Happy new year!!!

I wish a very Happy new year to all of my friends!!! Wish that in this year your dreams will become true and may this year will be truly happy, lucky and full of joy! I hope I will post more recipes of Uzbek cuisine in the upcoming year and be useful for you.

May this year will be the happiest year for all of us!!!

Saqich-qand (Caramel candies)

I love these sticky and chewy candies. It's always nice to make different candies at home by yourself, as you can be sure about ingredients and also they are 100% natural.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of milk,
1 cup of sugar
30 gr of butter
Mix together milk and sugar. Put on a high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat on medium and simmer for about 8-10 min. It will foam a lot, so be careful and unceasingly stir. Add in butter. Continue simmering for another 10-15 min or until syrup is thick enough. To check the readiness pour one drop of syrup on a dry plate and bend, if it's not running, then it's ready. Pour on ice cube molds and put in fridge for overnight. Don't forget to grease the mold with vegetable oil.
Take out caramel candies and enjoy them with a hot cup of tea:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Olma qand (Glazed apples)

"Olma qand" was my favorite when I was a child. It's a pity that nowadays you can rarely find them on sale. But the good thing is, you can prepare them at home by yourself. My daughter just love them and calls them "Apple lollipops".
Ingredients:
6 medium sized apples
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water
6 wooden skewers
Some crashed nuts (optional)
Finely wash apples. Stick wooden skewers in to apples.
Mix sugar and water and put on a high heat. Boil until syrup will be thick and light brown. Mix during process.
Take syrup from heat and quickly deep in apples one by one and then if you want roll apples over nuts. Your apple lollipops are ready to eat!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Uzbek profiteroles (Zavarnoye)

I can't tell where this recipe is originated from, Russians, Italians or French, but surely it is very famous sweet in Uzbekistan. I love it's puffiness and lightness. I use different fillings for it, today's is custard chocolate cream. Usually I like to use my favorite - sweet condensed milk beat with sour cream. If you like you can use any other your favorite filling. You will get 30 small or 15 big pastries from this recipe.
240 ml or 1 cup of water
115 grams of butter
pinch of salt
1 full cup of plain flour
3-4 eggs
For cream:
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp of plain flour
2 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa
200 gram of sugar
50 grams of butter
Cut butter in small pieces, add in water and put on a medium heat, when it comes to boil add in salt and flour. Mix vigorously until dough becomes a mass that pulls away from the sides of the pot and will form a nice dough ball. Take from heat and let it cool down.
Blend in eggs one by one in to the dough, mixing vigorously each time until dough will absorb the egg. If your eggs are small use 4 eggs, if they are big then use 3. The dough must be thick and must not be runny. Use pastry bag or just a spoon and set small balls on your baking sheet. I use teaspoon for making small ones and a pastry bag for bigger ones.
Bake in preheated oven on 200 C for 10 min then reduce to 180C and bake for 25-30 min, or until it is nice golden in color. Don't open your oven for the first 20 min or your pastry will set down.
For filling: Beat eggs and sugar until eggs are pale in color and then add in half a cup of milk, beat again for 1 min. Add in 2 tbsp of flour and beat until smooth. Add in the rest half of the milk, beat for 2 min. Set your heat on high and bring mixture to boil, continuously stirring. When it comes to boil, lower the heat and cook stirring until mixture is thick enough, it mustn't run from the spoon. But don't over cook! Take from the heat, pour it in to another bowl and let it cool. Beat in 50 grams of butter. If you want to make chocolate cream, add in chocolate along with flour.
Slightly cut up each pastry and fill with cream or use your pastry bag for that purpose.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and just enjoy this mouth melting pastry!
Yoqimli ishtaha!