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Several years ago, a fellow cookbook collector gifted me a copy of Ana Sortun's excellent
Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean
, and I fell instantly and madly in love. Sortun is the executive chef behind Oleana and Sofra. Classically trained at La Varenne, she decided to incorporate Mediterranean spices and the mezze mentality after studying in Turkey. Sofra Cafe and Bakery opened in 2008 and serves mezze and baked goods from Turkey, Lebanon, and Greece, all of which are amply represented in "Soframiz."
I've long admired Turkish cuisine and have collected numerous books on the subject (including recent releases
Istanbul Cult Recipes
,
Eat Istanbul: A Journey to the Heart of Turkish Cuisine
, and
Anatolia: Adventures in Turkish Cooking
), so when I heard that Ana and Maura Kilpatrick were coming out with a Sofra cookbook, I was ecstatic. I've had the galley for several months, and have made numerous recipes from the book, including the spicy tomato bulgur salad, stuffed simit, Persian carrot and black eyed pea salad, and tahini shortbread cookies.
The recipes include breakfast, meze, flatbreads, savory pies, cookies and confections, specialty pastries, cakes and desserts, and beverages. If you've never experienced a Turkish (or Israeli) breakfast, you're in for a treat; traditional breakfast spreads include many small bowls and plates of olives, tahini, stuffed flatbreads, egg dishes, vegetables and cheeses taking up the entire table. Breakfast at Sofra includes such staples as Shakshuka (baked eggs with spicy tomato sauce), rolled omelet with za'atar and labne, flower pogaca rolls, date orange brioche tart, pistachio toaster pastries with rosewater glaze, and morning buns iwth orange blossom glaze.
The meze really shine and make for inspired snacking or afternoon pick-me-ups, from the whipped cheese spreads and hummus to hearty and healthy bean-based salads (Persian carrot and black-eyed peas, Egyptian-style pea salad with walnuts, barley and chickpea salad, yellow split peas with za'atar spiced almonds). I made several for this review and all were definite repeats.
My true passion is baking, so the breads and baked goods were the real test. My first disappointment was that measurements are only given in volume, not weight; as a serious home baker, I much prefer the precision of weighing my flours, particularly as I live in an extremely humid climate (which affects the weight of flour). I also had some issues with several of the bread recipes I tried; the stuffed simit featured on the cover calls for 1 cup water to 2 1/4 cups of flour, and what initially greeted me was almost like pancake batter. I continued to add flour by the tablespoon, as well as a little olive oil, and eventually had a very soft (but workable) dough that was wonderfully moist. The Turkish method of brushing with pekmez (grape molasses) lends a sweet finish to the savory filling of feta and za'atar spiced almonds and the toasted sesame seed topping. The bread is delicious on its own or as an accompaniment to the salads in the book.
Fans of Middle Eastern pastries will be in heaven; from pistachio bird's nests (a recipe I have not encountered in my many other Turkish books) to Persian love cake, kunefe, umm Ali with caramelized apples, chocolate hazelnut baklava, brown butter pecan pie with espresso dates, date espresso ma'amoul, and milky walnut-fig baklava, this is a baker's paradise.
I encountered an issue with the tahini shortbread cookies, which calls for 2 tsp salt; I cross-checked the recipe on the internet, and the online version I found also called for 2 tsp. salt. My baker's instinct told me to start with much less; I went with 1/2 tsp salt, which is what most of the other cookie and shortbread recipes in "Soframiz" called for, and I'm certainly glad I didn't use the full amount as they would have been too salty for my taste. Also, I followed the recipe to the letter, and ended up with more like 3 or 4 dozen cookies. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds but you are only instructed to use 1/4 cup. The resulting cookies were absolutely delicious and would be fantastic as part of a cheese tray as the sesame lends a savory edge.
Gorgeous matte photography and clear, large font make this a pleasure to read and cook from (I prefer matte pages as it means no glare in my cookbook holder). I loved the recipes I tried, but found in several instances that there are small errors, so be sure to read through the entire recipe in advance and make note if an ingredient is mentioned that is not in the list, or an amount seems off.
Overall "Soframiz" is one of my top cookbook picks for 2016 (I'll be releasing my 2016 cookbook roundup in the next month or two), and one that fans of Turkish, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine will certainly want to add to their collections.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2016
I've long admired Turkish cuisine and have collected numerous books on the subject (including recent releases [[ASIN:1743368577 Istanbul Cult Recipes]], [[ASIN:1849496633 Eat Istanbul: A Journey to the Heart of Turkish Cuisine]], and [[ASIN:1743360495 Anatolia: Adventures in Turkish Cooking]]), so when I heard that Ana and Maura Kilpatrick were coming out with a Sofra cookbook, I was ecstatic. I've had the galley for several months, and have made numerous recipes from the book, including the spicy tomato bulgur salad, stuffed simit, Persian carrot and black eyed pea salad, and tahini shortbread cookies.
