What are bloggers cooking this week? Let's take a look...

Nosheteria has a brilliant kumquat marmalade butter that makes us want to hurry off and go eat breakfast again.



Part Time Pro Bono Baker fends off winter with Black Bean Soup and Cornbread and Gourmet's recent recipe for Andean Potato Stew.

Always gorgeous and inspiring, Smitten Kitchen has Red Lentils with Cabbage and Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes - not to mention a scrumptious-looking Vanilla Bean Pound Cake.



Culinary in the Desert continues his food exploration in the country, with Sweet and Salty Peanut Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Mashed Potatoes with Cumin Lime Butter.

Hmm. Is it time to make dinner yet?

A few weeks back, we did a round-up of movie mobsters and their odd culinary leanings. In the spirit of the high emotions and decade-sweeping montages that characterize the Oscars, we decided to put together a retrospective of funny-sad food.

Maybe it all just goes back to that common childhood experience of watching a scoop of ice cream melt and fall from the cone.

There�s something about the anticipation and loss, and the absurd but necessary reliance on routine during hard times that gives these scenes their gentle power. And the fact that it�s all just plain funny makes everything somehow sadder.

Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush (1925). This is a classic. The Little Tramp dines on an old boot, which he sets on a plate and meticulously carves with a knife and fork. (The leather was actually licorice.)

Woody Allen�s Take the Money and Run (1969). In this mockumentary, fugitive from justice, Virgil Starkwell (Allen, above), unfolds a single slice of bologna from his wallet and shares it with his wife. Strangely heartbreaking.

Stripes (1981). Coming home with a pizza and his girlfriend�s dry cleaning after a hard day's work, John Winger (Bill Murray) sees the repo man driving away with his car. In the ensuing struggle, the pie is lost. Mozzarella with tire marks has never been more poignant.

Betty Blue (France, 1986). In a show of solidarity with his mentally ill girlfriend, Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade) dumps a bowl of stew over his head.

Anyone else?

- Nora

Meringues have become ubiquituously associated with the "Fat Free!" "Almost ZERO calories!" crowd of diet desserts at the grocery store, crowded into plastic tubs that cheerily advertise their low-calorie benefits. They are certainly not what we would reach for when looking for an indulgent dessert.

But when baking for a large crowd of people, or looking for something cute and sweet to serve at a party, homemade meringues can be delightful, and a little extra something is all it takes to lift them into an addictive and delicious confection that crunches then melts in the mouth.

Read on for a basic recipe and tips to conquer the egg white...

Meringue is made, fundamentally, of three things: egg whites, sugar and air. Sometimes cream of tartar is added to stabilize the egg whites, along with a little salt for some piquancy, and one or two flavorings, carefully. And that's all. A meringue is a delicate dance of mixing these ingredients so they create an elastic substance that can hold the most possible air. The short ingredient list is deceptively simple, but getting everything to work properly together can be frustrating at times.

Once you learn a few simple steps, however, they are easy.

To make a meringue, egg whites are whipped until foamy, then cream of tartar is sprinkled in, then they are whipped again at increasing speeds. As they stiffen, the sugar is added in tiny, tiny increments. This is important, to beat the sugar in slowly and to give the whites time to absorb it gradually. The flavorings are carefully whipped in at the very end.

Then the egg whites are whipped until they are glossy like marshmallow frosting, and piped onto a parchment covered sheet and baked at a low temperature until thoroughly dried out. If your kitchen is humid it's best to just turn off the oven and leave them there all night to make sure they really dry out.

When making meringues, there are standard proportions that will give a certain result. For a crisp meringue like these, the rule of thumb is 1/4 cup sugar to each egg white. For the best results, use fine grained sugar, or run it through your food processor a few pulses. This will help it dissolve faster. Also, let the egg whites sit out until warm; they will have greater elasticity at room temperature.

Finally, a note on flavorings. Meringues can't support a lot of complicated flavorings; too much flavoring or mix-ins and they'll collapse, unable to support the extra moisture or weight. It's a balance, however, because plain meringues are just so sweet that they really need something to balance it. A great option is to use alcohol; a little brandy, Kirsch, or rum will give a wonderful flavor that pervades the cookies without ruining the texture.

