A Different Type of Lebanese Kaak

As I mentioned in the previous post, Kaak is the generic Arabic term for "cake". Every Arab country has their own version, and within each country, multiple versions exist depending on the region, city, and perhaps variations right down to the family level. Versions of this also exist for the different festivals and "Eids". Some are made only at Easter, and use a special wooden mold to stamp a design on the surface of the cookie, and show that significance. Some use yeast as the leavening ingredient, and are more like a hard rusk (I prefer those), others are softer, more like a milk bun, and still others more like a cookie or shortbread. Some are stuffed with cheese or dates, others are made with nuts (walnuts, almonds or pistachios). Some are sweet, others are savory. So, one could make a different version every time, and never run out of variations to try.

None of my relatives or my Mother ever used a recipe. They all went by the "feel" of the dough. This makes it difficult to replicate exactly but the dough has to have the following characteristics, be pliable, smooth, dry, elastic (for the yeast based dough), and almost have the texture and feel like “Play-Do” or “Silly Putty”. It must be able to be rolled into a smooth ball, and should not be crumbly. A long period of kneading helps one achieve this end result. This is why the measurements are approximate.

This version has more of a cookie like texture (as opposed to the previous version that has the texture of a hard rusk). It is not very sweet but will go well with coffee or tea. Because they are so dry, they will keep for a long time in an airtight container. As to whether they will last that long would be a gamble!

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup Durum Atta Flour

¼ cup cornstarch or Arrowroot flour (I prefer the latter)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons all purpose flour

½ cup toasted sesame seeds

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Anise seed

1 Tablespoon Caraway Seed

1 Tablespoon of Anise seeds, finely ground to a powder)

1 Tablespoon orange blossom water (Ma'zahr)

1 Tablespoon Lebanese Rose Water, optional (Attar). I don't use it because I don't like the flavor

1 ½ teaspoon of freshly ground Mahlab

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons flour

½ cup olive oil

½ cup sugar

Directions

1.      Partially grind the anise and caraway seeds. Fully grind the extra tablespoon of anise seed to a powder.

2.      Mix together all the dry ingredients and the sesame seeds. Do not include the sugar. Set aside

3.      Whisk together the eggs, sugar, orange blossom water, rose water (if using), and olive oil until the mixture takes on a pale color, and thickens

4.      Add the dry ingredients and knead for about 10 minutes (the dough hook makes this easier). Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time and the additional flour, teaspoon by teaspoon. I've put 2 teaspoons but it may take many more than that to achieve the end result of what the dough should be like. Once the dough comes together and the consistency is smooth and dry to the touch, take it out, form into a ball, and wrap it in grease proof paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 5-6 hours.

5.      Remove from the refrigerator. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Tear off lumps of dough about the size of a golf ball, and roll into a rope. Bring the edges of the rope together to form a closed loop. Lay on the cookie sheet, leaving enough space for the cookies to expand during baking. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes until the bottom of the cookies have browned. The tops may still be quite white. Remove from oven, cool for about 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 175-200 degrees Fahrenheit, and put the cookies back in to dry out and slowly brown. This may take up to 2-3 hours or more.Store in an airtight container when cool.

Lebanese Kaak, my version

Kaak or Kakh, is the Arabic word for cake. There are many different types of Kaak, some more cookie like, others more bread like. I had an Aunt who made these like no other member in my family. Her Kaak was literally the best! I scoured the web looking for a similar recipe. There are many variations out there but none seemed to be like what I remember her own to taste like. This recipe doesn't quite capture her's either so I guess somethings just have to be left in the past and recalled only as memories.

This recipe is a combination of some I have found on the web plus I have added my own twist to them so they are made to my own taste! I use a long drying out time so that the finished product is more like a rusk bread, not so much a cookie. I'll try a more cookie based one another time. The drying out process ensures that these will have a long storage life when kept in an airtight container. This does take some time to make so it's no wonder that most people buy them from a bakery. That's fine if you live in  Beirut a large city with a Lebanese bakery but I have found that by the time they get to a neighborhood Lebanese store, they are stale and fairly "yukky"!

