Day 171 - My Birthday - Turkish Restaurant, Cairns - Birthday Baklava, Turkish Delight & "Schnapps Shots"

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Kevin’s 29th Birthday Extravaganza continues!!

Canadian housemate Krista, a few of her cool British friends and I headed out for Turkish food for Phase 2 of the evening!

(Pretty girl, eh? I tell yah … must be something in those Canadian waters)

After some great (and FILLING … oy) appetizers and mains, out came the drinks, and the dancing,

, and more drinks .. and more dancing … and … (ok, you get the point)

Actually, the night wasn’t that messy, and it really was a very memorably night. Our hostess at the restaurant (what was her name again?) was all-too-happy to keep us eating / drinking as long as she could, even providing us with a free round of her “signature shots”. Recipe provided shortly (I misplaced it, must have packed it away by accident ...).

“Birthday baklava”? Sure! The restaurant even served dessert with a side of Turkish Delight. (naively, I assumed this was only something you could buy in the candy bar aisle at the supermarket / convenience store) Again, we provided out birthday candles – like the good Boy Scout I am, one must be prepared for any and all situations.

Recipe for Baklava from AllRecipes.com, another recipe I've used many times before.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 tablespoons whole cloves
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup white sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup honey

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2) Melt the butter over low heat. Pour 2 tablespoons of the butter into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Layer 3 sheets of the phyllo dough in the pan. Trim dough to fit. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of pecans over the phyllo dough. Layer 3 more sheets of dough, brush generously with the melted butter, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of pecans. Continue dough -butter- pecan layers until pan is 3/4 full.
3) With a sharp knife, score phyllo dough to form diamonds. Press a clove at each end of the diamonds. Pour remaining butter over the dough.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.
4) Meanwhile, combine the sugar, water and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan, and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5) Add the honey and simmer for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick. Pour honey mixture over hot baklava. Let cool on wire racks. Cut into diamonds.