Meringue Cookie Bites
about 60 2-inch meringues

Basic Recipe
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup fine white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Flavorings - see below

Mocha Meringues
2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Vanilla Rum
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon rum or rum flavoring

Cherry Kirsch
2 tablespoons Kirschwasser

Heat oven to 300�F. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft, bubbly peaks form. The peaks will still flop over; they're like bubble bath still. Turn the mixers to high and add the sugar a couple tablespoons at a time. As they get glossy, beat in the flavorings. The texture should be glossy and tacky, with peaks that stand straight up.

Pipe onto parchment-covered sheets. The parchment is essential; these will stick like crazy. Bake for about two hours then turn off the oven and let them cool. They should be completely dry with no chewiness inside.

I’m reaching in a different direction this week. Let’s talk Turkish food and music. Zen in the Kitchen talks about the simple pleasures in eating bread with fresh olive oil. Tastes of Mavi Boncuk gives us a background to the history of the Turkish national drink Raki, and Almost Turkish Recipes shows us what Raki and meatballs have in common:

Tekirdağ, my hometown, is renown for its rakı (Turkish brandy made from grapes) and meatballs. Tekirdağ rakı is famous because although it’s made from raisins everywhere else, in Tekirdağ rakı it’s made from fresh grapes. As for meatballs, the recipe is a mystery. The recipe is not widely known, because nobody in Tekirdağ would make Tekirdağ meatballs at home; you go out to one of the billion meatball restaurants in town for meatballs.

Yogurtland teaches us about Ashura, a dessert rumoured to have been made on Noah’s Ark:

Here is a another traditional dessert from Turkey, which I am yet to find another country in the region to have it in their repertoire. Please let me know if you know any other cultures having this tradition.

Its name comes from Arabic, in which ashura literally means “tenth.” A dessert that is made on the 10th day of the Islamic calendar. Since Islamic calendar is based on moon, it is 10 days shorter than the Gregorian, hence this day as well as every Islamic holiday has a different date every year. One should not confuse this dessert with the day of ashura. Even though it is a custom to cook this dessert on that day, it is not a religious ceremony.

A story of this dessert tells us that it was a meal made in the Noah’s ark, right after the great flood was over. As you can see in the ingredients list, the main items of the dessert are the grains that one can hardly associate with any dessert.

After watching a video on Erkan’s Field Diary, I took a little odyssey on iTunes and found some interesting Turkish podcasts that I would like to share with you. Blog Tarkan Deluxe has posted a podcast with a recent interview with Turkish pop artist Tarkan. Two Istanbul DJs have regular podcasts (both of which are great fun!) Turkish House Mix with DJ Bulut and DJ Murat Uncuoglu.

METU’s (Middle East Technical University) College Radio Station, Radyo ODTU, has the distinction of being the first Turkish radio station to begin regular internet and podcast broadcasts.

And of course if you want to work on your travel Turkish, you can always study Turkish with Sinan.

Well, that is all I have for you today, 5 podcasts available on iTunes, but there seems to be an emerging Turkish podcast market. The more I learn, the more I will pass on to you. Until next week!

We've talked about Dansk Kobenstyle cookware in the past, but we couldn't help pointing out this bright yellow pot for sale on eBay. It just looks so cheery, like a soup or stew cooked in this would just have to be good. It's going for $9.99 and the auction ends March 5.

And don't forget that you can post your own kitchen and tabletop items for sale at The Kitchen's classifieds!

OTHER KITCHEN STUFF
• Adorable blue Pyrex bowl set for $11.90 - ends March 4
• Mikasa oil and vinegar bottle for $0.99 - ends March 5
• Vintage chrome canisters and cake cover for $5.00 - ends March 6
• Italian copper skillet for $24.95 - ends March 6
• Amish wall pot rack for $0.95 - ends March 6

Pre-made sandwiches are often factory food, far from inspiring. But these ciabattas filled with mozzarella, rocket and parma from London's Borough Market could be shrunk down for an appetizer or star in a Central Park picnic.

Lamb shoulder, duck, and of course, fish and chips. British pub food is better than we're told. Yorkshire puddings and roasted potatoes with a slow-roasted Sunday beef, anyone?

Fish stare out from many of the markets. Fish is a way to bring freshness to a winter meal when the vegetables might not the best. Pasta with prawns is easy to cook and makes a satisfying lunch.

American scones could often pass as cardboard. These tea time scones from a little tea room in the Midlands of Britain are tender and served warm with clotted cream and raspberry jam. Who has a scone recipe and some tips on keeping them so tender?