For a stronger Anise flavor, grind an extra tablespoon of anise seeds to a powder and add to the dry ingredients. If you like your cookies a bit sweeter, increase the sugar to 2/3 cup.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups bread flour

1/3 cup Durum Atta flour

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of half and half

1/2 cup of water

2 teaspoons of yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup of sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 Tablespoon Anise

1 Tablespoon Fennel seed

1 Tablespoon Caraway seed

1 Tablespoon Orange Blossom Water (Ma’zahr)

1/2 teaspoon of Mahlab

1 egg for wash

Sesame seeds

1. Partially grind the fennel, anise and caraway seeds in a small blender (a quick pulse does the trick as you want to leave some of the seeds whole). Whisk together the flours, 1/2 cup sugar salt, ground seeds, and mahlab in a mixing bowl. Set aside
2. Proof the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water and the 1/2 teaspoon sugar for a few minutes.
3. Add the oil to the flour mixture and combine well until the mixture becomes grainy
4. Add the yeast mixture, Ma’zahr, and the warm half and half. Mix with the dough hook or by hand until you get a firm ball.
5. Let it rest covered for 15 minutes. Knead again 2 minutes then let it rise in a bowl that has been covered with a thin film of oil; cover the dough with a film of oil as well. Set it in a warm place to rise for at least one hour, until doubled in size.
6. Punch down the dough and let it rise again. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap or foil.
7. When the dough has doubled in volume, form into 20 balls. Cover with a damp towel and let them rise.
8. Lightly whisk an egg and pour into a plate. Pour some sesame seeds into another plate. Replenish these as they get used up.
9. Form each ball into a long rope. Press the ends to form a ring. Dip the ring face down into the egg mixture then dip the ring into the sesame seeds. Turn over and place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.  Cover and let them rest and rise for 45 minutes.
10. Bake in a 375F oven for about 15 minutes till golden brown. Then reduce the oven to 175F and let them dry out for another 6-8 hours in the low temperature. The Kaak should be hard, and sound hollow when tapped with a finger. There should be no “give” when the Kaak is pressed with a finger.

All Bran Rusks

Rusks are crunchy, dry cookies that just beg to be dunked in coffee or tea and eaten any time of the day! Although commonly associated with Dutch and South African cuisine, this type of cookie exists in almost every culture. Because they are dry, they last longer when stored in an airtight container. The difficulty in making these is in finding the right consistency between a cookie that falls apart because it's so "crumbly", and one that's just too hard and may cause serious dental damage! The other problem is trying to make this relatively low in fat and sugar. It's impossible to to cut those two ingredients back too much, and still end up with a delicious tasting rusk that is somewhat healthy. I think mine achieves this balance. I have used weight as the measure for the flour as it's more accurate than using cups.

1 stick butter (1/4 lb)

1/3-1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like things)

150 ml half and half

Juice of half lemon

½ cup Greek style yogurt

1 large egg

200g self-rising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 ½ teaspoon salt

1 cup Kellogg’s Original All-Bran cereal (not flakes)

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons uncooked oats

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

2.      Melt the butter and let it cool

3.      Grease and flour a standard loaf tin. I also line the bottom with parchment paper to avoid sticking

4.      Measure the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, nuts, cranberries and sesame seeds into a large bowl.

5.      Whisk the half and half, egg, yogurt until pale in color. Squeeze in the lemon juice then add all to the cooled, melted butter. Pour over the All-Bran cereal. Let that sit for a minute or two so that the cereal can absorb the liquid and soften.

6.      Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, then pour the batter into the loaf pan.

7.      Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, then a further 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from oven to cool once a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

8.      Lower oven temperature to 175 degrees Fahrenheit

9.      Cool in tin for 10 minutes then invert loaf to let it cool.

10.  Cut the loaf into slices 1 ¼ inches thick. Cut each slice into 3 pieces (like fingers). Place the slices on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.

