"The Art of Armenian Cooking" - Baked Cream of Wheat Dessert (With Honey Syrup)

Date I made this recipe:  September 25, 2017 – a late observance of an Armenian festival held on September 16 at St. Sahag Armenian Church, St. Paul, MN

The Art of Armenian Cooking by Rose Baboian

Published by Doubleday & Company, Inc.

© 1984

Purchased at Talk Story Books, Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii

Recipe:  Baked Cream of Wheat Dessert (With Honey Syrup) – p. 83

I have to confess that I know next to nothing about the country of Armenia but that didn't stop me from purchasing an Armenian cookbook a few years back just in case I needed it some day.

I am happy to report that today's that day!  Actually, a week ago was the day but I was busy.

A few weeks ago, I was driving through St. Paul when I noticed a sign that said that St. Sahag Armenian Church was having an Armenian festival on the 16^th.  First, I didn't even know this church existed, and second, there was a festival? I love festivals!  Unfortunately, I couldn't attend which is why it was fortuitous that I had the cookbook.

According to Wikipedia, Armenia is sort of a gateway country, with access to Turkey, Georgia and Iran.  Recognized languages are Armenian, Assyrian, Greek, Kurdish and Russian.  You can see a lot of those countries and language influences in the recipes and it was kind of fun for me to look through it because of that.  Interesting factoid about Armenia:  Chess is a compulsory subject in schools.  (https://sunriseodyssey.com/12-interesting-facts-about-armenia-that-you-might-not-know ) I think that's pretty cool except I'm pretty sure I would have flunked it!

Unlike the last couple of cookbooks I used, this one had a large Table of Contents as follows:

• Appetizers
• Beverages
• Breads, Quick
• Yeast Breads
• Cakes
• Candy
• Cookies
• Desserts
• Eggs and Egg Dishes
• Main Dishes
• Poultry
• Preservers
• Salads
• Soups
• Stews
• Vegetables

 Notice that Dessert("D" for Dessert) comes before meats and salads and soups and this is totally appropriate because of this saying:  "Life is short.  Eat dessert first!"

I would have loved to make "Stuffed Grape Leaves" (Appetizers) except the recipe made 40 and even half that recipe is a few more than we could handle. I wouldn't have minded "Baked Eggplants (Olive Oil)," also an Appetizer, but wanted to see what else this book had to offer.

Under Beverages, you can enjoy either "Turkish Coffee," "Armenian Tea" (flavored with cinnamon and cloves), or a "Madzoon Beverage;" "Madzoon" is a yogurt that should be available in Greek grocery stores.

The [Quick] Breads section showcased a mix of sweet and savory-filled breads and even though I am not a bread person, I was tempted.  Honey is a major ingredient in a lot of Armenian recipes, including the dessert I made.

As I've said before, I don't "do" yeast breads so I skipped over to the Cakes chapter and found a two recipes of interest:  "Madzoon Spicecake" (Madzoon is yogurt) and "Chocolate Madzoon Cake." The only reason I did not make the chocolate cake was because the frosting called for ½ cup of marshmallow fluff and I did not want to buy a container of it just for this recipe.  I looked to see how hard it would be to make at home and the answer was "not hard," but I would have had to buy marshmallows and didn't want to do that, either.  Sometimes recipes get bounced by me because of the ingredients which is sad and yet practical.

The Main Dishes chapter was a mix of stuffed vegetables, lamb dishes (lots of lamb dishes), pilafs, and even a meat pizza.  I pondered a few dishes but once again moved on.

I'd chat more about the other chapters, but that would mean I'd have to spend more time handling the book and unfortunately, I'm starting to break out right now due to my allergies to dust mites.  We all know cooking can be dangerous but so can handling dusty or moldy/mildew books!  The less I pick up this book again, the better. 

And so let's move on to the dish of the day, the dish that "had me at 'hello'" with the main ingredient – Cream of Wheat®.

Cream of Wheat® and Quaker Oats® Oatmeal were the two dishes my brother and I loved to eat in the winter.  I always ate my oatmeal with table sugar (granulated sugar) and milk (and raisins if we had them).  My Cream of Wheat® though, was always topped with butter and a bit of brown sugar.  I'm not sure why we ate them that way although it's probably because that was the "method" suggested on the package.

I must say that while I wasn't expecting to see Cream of Wheat® in an Armenian cookbook, the recipe sounded good and I thought "Why not," and so I made it.  It was good but fair warning:  this recipe is pretty sweet and syrupy, kind of like a sweet Baklava.  It also crumbled quite a bit when I tasted it just after baking which is why you should refrigerator it so that it holds together better.

Before I go, I have to mention that this recipe makes a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan but as is usual and customary, I halved it.  The taste was fine and the recipe was just enough, but merciful heavens, some of these ingredient measurement divisions were too much for my math-challenged brain!  Seeing as how I had no idea how this was supposed to turn out, I was really tempting fate on this one but I think I came out okay.

Baked Cream of What Dessert (With Honey Syrup) – makes a 13x9x2-inch pan.

2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) salted butter*

3 tablespoons shortening

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar or omit brown sugar and use all granulated sugar – 1 1/3 cups

2/3 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 teaspoons cloves

1 1/3 cups Cream of What

1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup flaked coconut

1/3 cup milk

4 well-beaten eggs

For the Honey Syrup

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups water

1 1/3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon lemon juice

*Ann's Note:  I only have sweet, unsalted butter in my refrigerator but I found directions online to turn sweet butter into salted butter by adding ¼ teaspoon of salt to every half cup (1 stick or ¼ pound) butter. 

Cream together butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar.

Mix in cinnamon, cloves, Cream of  Wheat, baking powder, walnuts, coconut and milk.

Stir in the eggs, 2 spoons at a time.

Spread into a well-greased pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes until well browned.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

To make the honey syrup, mix the sugar, water, honey and lemon juice in a pain and bring to a boil.

Pour Hot Honey Syrup over cake with a tablespoon.  Cover and let stand until all the syrup is absorbed.  Serve cold with sweetened whip cream or just sprinkle chopped nuts, coconut flakes or cherries over honey syrup.