Şıllık Ekmeği

Walnut Stuffed Dessert Crepe 

Crepe Batter:

• 1 c. Flour
• 2 Eggs
• ½ c. Milk
• ½ c. Water
• ½ tsp. Vanilla

Other ingredients:

• Kaymak (clotted cream, generally from water buffalo)
• Walnuts, broken into pieces but not chopped
• Pistachio Meats, finely crushed

Syrup:

• 2 c. Sugar
• 1 c. Water

1. Mix the together all ingredients for the crepe batter.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium flame.
3. Lightly grease the warm pan. (Traditionally a large hunk of beef fat is used to grease the pan for best results. Though locals would swear this is the only way to do it, lard or butter can be used as well.)
4. While holding the pan in the air with one hand, pour 1/3 c. of crepe batter into the pan using your other hand. As you pour rotate the pan so that the batter covers the entire bottom and makes a smooth, round circle.
5. As the crepe cooks keep checking to see that it doesn’t stick. (Locals will use their fingers for best results, but it takes lots of practice and calluses to be able to do that so feel free to use a pair of wooden tongs or a plastic spatula.)
6. Flip the crepe over onto the other side and allow both sides to cook evenly until golden brown.
7. Remove the crepe and place on a plate or in a dish with a paper towel. Use a large lid to cover the freshly cooked crepe so that it will steam and become pliable as you cook the remaining crepes by the same method.
8. Once all the crepes are cooked, remove the lid and test that the crepes can be easily rolled without cracking.
9. Place one crepe on a plate or work surface fully opened.
10. Spread some Kaymak (clotted cream, generally from water buffalo) about a ½ inch-wide along the center strip of the crepe.
11. Liberally sprinkle Walnuts along the strip of cream.
12. Roll up the crepe (both ends will be open) and place on a serving plate in the refrigerator.
13. In a small pot on the stove boil together the Sugar and Water to make the syrup.
14. Remove the stuffed crepe from the refrigerator and gently pour a liberal amount of hot syrup over top. Allow syrup to pool in the bottom of the plate and slowly be soaked up.
15. Sprinkle Pistachio over the top of the rolled crepe and serve immediately.

* This luscious dessert is special to the South East region of Turkey. When I was in Şanlıurfa I saw this on the menu of a cute little café and was intrigued since I hadn’t before seen it. The family running the café was very gracious to explain it to me and talked in length about many local and traditional dishes I hadn’t tasted before. The wife even invited me back to her kitchen at 10pm to learn how to make this special dessert.

In the picture above she was showing me how to grease the pan with a chunk of beef fat before she let me pour on the batter to make a crepe.