Pour a honey syrup over the cold muhallabeya muhallabeya. For the syrup: Bring to the boil 3 tablespoons honey with cup water. Stir well, and add 1 tablespoon orange-blossom or rose water. Let it cool, and pour over the cold, firmed cream. It will seep in gradually.

It can also be decorated with crystallized rose petals or violets.

An Algerian touch is to add the grated zest of 1 lemon to the cream, and to garnish with a dusting of cinnamon.

For a stiffer cream that can be molded, increase the amount of rice flour to up to cup. Pour into oiled individual molds and turn out just before serving, then decorate with nuts.

When a bowl of muhallabeya muhallabeya is garnished very lavishly with mounds of chopped nuts of different kinds (it can be done in a gorgeous pattern), it is called, with intended irony, "dish of the poor"- is garnished very lavishly with mounds of chopped nuts of different kinds (it can be done in a gorgeous pattern), it is called, with intended irony, "dish of the poor"-keshk elfu'ara.

Keskul Almond Pudding Serves 6 * This Turkish cream with ground almonds is one of my favorite milk puddings. * This Turkish cream with ground almonds is one of my favorite milk puddings.

cup blanched almonds 4 cups whole milk 4 tablespoons rice flour cup sugar cup blanched almonds 4 cups whole milk 4 tablespoons rice flour cup sugar A few drops of almond extract 2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios to garnish Grind the almonds in the food processor (the texture is best if you do not use commercially ground ones).

Bring the milk to the boil and take off the heat.

In a small bowl, mix the rice flour to a paste with 4-5 tablespoons cold water, making sure there are no lumps. Pour this into the milk, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, and cook-stirring constantly and always in the same direction, to keep lumps from forming- for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken.

Add the sugar and ground almonds and continue to cook on the lowest possible heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the consistency is that of a thin porridge. Always stir in the same direction, and do not sc.r.a.pe the bottom of the pan, as the bottom tends to stick and burn a little, and you do not want to sc.r.a.pe up any burnt bits. Stir in the almond extract and pour into a serving bowl or individual bowls. Let the cream cool before sprinkling on the pistachios. Serve chilled.

Saffron Caramel Cream Serves 6 * A friend described the flavors of a pudding she tasted in an Iranian restaurant, and I applied them to the cla.s.sic * A friend described the flavors of a pudding she tasted in an Iranian restaurant, and I applied them to the cla.s.sic creme caramel creme caramel. It is magnificent.

2 cups whole milk cups whole milk cup sugar plus 4 more tablespoons to make the caramel A pinch of saffron threads teaspoon cardamom seeds 2 tablespoons rose water 4 eggs, lightly beaten Scald the milk with the cup sugar, the saffron, and the cardamom and let it cool to lukewarm. Add the rose water, and gradually beat in the eggs.

Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar in a small pan until it melts and becomes dark brown. Add 4 tablespoons water. The liquid caramel will harden and then melt and bubble. Pour into a mold (a ring or round mold about 1 quart). Turn the mold around so that the liquid caramel reaches and covers every part. Use a spoon to help spread it up the sides. Heating the mold in the oven beforehand will keep the caramel (which hardens as it cools) runny for longer. If you use a pan as mold, you can prepare the caramel straight in it.

Let the caramel cool before pouring in the milk mixture slowly (too much force will disturb the caramel). Place the mold or can in a pan of water and bake in a 350F oven for about 1-1 hours, or until the custard has set.

Chill before turning out. Run a pointed knife around the edges of the mold, place a serving dish on top, and turn upside down.

Balouza Scented Jelly Serves 6 * It looks like white opaline encrusted with little stones. When it is served, it trembles like a jelly. It is customary for an admiring audience to compliment a belly dancer by comparing her tummy to a * It looks like white opaline encrusted with little stones. When it is served, it trembles like a jelly. It is customary for an admiring audience to compliment a belly dancer by comparing her tummy to a balouza balouza.

cup cornstarch cup cornstarch 4 cups water cup sugar, or to taste cup sugar, or to taste 3 tablespoons orange-blossom or rose water cup coa.r.s.ely chopped blanched cup coa.r.s.ely chopped blanched almonds or pistachio nuts Mix the cornstarch to a smooth paste with a little of the water in a large pan. Add the rest of the water and the sugar, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until dissolved. Bring to the boil slowly, stirring constantly, then put on the lowest heat and simmer gently, still stirring continually, until the mixture thickens.