11.  Dry out slices in the oven for 4-6 hours. Turn off oven and leave the slices in the oven overnight. Remove and store in an airtight container.

Honey Habanero Oven Baked Pig Tails

This is similar to a dish I first had in Kitchener, Ontario at a German style restaurant. I believe it was called the Charcoal Steak House. I was introduced to that restaurant by a friend who lived there for many years. Whenever I visited, it would be a little ritual to go to the steakhouse and order pig tails, and top it off with their Nesselrode Pie for desert. I do not visit as often as I used to so I needed to find a way to do pig tails in a similar way, but with a Jamaican twist.

My recipe uses very few ingredients, Jamaican meat seasoning, light soy sauce and Braswells Honey Habanero BBQ. The sauce is made in Georgia, my adopted home, and is widely available. If it's not available in your supermarket, information as to where you can locate it can be found at www.braswells.com.

While the ingredients are few, the preparation does take a while but is very worth it in the long run. The tails get coated in the yummy sauce and the meat is "fall off the bones" tender. If you can get uncut, fresh pig tails, that really works fine. At my supermarket, I get them only cut into pieces. To shorten the overall cooking times, pressure the pigtails, unseasoned for 20-25 minutes. Flash cool, drain the tails, season them, then go straight to step 2 in the directions. Those times can be shortened to 1-2 hours.
2 1/2 lbs fresh pig tails
2 tablespoons Jamaican meat seasoning
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1-2 bottles Braswells Honey Habanero sauce (depending on how much sauce you want to end up with. I like a lot to put over my rice)
Directions
1. Season the pigtails with the soy sauce and seasoning, rubbing the seasoning into the meat. Make small cuts into the layer of fat on the tails. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange the pigtails on a roasting pan with a rack. I line the pan with heavy duty foil as it makes cleanup that much easier. Bake for 30 minutes.
3. Lower the oven temperature to 225 degrees Fahrenheit, and let the tails slowly bake for about 2-3 hours at that temperature. This helps render the fat and tenderize the meat.
4. Remove from oven and put the tails in a baking dish. Discard the oil that has drained. Pour the Honey Habanero Sauce over it, cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for another 45-60 minutes. Serve with rice or Jamaican rice and peas and baked plantains.

Deep Fried Crispy Fish with Quinoa and Kale Salad

This recipe has the potential to be anything you want it to be, and can be tailor made to suit your taste. There are few measured quantities, and offers a lot of flexibility depending on your taste for any particular day. I start with 1/3 cup of quinoa (red or white), and then cook that using 2 parts of water to one part of quinoa. Once cooked, I use that as the base of the salad. For the fish, I use any firm fish, cut in chunks and seasoned with the seasoning of your choice. I use Jamaican fish seasoning but any combination that you like may be used. The fish has to be thoroughly dried prior to seasoning. Let the chunks marinate in the fridge for a while. Prior to deep frying, dredge the pieces with either cornstarch or flour. Deep fry until crisp on the outside but cooked inside. Drain on a paper towel.

Nuts added to the salad can be any that you like (peanuts, cashews, Macadamia, pecans etc). I used plain, raw walnuts but candied ones can also be used. Salad dressing again can be what you like. I like a Raspberry or Strawberry vinaigrette but any can be used.
Directions
1. Place the cooked quinoa at the bottom of a bowl.
2. Add some chopped pickle to this (I use a red cabbage, red onion and cranberry pickle (recipe can be found on this site) but any type of pickle can be used (dill cucumbers, Italian Giardinera, Vietnamese Dua Chua, Pepperoncini etc)
3. Tear a few leaves of kale, and stir fry in olive oil until wilted. Add this as the next layer to the salad.
4. Deep fry the seasoned chunks of fish, drain and arrange as a layer on the top of the salad.
5. Sprinkle nuts on top and add dressing to taste. 
6. Add more salt and pepper if desired.