A Yemeniyah's Recipes

This dessert reminds me of my best friend Roro–I ate this at her place the first day I met her. It was a start of a great friendship, of course this dessert helped a lot . Now we are great cooking buddies as well and we talk endlessly about new recipes.

You will need:

1) 2 packets of Marie Cookies (if you can find digestive cookies from  those are even better). Note: if you would like a thinner crust use one packet and one finger of unsalted butter. 

2) 2 fingers of unsalted butter melted (you can less for a crumbly crust)

3) 1 small can of cream (Quishta) or table cream [see pic below for a pic of the can]

4) 1 and a 1/2 tblsp of milk powder

5) 20 small pittted dates (if you only have those huge California Medjool dates use 15)

6) 2 small cans of evaporated sweetened milk (or one big one) –if you don’t like it too sweet you can reduce this amount and substitute it with the table cream. 

7) 1 tsp baking powder

8) 1 egg

Place the cookies in a food processor and process until crumbly, add the melted butter and mix in well. Press into a pyrex dish (8×11.5) and place in preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.

In a blender place all the rest of the ingredients except for the dates. Once they are all blended drop in the dates one by one. When they are well blended take the mixture and pour onto of the crust in the pyrex.

Place in oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes–just as you see if rise. Do not over bake. Take out of the oven and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top. Enjoy with bitter turkish coffee.

Remember the magic word before you make this dessert “Bismillah” [In the Name of Allah]

I called this recipe Lamya’s Basboosa because that is what my friends call it–it differs from the traditional Basboosa that the Egyptians are famous for. My friend Gala entered a competition with this recipe and won first prize. It is always a winner whereever I take it.

First step is to make the sugar syrup–put 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water in a saucepan.Let it boil under medium heat unitl it is reduced to about a cup and a half. Turn the heat off and add three drops of lemon and tsp of Orange Blossom water. LET IT COOL.

For the Basboosa you will need:

1) 4 eggs

2) 1 cup of sugar

3) 1 cup oil (vegetable, corn or canola–don’t use olive oil)

4) 2 small cans of Quishta or 1 big one (cream–Quishta is Arabic for Cream)

5) 1/2 cup powdered milk

6)1 tsp vanilla

7) 2 tsp baking powder

8) 1 cup coarse Farina [aka Semolina/Cream of Wheat]

9) 1/2 cup of crushed pistachios

10) 1/4 cup of dessicated UNSWEETENED coconut for decoration

In a mixer start by mixing the eggs, sugar, oil, and cream. Until they are well blended, add the dry ingredients one after the other. Don’t be alarmed that the mixture is thinner than a regular cake mix.

Place in a 9×13 glass oven dish andsprinkle some crushed pistachios on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes–until golden brown on the top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Take it out of the oven and pour the sugar syrup on top (you can pour all of it or some of it, depending on how sweet you want it to be). Once it absorbs the sugar syrup, sprinkle some UNSWEETENED coconut on top.

Enjoy!