To test if it is ready, dip a spoon in the hot cream and see if it clings and coats the spoon. Another test is to drop teaspoon of it onto a cold plate-if it remains a solid little ball and does not flatten out, it has thickened enough.

Stir in orange-blossom or rose water and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add the chopped nuts, stir well, and pour into a gla.s.s bowl. Serve chilled. It will set firmly.

Variations You can make this not too sweet (with less sugar) and add a spoonful of rose-petal or quince jam to each serving.

For balouza muhallabeya balouza muhallabeya, a creamier, less firm version, use milk instead of water. Leave out the nuts and use them as garnish instead. Flavor if you like with teaspoon mastic, pounded or ground to a powder with a pinch of sugar. Chill and decorate with chopped blanched almonds or pistachios, or with both. This is the pudding you will usually find in Lebanese restaurants today.

RIDDLE:.

A sparkling saber, so sweet to pull out. The kings of the East and the kings of the West cannot put it back into its sheath. What is it?

ANSWER:.

Milk.

Balta or Hetalia Serves 6 * This is Syrian and beautiful, like white blossoms and brown leaves floating in a pure scented stream, but it is not to everybody's taste. * This is Syrian and beautiful, like white blossoms and brown leaves floating in a pure scented stream, but it is not to everybody's taste.

1 recipebalouza (preceding recipe) (preceding recipe) FOR THE THE SYRUP SYRUP.

2 cups cold water cups cold water cup sugar, or more to taste 1 tablespoon orange-blossom or rose water, or to taste cup black or golden raisins cup split blanched almonds cup chopped pistachio nuts Prepare the balouza balouza and pour into a moistened square or rectangular dish (about 8 or 9 inches), so as to have a thick layer. Cool, then chill in the refrigerator. When it has set into a firm jelly, cut it into 1-inch squares with a knife. and pour into a moistened square or rectangular dish (about 8 or 9 inches), so as to have a thick layer. Cool, then chill in the refrigerator. When it has set into a firm jelly, cut it into 1-inch squares with a knife.

Prepare the syrup, which is not cooked, straight into a large gla.s.s serving bowl: Pour in the water and add sugar and a little orange-blossom or rose water, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste again, and add sugar if it is not sweet enough, or water if it is too sweet. Stir in the raisins, the almonds, and the pistachios.

Turn out the squares of balouza balouza and drop them into the syrup. Stir gently and serve. and drop them into the syrup. Stir gently and serve.

Roz bi Haleeb Rice Pudding Serves 6 * Mastic, the resin from the lentisk tree, a native of the Greek island of Chios, gives this homely pudding an intriguing and, to me, very delicious flavor. (Lebanese p.r.o.nounce it * Mastic, the resin from the lentisk tree, a native of the Greek island of Chios, gives this homely pudding an intriguing and, to me, very delicious flavor. (Lebanese p.r.o.nounce it miskeh miskeh, and some restaurants wrongly call it "musk.") It is bought in small translucent grains or crystals. You have to pound or grind them to a powder with a pinch of sugar.

1 cup short-grain or round rice 1 cups water 5 cups whole milk cup sugar, or to taste 1 tablespoon orange-blossom or rose water 1/4 teaspoon powdered mastic teaspoon powdered mastic Boil the rice in the water for 8 minutes. Add the milk and simmer over very low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure that the bottom does not stick and burn.

When the rice is very soft and the milk is not entirely absorbed, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add orange-blossom or rose water and the mastic, and stir vigorously. Cook for minute longer, and pour into a serving bowl. The pudding should be creamy. If it is dry, add a little milk.

Serve hot or cold.

Variations Garnish, if you like, with chopped nuts, or top with fruit preserves or fruits poached in syrup.

Pour the pudding into a baking dish and bake at 350F for 30 minutes, until a brown crust forms.

Om Ali Egyptian "Bread-and-b.u.t.ter" Pudding Serves 8 * The name means "Ali's mother," and it is the most popular sweet in Egypt. I had never heard of it when I lived there, but now it is everywhere. People in Cairo say it arrived in the city from the villages of Upper Egypt, but there it is said to be from Cairo. One joker explained that it was a bread pudding introduced by a Miss O'Malley, an Irish mistress of the Khedive Ismail. Go and believe him! People find all sorts of ways of making it-with pancakes, with thinly rolled-out puff pastry, with pieces of bread, and with fillo pastry. Fillo gives the most appealing texture, and it is good to bake the pastry initially rather than fry it in b.u.t.ter as is usual in Egypt. * The name means "Ali's mother," and it is the most popular sweet in Egypt. I had never heard of it when I lived there, but now it is everywhere. People in Cairo say it arrived in the city from the villages of Upper Egypt, but there it is said to be from Cairo. One joker explained that it was a bread pudding introduced by a Miss O'Malley, an Irish mistress of the Khedive Ismail. Go and believe him! People find all sorts of ways of making it-with pancakes, with thinly rolled-out puff pastry, with pieces of bread, and with fillo pastry. Fillo gives the most appealing texture, and it is good to bake the pastry initially rather than fry it in b.u.t.ter as is usual in Egypt.