The recipes include breakfast, meze, flatbreads, savory pies, cookies and confections, specialty pastries, cakes and desserts, and beverages. If you've never experienced a Turkish (or Israeli) breakfast, you're in for a treat; traditional breakfast spreads include many small bowls and plates of olives, tahini, stuffed flatbreads, egg dishes, vegetables and cheeses taking up the entire table. Breakfast at Sofra includes such staples as Shakshuka (baked eggs with spicy tomato sauce), rolled omelet with za'atar and labne, flower pogaca rolls, date orange brioche tart, pistachio toaster pastries with rosewater glaze, and morning buns iwth orange blossom glaze.
The meze really shine and make for inspired snacking or afternoon pick-me-ups, from the whipped cheese spreads and hummus to hearty and healthy bean-based salads (Persian carrot and black-eyed peas, Egyptian-style pea salad with walnuts, barley and chickpea salad, yellow split peas with za'atar spiced almonds). I made several for this review and all were definite repeats.
My true passion is baking, so the breads and baked goods were the real test. My first disappointment was that measurements are only given in volume, not weight; as a serious home baker, I much prefer the precision of weighing my flours, particularly as I live in an extremely humid climate (which affects the weight of flour). I also had some issues with several of the bread recipes I tried; the stuffed simit featured on the cover calls for 1 cup water to 2 1/4 cups of flour, and what initially greeted me was almost like pancake batter. I continued to add flour by the tablespoon, as well as a little olive oil, and eventually had a very soft (but workable) dough that was wonderfully moist. The Turkish method of brushing with pekmez (grape molasses) lends a sweet finish to the savory filling of feta and za'atar spiced almonds and the toasted sesame seed topping. The bread is delicious on its own or as an accompaniment to the salads in the book.
Fans of Middle Eastern pastries will be in heaven; from pistachio bird's nests (a recipe I have not encountered in my many other Turkish books) to Persian love cake, kunefe, umm Ali with caramelized apples, chocolate hazelnut baklava, brown butter pecan pie with espresso dates, date espresso ma'amoul, and milky walnut-fig baklava, this is a baker's paradise.
I encountered an issue with the tahini shortbread cookies, which calls for 2 tsp salt; I cross-checked the recipe on the internet, and the online version I found also called for 2 tsp. salt. My baker's instinct told me to start with much less; I went with 1/2 tsp salt, which is what most of the other cookie and shortbread recipes in "Soframiz" called for, and I'm certainly glad I didn't use the full amount as they would have been too salty for my taste. Also, I followed the recipe to the letter, and ended up with more like 3 or 4 dozen cookies. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds but you are only instructed to use 1/4 cup. The resulting cookies were absolutely delicious and would be fantastic as part of a cheese tray as the sesame lends a savory edge.
Gorgeous matte photography and clear, large font make this a pleasure to read and cook from (I prefer matte pages as it means no glare in my cookbook holder). I loved the recipes I tried, but found in several instances that there are small errors, so be sure to read through the entire recipe in advance and make note if an ingredient is mentioned that is not in the list, or an amount seems off.
Overall "Soframiz" is one of my top cookbook picks for 2016 (I'll be releasing my 2016 cookbook roundup in the next month or two), and one that fans of Turkish, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine will certainly want to add to their collections.
Delicious Mediterranean meze and baked goods, but needs some minor edits
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2016
Several years ago, a fellow cookbook collector gifted me a copy of Ana Sortun's excellent [[ASIN:0060792280 Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean]], and I fell instantly and madly in love. Sortun is the executive chef behind Oleana and Sofra. Classically trained at La Varenne, she decided to incorporate Mediterranean spices and the mezze mentality after studying in Turkey. Sofra Cafe and Bakery opened in 2008 and serves mezze and baked goods from Turkey, Lebanon, and Greece, all of which are amply represented in "Soframiz."Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2016
I've long admired Turkish cuisine and have collected numerous books on the subject (including recent releases [[ASIN:1743368577 Istanbul Cult Recipes]], [[ASIN:1849496633 Eat Istanbul: A Journey to the Heart of Turkish Cuisine]], and [[ASIN:1743360495 Anatolia: Adventures in Turkish Cooking]]), so when I heard that Ana and Maura Kilpatrick were coming out with a Sofra cookbook, I was ecstatic. I've had the galley for several months, and have made numerous recipes from the book, including the spicy tomato bulgur salad, stuffed simit, Persian carrot and black eyed pea salad, and tahini shortbread cookies.
The recipes include breakfast, meze, flatbreads, savory pies, cookies and confections, specialty pastries, cakes and desserts, and beverages. If you've never experienced a Turkish (or Israeli) breakfast, you're in for a treat; traditional breakfast spreads include many small bowls and plates of olives, tahini, stuffed flatbreads, egg dishes, vegetables and cheeses taking up the entire table. Breakfast at Sofra includes such staples as Shakshuka (baked eggs with spicy tomato sauce), rolled omelet with za'atar and labne, flower pogaca rolls, date orange brioche tart, pistachio toaster pastries with rosewater glaze, and morning buns iwth orange blossom glaze.
