{GUEST POST} Chef in Disguise: Hareeseh

I have promised you to introduce  my favourite blogs and bloggers on a monthly basis, and for my second guest post I couldn't think of anyone better than one of my dearest blogger friends Sawsan aka Chef in Disguise! She lives in Jordan, is an orthodontist by day, mother of two, and decribes herself as "a food explorer by night"!  I am a big fan of her recipes that are a perfect fusion of eastern and western cuisine, of her stunning photography, and not to forget- her beautiful writing style. It is a feast both for your tastebuds and for your eyes! To understand what I mean, if you do not know Chef in Disguise yet,  please visit  Chef in Disguise and start to explore- and don't forget to grab a cup of coffee or tea- I am sure you will stay long and will love it!!!  When Sawsan asked me what her guest post should be about, I told her I would be very happy to learn more about middle eastern dishes, no matter if savory or sweet.  Enjoy!

Ich habe ja versprochen, einmal im Monat meine liebsten Blogs und Blogger vorzustellen, und heute ist es wieder soweit! Mein Gast ist heute Sawsan von Chef in Disguise, eine meiner liebsten Foodie Freunde, Autorin des zauberhaften Food-Blogs "Chef in Disguise", den ich regelmäßig besuche und mitunter auch schon viele Rezepte nachgekocht habe. Alles was ich bisher ausprobiert habe, ist mir gelungen, und mein(e) Mitesser war(en) immer hellauf begeistert von den kreativen Rezepte-Variationen mit fernöstlichem Twist! Also, vorbeischauen lohnt sich, und ich empfehle dringendst eine große Tasse Kaffee oder Tee vorzubereiten, denn ich bin mir sicher, ihr werdet von den tollen Fotos sowie interessanten Posts gefesselt sein- wie ich!:) 

Sjećate se mog obećanja da jedanput mjesečno predstavim meni drage blogove i bloger(ic)e? Danas vam predstavljam Sawsan aka Chef in Disguise, koju pratim otkad je započela pisati svoj kulinarski blog, gdje redovno svraćam, uživam u prekrasnim slikama, u originalnim, detaljnim receptima s orijentalnim "twistom", od kojih sam mnoge isprobala i uvijek su mi savršeno ukusno ispali (u draftu čekaju recepti i sličice, ali ću neki drugi put o njima... :) I dragi to oduševljenje dijeli sa mnom! Inače, volim i njen način pisanja, da biste dobili jasniju sliku o čemu govorim obavezno posjetite Chef in Disguise, i uz obaveznu šalicu kafe ili čaja, sjedite, čitajte i uživajte!  

~o~o~o~o~

I was honored when Tanja asked me to write a guest post for her amazing blog. She is one of the most talented bloggers I have met. Her pictures are stunning, recipes original, styling mouth watering but above all she is kind and sweet, always there with a kind comment or words of encouragement just when you need them!

I wanted to share a middle eastern recipe with Tanja and her readers but which one? After some thinking and consulting my mum I came up with Hareeseh.

Hareeseh is an arabic dessert made with Samolina and sweetened with rosewater syrup. It is there in every dessert shop , family menu and it is even sold by street venders in the old parts of Amman and other middle eastern cities.

The recipes to hareeseh vary and so do the names. Some call it basboosa, namoora, harissa or haresse. Some use coconut, dates, yogurt or eggs while others stick to the basic semolina sugar and oil base. No matter what you call it or what combination of flavors you put in it, it is a treat worth making, a sure way to impress your guest and a quick and easy dessert that is loved by kids and adults alike

You can make hareeseh in a pan or using a cup cake try to get individualized desserts.

Hareeseh

2 cups semolina

1 cup (75 grams) shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup (1 stick)(100 grams) butter

1 cup (240 grams) heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup (80 grams) greek yogurt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup (80 grams) milk

1 teaspoon rosewater (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest of one orange or lemon (optional)

Syrup

3 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 teaspoon rose water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

To make the syrup

In a pot add the sugar, water and lemon juice

Bring to a boil over medium heat, allow to simmer for 2-4 minutes.

Take off the heat and stir in the rosewater

To make the Hareeseh

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
Brush your baking dish with oil or butter.
Pour the batter and then smooth the surface using a wet hand.
Using a sharp knife that you wet with water cut the pattern you like into the batter (here is a the way I did my pattern).

Bake in a 180 C oven on the lowest rack until the edges of the hareeseh are golden brown.
Place under the broiler until the top is golden brown.
Take out of the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the syrup to the hot hareeseh (the amount you add depends on how sweet you like it to be I usually add about half of the syrup).

Run your knife along the pattern you made to separate the hareeseh pieces.

Allow to cool to room temperature.
Decorate with pistachio.

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Aren't these pictures simply mouthwatering?

Thank you Sawsan for writing this guest post and sharing this delicious treat with us!

For more yummie recipes visit Sawsan's blog.

You can connect with her here:

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Have a wonderful day!!!