Laz Böreği - Desserts in Eastern Black Sea Cuisine and a Master's Recipe for Laz Böreği

In the Eastern Black Sea region, the homeland of kale and anchovies, the only place where kale and anchovies are absent is probably in desserts. I think the people of the Black Sea region could easily make desserts out of them if they tried, but since the dessert scene in the Black Sea is already a bit complicated, it's great that kale and anchovies haven't gotten involved.

In Eastern Black Sea cuisine, the uses of sweet and savory flavors can vary somewhat. For example, sugar is sprinkled on a main course (the famous sweet pasta), while rice pudding, eaten as a dessert, can be a bit salty (Milk Pasta). Similarly, a sweet dish made from fragrant grape juice, known in many places as Pepeçura and called Termoni by the Laz people, is sometimes made with kidney beans (known as lobiya) in some regions.

The indispensable ingredient in Laz böreği is, yes, you heard right, black pepper! People who eat these two desserts in their original form either love them or hate them. As a former restaurateur specializing in Black Sea cuisine, thankfully I've witnessed that most people love them.

Laz Böreği Recipe

Laz Börek Pudding

Materials:

• 3 kilos of milk
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of starch
• 3 cups of sugar
• 8 Eggs
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of butter

Construction:

Mix all ingredients except the butter. Stir gently without lifting your hand to prevent sticking. Once it thickens to a custard-like consistency, turn off the heat, add the butter, stir, and cover. You can set it aside while you prepare the phyllo dough.

Sherbet

Materials:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 2 glasses of water
• A few drops of lemon juice

Construction:

Mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, when small bubbles start to form, gently scoop out the mixture with a ladle. After waiting for it to become bubbly, if the last drop from the ladle seems heavy, add a few drops of lemon juice and stir; your syrup is ready.

Pastry

Materials:

• 4 cups of flour
• 1 Egg
• Half a teacup of vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of vinegar

Construction:

Mix all the ingredients together. Knead, adding a little water occasionally, until the dough reaches an earlobe consistency. Roll out the dough with cornstarch until it's as thin as baklava pastry.

How to Make Laz Böreği

Melt 200g of butter in a pan. Grease the baking tray and lay out 3-4 sheets of phyllo dough for the bottom layer, stacking them on top of each other, leaving the edges hanging over the sides of the tray. Drizzle butter between each layer. Pour the custard over it and sprinkle with black pepper to taste. The thickness should be such that it neither overly covers the top nor too thin. Then, fold the edges of the phyllo dough inwards to cover the custard. Lay out 7-8 more sheets of phyllo dough (or thicker depending on the dough) and spread them on top, sprinkling butter and hazelnuts between each layer. After placing the last layer, brush with butter and slice evenly like baklava.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until the top is golden brown. After removing from the oven, generously pour the slightly cooled syrup over it.

It needs to cool down a bit before serving, otherwise the custard will fall apart, but if you can resist, of course, enjoy!

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Jasmine Taskin

Photograph: Jasmine Taskin