan, who indicated that there has been a competing and strong demand for the cold baklawa, indicated as follows: ‘The eating and drinking habits of us have shown changes. People prefer to consume lighter products that will not cause more difficult digestion. In parallel to it, we can say that the milk baklawa has come forth. The milk baklava contains less sugar and fat/butter within it in comparison with the classical baklawa. From this point of view, we can say that it is lighter than it. It started to warm up. Therefore, the lighter desserts began to become a motive of preference.’
(Ms.) Özcan, who shared the recipe of the cold baklawa, listed the ingredients, required for a tray of baklawa, as follows:

 “A package of ready baklawa dough (40 dough s)
Walnut or pistachio as internal filling
200 g of butter
125 ml sunflower oil
 
For its syrup;
800 g of milk
400 g milk cream
400 gr sugar
 
For decoration;
Powder milk with cacao
Pistachio or coconut”
 
RECIPE OF THE COLD BAKLAWA;

(Ms.) Özcan, who told about how to make the dessert, said: ‘’We used ready baklawa dough for practicability at our homes. We use two dough s as a single layer, and add an amount of 125 g sunflower oil to a total amount of 200 g of butter and apply the mixture so prepared by us in between each layer. After having made this application as many as ten layers, we spread the ingredient, required as internal mixture (walnut, pistachio and so on), plentifully on the layer where we applied no oil and butter. After the application/spread of internal mixture, we prepare the remaining dough sheets in a way to be ten layers again by applying butter in-between each of two layers. Then, we will cut our baklawa so completed in slices of square forms and apply the butter all over it and then, bake it at an oven in a controlled way for an approximate period of 45 minutes in 180°C.’’    

SYRUP NOT TO BE BOILED UP

(Ms.) Özcan, who mentioned about the points to be paid attention to for the syrup, kept on saying as follows: ‘’The milk and cream is taken into a pot to the cooker and mixed until the time when no nobbles remain available. Afterwards, sugar is added on. The syrup is mixed up again until the sugar melts away. The syrup must not be boiled up. Making it get warm as much as a finger may endure will be sufficient. We take the warm syrup aside and leave the same to get cool. After the application (addition) of the cold syrup onto the cold baklawa in a balanced way, we leave it to get matured for a period of one hour. Following this, we cover the surface of the matured baklawa with the milk powder containing cacao by means of a sifter. We can serve the baklawa by decorating it with the pistachio or walnut. There is a key point to pay attention thereto in the application of the powder milk as well. I recommend those, who will try the recipe, to add the cacao whenever the baklawa is served if the baklawa will not be consumed immediately.   

THE KEY POINT OF THE COLD BAKLAWA LIES IN ITS SYRUP

(Ms.) Özcan, who mentioned about the fundamental differences between the cold baklawa and classical baklawa, further added that: ‘’The most important point among the differences is the preparation of its syrup from the milk and sugar instead of water and sugar, and availability of cream within it. The application of the syrup also shows difference among these two types of baklawas. In classical baklawas, the baklawa itself will be warm and its syrup, however, cold. In cold baklawas, however, it is necessary for both the baklawa and syrup to be cold. This is one of the most delicate parts of the cold baklawa.’’