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Kazandibi

The pudding is deliberately burnt against the base of the pan, and that burnt layer is turned out to become the top.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (butter), dairy (whole milk).

Ingredients

to line the pan

the pudding

to finish

Method

  1. THE PUDDING IS DELIBERATELY BURNT AGAINST THE BASE OF THE PAN, AND THAT BURNT LAYER IS TURNED OUT TO BECOME THE TOP. The name says as much -- it refers to the bottom of the cauldron. A thick milk pudding is spread into a buttered and sugared tray and the tray is then put over a direct flame, moved around, until the underside has gone from gold to a genuine dark brown with black patches. It is then chilled, cut, and each piece is lifted out and TURNED OVER, so the scorched face is uppermost. Every instinct in cooking says a caught pan is a ruined one; here it is the entire dish, and a cautious pale brown gives something that tastes of nothing in particular.
  2. THE BURNING IS DONE AFTER THE PUDDING IS IN THE TRAY, NOT WHILE IT COOKS. The pudding is made properly and stirred so it does not catch, poured into the prepared tray, levelled, and only then is the tray itself put over heat. Trying to burn it while it is still being stirred gives black specks through the whole pudding instead of one clean layer.
  3. THE PAN IS BUTTERED AND THEN SUGARED, AND THE SUGAR IS WHAT BURNS. Soft butter smeared over the base and three tablespoons of caster sugar shaken over it to coat evenly. The sugar caramelises and then scorches at a far lower temperature than milk solids would, which is what makes the layer a deliberate even brown rather than a patchy accident.
  4. THE FLAME IS MODERATE AND THE TRAY IS KEPT MOVING. Six to eight minutes, sliding the tray around over the burner so different parts take the heat. It can be judged by smell -- caramel turning to just-burnt sugar -- and by lifting an edge with a palette knife to look. A fierce flame burns a ring in the middle and leaves the edges pale.
  5. IT IS CHILLED THOROUGHLY BEFORE IT IS TURNED, AND FOUR HOURS IS THE MINIMUM. The pudding has to be firm enough that a cut piece can be lifted on a palette knife and flipped without breaking. Warm, the scorched layer tears away and stays in the tray.
  6. IT IS ROLLED OR FOLDED, NOT SERVED FLAT. Each cut piece is rolled up so the dark layer spirals through it, or at least folded over. Served as a flat slab the burnt layer is one note at the bottom of each mouthful rather than running through it.
  7. The tray base smeared with the soft butter, then the 3 tablespoons of sugar shaken over to coat evenly.
  8. The rice flour and cornflour whisked smooth with 300 ml of the cold milk.
  9. The remaining milk and 220 g sugar brought to a simmer.
  10. The starch mixture whisked in and cooked, STIRRING CONSTANTLY so it does not catch, 10 MINUTES until very thick.
  11. The mastic whisked in if used.
  12. Spread into the prepared tray to about 2.5 cm and LEVELLED.
  13. THE TRAY PUT OVER A MODERATE DIRECT FLAME and KEPT MOVING 6 to 8 MINUTES.
  14. An edge lifted with a palette knife to check: the underside should be DARK BROWN with black patches, not gold.
  15. Cooled, then chilled at least 4 HOURS until firm.
  16. Cut into rectangles and each one LIFTED AND TURNED OVER so the scorched face is UPPERMOST, then rolled or folded.
  17. TESTED: the dark layer should come out intact and be genuinely dark. Pale means the flame was too timid.
  18. Dusted with cinnamon.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Turkey · All recipes