The Marshmallows Need Work, but the Kunefe Was Delicious

Recently, I challenged myself make to three new recipes (new to me).
Bread - done, done, and done.
Made three loaves. I am the new superhero of the family.

Marshmallows were next. Not quite what we had hoped for.

They're a bit....odd. Bland, springy, flat. Maybe too much gelatin?

So I did what any sensible person would do.

 Covered them in chocolate.

I'll try making marshmallows again some time, with a different recipe.

Souffle is up next.

But meanwhile, my cooking group got together this weekend and the theme was eastern Mediterranean, meaning Turkish. Our hostess had spent some time there and is enamored of the food, the spices and unusual flavors. The recipes were all from Ana Sortun's book Spice.

The use of spices is central to the full, rich flavors of this type of cooking. Za'atar, sumac, cardamom and oregano are featured prominently. Eggplant, yogurt, cheeses and nuts are also essential.
I was assigned dessert.

So apparently I can't do something as simple as marshmallows, but I can make an esoteric eastern Mediterranean dessert that I don't know how to pronounce.

Can you say kunefe? (There's supposed to be an umlaut above the u).

When given the recipe, I admit I was less than thrilled. 

I'm much more of a chocolate cake kind of girl, but as I've said before, this cooking group gives me a  chance to spread my culinary wings.

I accepted the challenge and went in search of whole green cardamom pods, buffalo mozzarella and kadafi.

(By the way, when I googled kadafi, I'm sure you can guess what came up. Hint: terrorist.)

Throughout the entire cooking process, I remained skeptical of the outcome.

 The ingredients were strange. The dessert wasn't pretty. I wasn't excited to serve or eat it.

A dollop of mascarpone and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios made it presentable.

Well, knock me over with a peacock feather.

The surprisingly delicious kunefe was the highlight of the evening. 

If you're interested in making this unusual, but easy, dessert, you can click here. Or you can look for Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean. It's a beautiful book and a wonderful introduction into old world cuisine.

I'll be in the kitchen re-working those marshmallows.