6 sheets of fillo 6-8 tablespoons b.u.t.ter, melted cup black or golden raisins 1 cup mixed whole or slivered blanched almonds, chopped hazelnuts, and chopped pistachios 5 cups whole milk 1 cups heavy cream - cup sugar 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional) Leave the sheets of fillo in a pile to keep them from drying out. Brush each one with melted b.u.t.ter and place them on top of each other on a b.u.t.tered baking sheet.

Put the b.u.t.tered fillo sheets in a preheated 350F oven for about 10 minutes, until they are crisp and the top ones are very slightly colored.

When cool enough to handle, crush the pastry with your hands into pieces into a baking dish, sprinkling raisins and nuts in between the layers.

Bring the milk and cream to the boil in a pan with the sugar, and pour over the pastry. Sprinkle, if you like, with cinnamon, and return to the oven. Raise the heat to 425F and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until slightly golden.

Serve hot.

Variations You may bake the pudding in individual clay bowls, as they do in Egyptian restaurants.

A Moroccan version has the boiling milk and cream poured onto crisp, fried paper-thin pastry broken into small pieces. It is eaten like a cereal with nuts and raisins without further baking.

s.h.a.ghria bi Laban Vermicelli with Milk Serves 4-6 * Vermicelli broken into 1-inch pieces, or pasta which looks like large grains of rice, called * Vermicelli broken into 1-inch pieces, or pasta which looks like large grains of rice, called lissan al a.s.sfour lissan al a.s.sfour or "bird's tongues," and orzo in the U.S., is used. Both of these types of pasta were made at home by rolling the dough between two fingers, but now they are available commercially. or "bird's tongues," and orzo in the U.S., is used. Both of these types of pasta were made at home by rolling the dough between two fingers, but now they are available commercially.

In Egypt it is a breakfast dish, served sprinkled with nuts and raisins. Chopped bananas are sometimes also added. The pasta is usually fried until it is golden brown and then boiled. In North Africa, where they steam the pasta without first frying it, it is served as a dessert.

The mastic must be pounded or ground to a powder with a pinch of sugar.

4 cups whole milk plus more to serve with 9 ounces dry vermicelli or "bird's tongues" pasta -1 cup sugar, to taste 2 tablespoons orange-blossom or rose water 3-4 grains of mastic, ground to a powder (optional) 1 cup chopped mixed nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios) cup raisins Bring the milk to the boil in a pan and drop in the pasta. If using vermicelli, crunch into 1-inch pieces in your hand.

Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the pasta begins to soften. Then add the sugar, flower water, and mastic if using. Cook until the pasta is tender and most of the milk absorbed. Eat hot, sprinkled with nuts and raisins. Add more hot milk if necessary. It should be quite soupy.

Ashura Wheat or Barley with Nuts Serves 12 * An Egyptian breakfast of boiled whole wheat, with hot milk poured over and sprinkled with sugar called * An Egyptian breakfast of boiled whole wheat, with hot milk poured over and sprinkled with sugar called belila belila, is turned into a celebratory dish on the 10th of Moharram (the first month of the Muslim calendar), when it is embellished with a flower fragrance and with nuts. Unless it is very young, wheat remains chewy even after lengthy cooking, so I use barley, which is less common but softens relatively quickly.

2 cups whole barley or wheat, washed and soaked overnight 1 cup sugar, or to taste 2 cups milk 2 tablespoons orange-blossom or rose water TO GARNISH.

cup pistachios, coa.r.s.ely chopped cup blanched almonds, coa.r.s.ely chopped V4 cup pine nuts cup raisins, soaked in water and drained (optional) 1 teaspoon cinnamon Simmer the drained barley or wheat in plenty of fresh water for about 1 hour, or until the grain is very tender. Barley takes 20-30 minutes, wheat 1-2 hours. Drain, and pour into a large serving bowl or individual bowls.

Boil the sugar with the milk until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the flower water. Pour over the grain, and serve, hot or cold, garnished with the nuts and with raisins if you like, and dusted with cinnamon.

