This week, I have been swamped with baking hundreds of heart-shaped cookies. I hosted three successful baking classes with new and old friends at my home. And today I�m simply resting.
Since today is all about love, I thought I�d dedicate a post to one of my favorite Turkish delights that I�ve fallen in love with � kaymak.
If you don�t know what kaymak is, you are simply missing out on a piece of heaven!
Kaymak is the Turkish version of clotted cream. It�s thick, rich, creamy and utterly divine slathered on Turkish white bread for breakfast! Kaymakpairs perfectly with Turkish honey and honeycomb.
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| Fresh manda kaymak served with Turkish honeycomb at home. |
Kaymak is made from milk � preferably from water buffaloes, known as mandain Turkish � that is slowly boiled until a thick layer of rich cream forms at the top. After it cools, the cream is skimmed off, rolled into little logs and left to chill. The logs of kaymakturn solid when refrigerated but turn creamy and nearly liquid when at room temperature.
On the weekends, we generally treat ourselves to a traditional Turkish breakfast out in Istanbul. If we are at a new restaurant, I immediately look to see if balkaymak (kaymak served with honey) is on the menu. I love kaymak for breakfast!
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| One of the Turkish breakfast plates with a dish of balkaymak at Cafe Nar in Istanbul. |
My husband is sweet enough to even save the last bite of balkaymak for me because he knows how much I love it.
Kaymak also plays an important role in the Turkish breakfast sweet called katmer which originates in Gaziantep. (Remember this post: Gaziantep: Indulging in Sweet Katmer). Luckily, in Istanbul, you can find a version of katmer at �iya in Kadik�y.
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| It's like a little envelope filled with love at �iya. |
Besides breakfast, you�ll find Turkish kaymak in baklava and lokum from Safranbolu as well as a garnish for many Turkish desserts such as k�nefe (shredded phyllo dough baked with cheese and a sugar syrup) ayva tatlisi (roasted quince) and tel kadayif (shredded phyllo dough baked with nuts and a sugar syrup).
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| A version of tel kadayif served at a friend's home recently. |
K�nefe is one of my favorite Turkish desserts! The combination of hot, gooey cheese baked between sweetened layers of shredded phyllo dough is just sublime!
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| A perfect version of k�nefe served at Urfali Haci Usta in Istanbul. |
So if you�re visiting Istanbul or Turkey, you simply must make a point to try kaymak as often as you can. Just be sure to walk off the extra calories later.
I doubt anyone can love kaymak more than I do!