The meze really shine and make for inspired snacking or afternoon pick-me-ups, from the whipped cheese spreads and hummus to hearty and healthy bean-based salads (Persian carrot and black-eyed peas, Egyptian-style pea salad with walnuts, barley and chickpea salad, yellow split peas with za'atar spiced almonds). I made several for this review and all were definite repeats.
My true passion is baking, so the breads and baked goods were the real test. My first disappointment was that measurements are only given in volume, not weight; as a serious home baker, I much prefer the precision of weighing my flours, particularly as I live in an extremely humid climate (which affects the weight of flour). I also had some issues with several of the bread recipes I tried; the stuffed simit featured on the cover calls for 1 cup water to 2 1/4 cups of flour, and what initially greeted me was almost like pancake batter. I continued to add flour by the tablespoon, as well as a little olive oil, and eventually had a very soft (but workable) dough that was wonderfully moist. The Turkish method of brushing with pekmez (grape molasses) lends a sweet finish to the savory filling of feta and za'atar spiced almonds and the toasted sesame seed topping. The bread is delicious on its own or as an accompaniment to the salads in the book.
Fans of Middle Eastern pastries will be in heaven; from pistachio bird's nests (a recipe I have not encountered in my many other Turkish books) to Persian love cake, kunefe, umm Ali with caramelized apples, chocolate hazelnut baklava, brown butter pecan pie with espresso dates, date espresso ma'amoul, and milky walnut-fig baklava, this is a baker's paradise.
I encountered an issue with the tahini shortbread cookies, which calls for 2 tsp salt; I cross-checked the recipe on the internet, and the online version I found also called for 2 tsp. salt. My baker's instinct told me to start with much less; I went with 1/2 tsp salt, which is what most of the other cookie and shortbread recipes in "Soframiz" called for, and I'm certainly glad I didn't use the full amount as they would have been too salty for my taste. Also, I followed the recipe to the letter, and ended up with more like 3 or 4 dozen cookies. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds but you are only instructed to use 1/4 cup. The resulting cookies were absolutely delicious and would be fantastic as part of a cheese tray as the sesame lends a savory edge.
Gorgeous matte photography and clear, large font make this a pleasure to read and cook from (I prefer matte pages as it means no glare in my cookbook holder). I loved the recipes I tried, but found in several instances that there are small errors, so be sure to read through the entire recipe in advance and make note if an ingredient is mentioned that is not in the list, or an amount seems off.
Overall "Soframiz" is one of my top cookbook picks for 2016 (I'll be releasing my 2016 cookbook roundup in the next month or two), and one that fans of Turkish, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine will certainly want to add to their collections.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2017
Soframiz is full of gorgeous photographs of enticing baked goods. I’m not against innovation and improvement, but I like to pay homage and respect to tradition. I love that the book clearly states that “the recipes may not be traditional, but they follow the spirit of the original dish.”
I have a long list of recipes that I want to make from the cookbook: lamb katmer, flower pogaca rolls, raspberry-rose petal turnovers, Turkish simit, crick cracks, cheese borek pie with nigella seeds, spanakopita serpentine… I could go on and on.
I have a go to brioche recipe, but I thought I would start with the Tahini brioche. It has a warm, nutty flavor and it’s perfect spread with salted butter and drizzled with honey. I used leftovers for French Toast. If you are a baker, I highly recommend the book. It is inspirational, the photos are enticing, and the recipes are really straight forward and not too complicated. I received a review copy of Soframiz in exchange for an honest review.
If you are a baker, this is a great inspirational book with practical recipes
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2017
Baking bread is one of my favorite weekend activities. It is therapeutic and rewarding. You mix up a bunch of ingredients, and at the end you have a gorgeous, handmade loaf of bread.Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2017
Soframiz is full of gorgeous photographs of enticing baked goods. I’m not against innovation and improvement, but I like to pay homage and respect to tradition. I love that the book clearly states that “the recipes may not be traditional, but they follow the spirit of the original dish.”
I have a long list of recipes that I want to make from the cookbook: lamb katmer, flower pogaca rolls, raspberry-rose petal turnovers, Turkish simit, crick cracks, cheese borek pie with nigella seeds, spanakopita serpentine… I could go on and on.
I have a go to brioche recipe, but I thought I would start with the Tahini brioche. It has a warm, nutty flavor and it’s perfect spread with salted butter and drizzled with honey. I used leftovers for French Toast. If you are a baker, I highly recommend the book. It is inspirational, the photos are enticing, and the recipes are really straight forward and not too complicated. I received a review copy of Soframiz in exchange for an honest review.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2023
Top reviews from other countries
Oskar Komili
In my opinion, they are far out of classic ...
Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2018