Variation The Turkish asure asure, prepared on the first day of Moharram, is an extraordinary dish in the number of its ingredients. In Turkey it also commemorates Noah's salvation from the Flood. According to legend, Noah made asure asure when the Flood subsided from everything that remained of foodstuffs at the bottom of sacks. The usual ingredients today are chickpeas, haricot beans, fava beans, whole wheat, black and golden raisins, dried figs, dried apricots, dates, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, and pomegranate seeds. when the Flood subsided from everything that remained of foodstuffs at the bottom of sacks. The usual ingredients today are chickpeas, haricot beans, fava beans, whole wheat, black and golden raisins, dried figs, dried apricots, dates, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, and pomegranate seeds. Asure Asure is a pudding with a creamy base of milk and sugar thickened with cornstarch and flavored with rose water and cinnamon. I have eaten it, but I have never made it myself. is a pudding with a creamy base of milk and sugar thickened with cornstarch and flavored with rose water and cinnamon. I have eaten it, but I have never made it myself.

Seffa Sweet Couscous Serves 6-8 * Fine-grained sweet couscous, called * Fine-grained sweet couscous, called seffa seffa in Morocco and in Morocco and mesfouf in mesfouf in Tunisia, is served hot, accompanied by cold milk or b.u.t.termilk. I like to eat it for breakfast. There are many versions. Tunisia, is served hot, accompanied by cold milk or b.u.t.termilk. I like to eat it for breakfast. There are many versions.

Dried fruit such as dates and raisins, and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, can be added, and the grain can be flavored with orange-blossom water or with cinnamon, honey, or sugar. A particularly wonderful version is with fresh grapes. The most common, seffa be zbib seffa be zbib, is with large black or golden raisins. Seffa be tamr Seffa be tamr is with dates and walnut halves. There is also one with pomegranate seeds. is with dates and walnut halves. There is also one with pomegranate seeds.

Here is a basic seffa/mesfouf followed seffa/mesfouf followed by possible garnishes. Serve it in bowls and pa.s.s round a jug of hot milk to pour over. by possible garnishes. Serve it in bowls and pa.s.s round a jug of hot milk to pour over.

3 cups fine or medium couscous 3 cups warm water -1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Sugar, to taste 1-2 tablespoons orange-blossom water (optional) 6-8 tablespoons b.u.t.ter Confectioners' sugar to decorate Ground cinnamon to decorate Pot of honey to pa.s.s round Prepare couscous as described in "An Easy Way of Preparing Quick-Cooking Couscous in the Oven" on page 376, using the amounts of couscous, water, salt, and oil called for in the above list.

Before serving, break up any lumps very thoroughly, add sugar to taste, and, if you like, orange-blossom water, and work in the b.u.t.ter.

Mix in one of the garnishes that follow, leaving some aside to decorate the dish.

Serve in a round, shallow dish. Shape into a cone. Dust the pointed top with confectioners' sugar and draw lines down the sides with cinnamon. Decorate further with the bits of garnish that have been left aside.

Serve in soup bowls. Accompany with bowls of sugar, cinnamon, and honey for people to help themselves if they want to, and with a jug of hot milk.

Possible Garnishes cup raisins soaked in water for 15-20 minutes, then drained pound dates and 1 cup chopped walnut halves (keep a few whole to decorate) 1 cups mixed chopped lightly toasted nuts, including pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnuts, and cup black or golden raisins Plenty of fresh grapes The fresh pink seeds of 2 pomegranates 1 cup blanched almonds, lightly toasted or fried in a drop of oil till golden, and coa.r.s.ely chopped For a Tunisian version, make a syrup by boiling cup water with 1 cups sugar and the juice of lemon. Pour half of it over the cooked grain and heat in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with the rest of the syrup poured over and a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts.

Melon Granita Serves 6 * Buy very ripe melons with a sweet fragrance that you can smell from a distance. * Buy very ripe melons with a sweet fragrance that you can smell from a distance.

2 medium melons Juice of 1 lemon cup sugar, or to taste -1 tablespoon orange-blossom water, to taste Cut open the melons. Peel and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into pieces and blend in the food processor-with the lemon juice, sugar, and orange-blossom water-to a liquid pulp. You should have about 6 cups. The amount of sugar depends on how sweet the melons are. Continue following the "basic method" (page 423).

Apricot Granita Serves 8

2.

pounds ripe apricots 1 cup sugar, or more to taste cup water Juice of lemon Wash the apricots and remove stones and stems.

