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| I first encountered this dessert in a small family-operated restaurant on a rather obscure Plovdiv side-street. I have been told that Ashure was once a Turkish dessert, adopted into the Bulgarian culture during occupation by the Ottoman Empire. For me, the dessert was made memorable because of the boiled wheat kernels (largely unknown in the States) and was topped with a thick sweet-tart raspberry syrup.
Sadly, any vestige of the restaurant is now unknown. |
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| 2 cups hulled wheat 12 cups water 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 cups water 4 cups sugar 1 cup crushed nuts 1 cup raisins, 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 pinch of salt Optional: 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon (Serves 10) |
Add the hulled wheat to the 12 cups of water in a pot and boil for 40 minutes, then add the salt. Remove from the heat, cover with a thick towel and let stand for 2-3 hours in a warm place, after which time the wheat should be completely softened. Reserve 1-1/2 cup of the wheat grains and blend the remaining wheat with the water, adding the sugar, raisins, half of the nuts and the reserved cooked whole grains and bring to boil. Add the cornstarch, dissolved in 2 cups of cold water. After this mixture has boiled for several minutes, remove it from the heat, add the vanilla and pour into custard cups, moistened with cold water. When completely cooled, turn over onto plates and sprinkle the remaining nuts on top, adding the cinnamon and confectioners sugar if you wish. |
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