A Creative Journal of an Artist: Tears of Chios for Easter week...

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Tears of Chios for Easter week...

Sakizli muhallebi (Milk pudding with mastic gum )

We had a very nice easter week with our family and friends. I spent lots of time cooking at the kitchen as usual. I would like to share a dessert recipe that I tried first time and it came out really delicious. It's a milk pudding with a special aroma called "damla sakizi/ mastic gum", it's resin extract from mastic tree. In Greece, it is known as the "tears of Chios," being traditionally produced on that Greek island and, like other natural resins, is produced in "tears" or droplets. It's widely used in Greek and Egean Turkish kitchen for making desserts, candies and delights. If it's difficult to find at your area, you can get it online at Amazon.com)

(Damla sakizi) Mastic

Sakizli muhallebi (Milk pudding with mastic gum)

Ingredients:

1 lt milk

1 table spoon cornstarch

2 pieces of mastic (1/2 tiny tea spoon)

1 vanilla stick

3/4 glass of sugar

1 table spoon butter

cinnamon or pistachio for topping (optional)

In a medium size pot put 800 ml milk and sugar mix and heat until it gets all dissolved and hot. Crush the mastic pieces in a mortar and add to the pot with vanilla stick keep mixing it about for few minutes. Add the butter and mix for another 3 minutes. At Last put the cornstarch in a small bowl with remaining milk whisk it well until it's smooth. Add this mixture to the pot keep mix it until it gets thicken and boils for more 5 minutes. It's important, dividing the pudding mixture into the little bowls or cups while it's hot. Once it's room temperature keep refrigerated and serve it cold with cinnamon or pistachio topping on them. Enjoy it!

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Last week I created a new still-life composition with some of Easter theme characters, bunny, flowers and instead off the egg I chose "Tuna indio" fruit (cactus fruit). I think their color attracted me first of all, also this Easter was different and much more fragile than the others... I used oil pastels on craft paper.