Put the sugar in a pan with the water and lemon juice and bring to the boil (this amount of sugar gives a tart, not-too-sweet taste). Simmer 5 minutes and let it cool.

Turn the apricots to a paste in a blender or food processor. Add the syrup and blend to a cream.

Continue as in the "basic method" (page 423).

Lemon Granita Serves 6 4 cups water 1 cups sugar 1 tablespoon orange-blossom water 1 cups lemon juice The grated rind of 1 lemon (optional) Boil the water and sugar together for a few minutes, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Cool, and add orange-blossom water and lemon juice.

Stir well, and continue as in the "basic method" (page 423).

Orange Ice Cream Serves 6 * This wonderful ice cream is quite different from the usual orange granita. Make it a day before you want to serve it. * This wonderful ice cream is quite different from the usual orange granita. Make it a day before you want to serve it.

8 egg yolks cup sugar 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice Beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a pale, thick cream.

Bring the orange juice to the boil in a pan, then pour it gradually over the egg yolks, beating vigorously all the time. Pour back into the pan and stir constantly and vigorously over the lowest heat, without letting it boil, until the mixture thickens to a very light custard. Let it cool.

Line a mold with plastic wrap, and pour in the orange custard. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer.

Take the ice cream out of the freezer 15 minutes before you are ready to serve. Remove the plastic wrap on the top, turn out on a serving plate, and remove the remaining plastic wrap.

Dondurma Kaymakli Sahlab Ice Cream Serves 14 or more The brilliant white milk ice cream with a chewy texture of my childhood was made with The brilliant white milk ice cream with a chewy texture of my childhood was made with sahlab sahlab (also known as (also known as salep; salep; see page 46), the ground root tuber of a member of the orchid family, and mastic, a hard resin exuded from the lentisk tree. It has become something of a mythical ice cream, as it can no longer be found in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, countries that used to make it. see page 46), the ground root tuber of a member of the orchid family, and mastic, a hard resin exuded from the lentisk tree. It has become something of a mythical ice cream, as it can no longer be found in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, countries that used to make it. Sahlab Sahlab is very expensive, and what you buy is often adulterated. Be careful not to use too much mastic, as the taste would become unpleasant. is very expensive, and what you buy is often adulterated. Be careful not to use too much mastic, as the taste would become unpleasant.

2 tablespoons powderedsahlab 4 cups milk 1 cup heavy cream 1 cups sugar teaspoon mastic 1 tablespoon orange-blossom water Chopped pistachio nuts to garnish Dissolve the powdered sahlab sahlab in about 1 cups of the milk. Put the rest of the milk in a saucepan together with the cream and sugar, and bring to the boil. Add the in about 1 cups of the milk. Put the rest of the milk in a saucepan together with the cream and sugar, and bring to the boil. Add the milk-and-sahlab milk-and-sahlab mixture gradually, beating with an electric beater. Simmer very gently over low heat for about 20-30 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. mixture gradually, beating with an electric beater. Simmer very gently over low heat for about 20-30 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Crush and pulverize the mastic by pounding with a pinch of sugar, and stir into the milk mixture. Add orange-blossom water, mix well, and cook for a moment more.

Pour into a wide dish (about 11 inches) lined with plastic wrap, and cover with wrap. Put in the freezer overnight or days ahead.

At any point after the mixture has frozen hard, remove from the freezer, turn it out of the dish, and blend in batches in a food proces- sor. The longer you blend, the whiter it will get and the more chewy and elastic the texture. Pour into a mold lined with plastic wrap and cover with wrap. Put in the freezer again for at least 1 hour.

Take the ice cream out of the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve sprinkled with pistachio nuts.

Note: Mastic mixed with a little candle wax is the local chewing gum in Egypt. Mastic mixed with a little candle wax is the local chewing gum in Egypt.

Dairy Ice Cream with Mastic and Rose Water Serves 6 * This is a modern version of * This is a modern version of don-durma kaymakli don-durma kaymakli without without sahlab sahlab. Mastic and rose water give it an exotic allure. The mastic, a resin exuded from the lentisk tree, is sold in small, hard, translucent lumps, like crystals. It must be pounded or ground to a fine powder with a pestle and mortar, together with a pinch of sugar.

4 egg yolks cup sugar 1 cups light cream 1-2 tablespoons rose water, to taste teaspoon pulverized mastic 1 cups heavy cream Beat the egg yolks and sugar to a thick, pale cream in a bowl. Bring the light cream to the boil and gradually pour over the yolk mixture, beating all the time.