Taboon by Hisham Assaad
Chef, food stylist and photographer, Hisham Assaad, explores the rich tradition of Lebanese baking in his second cookbook Taboon—highlighting how food serves as a powerful medium for building and nurturing cultural connection.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Haarala Hamilton & Hisham Assaad
‘Everywhere in Lebanon, or wherever you go across the region, you will find a small bakery that makes a great manouche… whether these are made in a regular gas oven or a wood-fired one, in a tannour, a taboon or a saj, it is very hard to go wrong with such a basic delicacy.’ Photo above + hero: Hisham Assaad
‘In my first book, I didn’t delve very deeply into my family roots and history. I barely scratched the surface. But I’m proud of my heritage, and since we’re family now—we’ve broken bread and salt—I want to tell you more about them,’ says Hisham Assaad of his new cookbook, Taboon.
Qorban—Orthodox holy bread from Taboon. Photo: Haarala Hamilton
Baklawa Taj el Małek—King’s crown baklava from Taboon. Photo: Haarala Hamilton
Hisham Assaad is a Lebanese chef, food stylist and photographer who shares recipes and stories on his blog, Cookin5m², focusing on the challenges of cooking good food in a compact home kitchen in Beirut.
His second cookbook, Taboon celebrates the baking tradition in Lebanese cuisine, introducing us to home-style breads such as flat breads, saj, taboon, zalabye and Holy bread, as well as savoury appetisers and snacks, authentic bakery sweets including baklawa and much more!
‘I wish for this book to be used and enjoyed. The experience of making food, of making bread, is a humbling one. Make this bread and savour every moment, enjoy it with those around you. Bring our food to life. Keep our stories alive. And one day we will be all together around a table and can celebrate our cultures,’ says Hisham.
Below we share a recipe from the new cookbook: Osmalliye mess.
This is an edited extract from Taboon by Hisham Assaad—published by Smith Street Books. Purchase the book online now here.
Taboon by Hisham Assaad is out now.
Osmalliye mess from Taboon — recipe shared below. Photo: Haarala Hamilton
OSMALLIYE MESS
Osmalliye reminds me a little of mille-feuille with two layers of baked kataifi pastry crust with a creamy ashta filling. I always find it tedious to eat either dessert with people around, as they both make such a mess. So, I thought why not embrace the mess and make a version inspired by Eton Mess? The original recipe can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire. In traditional Arabic, the word Othmani refers to anything that is Ottoman. In colloquial dialect, this dessert is referred to as Othmalli or Osmalli, replacing the ‘th’ sound with an ‘s’.
My adaptation of the recipe can be made into one large serving to be cut and shared, or made in cupcake moulds or mini tart trays for individual portions. Candy floss (the Lebanese type that is closer to dragon’s beard candy than spun cotton candy) can be a special topping too. The ingredients, including the dough, can be prepared ahead of time until needed and assembled just before serving.
Makes 8
INGREDIENTS
200 g (7 oz) kataifi dough
250 g (9 oz) butter or ghee
100 ml (generous 1/3 cup) regular simple syrup (page 103) [see below]
250 ml (1 cup) whipping cream
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon rose water
400 g (14 oz) Ashta (page 102) [see below]
100 g (1/3 cup) rose jam (or a jam of your preference – I also like apricot jam, berry jams or even marmalade)
30 g (1/4 cup) pistachios, crushed
METHOD
Separate the strings of the dough, spraying it with some water to make a little softer if it’s tough, and arrange it in a 23 cm (9 in) round cake pan. Place another pan or a dish on top of the dough and weigh it down with heavy weights, such as bottles of water or bags of grain. Press for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours to make the dough more compact.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas 6).
Melt the butter or ghee and pour it all over the dough until it’s well covered. Bake for 15–20 minutes until golden (keep a close eye on it to avoid burning).
Remove from the oven, drain off the excess butter/ghee (reserve this to use for other recipes) and drizzle the baked pastry with the simple syrup. Set aside to cool.
Whip the cream with the sugar and rose water until you get stiff peaks.
Once the dough is cool, place on a plate and spoon dollops of the ashta and whipped cream over it in a random arrangement. Scatter teaspoons of the jam all over the top and sprinkle with the crushed pistachios, then serve.
SIMPLE SYRUP
Simple syrup is a staple in most of the desserts in this book. The basic dessert recipes tend not to be sweetened (or are just lightly sweetened) so the syrup works to give more control over the sweetness, or acts as a binder and preservative. Each type of syrup has a different use in certain recipes.
MAKES ABOUT 375 ML (11/2 CUPS)
LIGHT SYRUP
250 g (1 cup) white granulated sugar
250 ml (1 cup) water
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid
2 teaspoons orange blossom water
2 teaspoons rose water
REGULAR SYRUP
500 g (generous 2 cups) white granulated sugar
250 ml (1 cup) water
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 tablespoon rose water
THICK SYRUP
750 g (generous 3 cups) white granulated sugar
250 ml (1 cup) water
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 tablespoon rose water
Place the sugar in a saucepan, pour over the water and set over a medium heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely and bring to the boil undisturbed. Allow it to simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice or citric acid, then remove from heat and add the aromatic waters.
Use as required in your recipe. Leftovers can be stored for later use and can be added to coffee or cocktails, used as a base for lemonade, or drizzled over desserts.
ASHTA
Homemade clotted cream
Ashta is the base of many dessert recipes and is the Lebanese version of clotted cream. It is an essential part of Mafrouke (page 126) or Halawet
el Jeben (page 124), but is also delicious simply on its own or topped with honey or fruits. Making it can be a hassle, since it requires heating full-fat
(whole) milk or cream to the boil, then either leaving it to simmer in a wide baking tray or slow-baking it in a lukewarm oven to develop a fatty layer which is the ashta. It usually takes a long time, but if you have the luxury of time this method makes a superior ashta for use in recipes where the ashta is not heated. For use in recipes that require baking or frying, a thickened milk recipe is needed. I’ve given a few methods here for different budgets and uses.
MAKES ABOUT 600 G (1 LB 5 OZ)
LONG PROCESS (FOR USE IN COLD RECIPES)
2 litres (8 cups) full-fat (whole) milk (or 1 litre/4 cups milk and 1 litre/4 cups double/heavy cream)
QUICK PROCESS (FOR FRYING OR BAKING)
1 litre (4 cups) full-fat (whole) milk (or 600 ml/21/3 cups water with 250 g/21/2 cups milk powder)
30 g (1/4 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
70 g (generous 1/2 cup) fine semolina
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
LUXURIOUS PROCESS (FOR FRYING OR BAKING)
1 litre (4 cups) full-fat (whole) milk
70 g (generous 1/2 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
35 g (3 tablespoons) semolina
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
250 g (1 cup) cottage cheese or ricotta
LONG PROCESS
Put the milk (or milk and cream) in a large, wide saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours on the lowest temperature, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Turn off the heat and cover with a clean dish towel or mesh screen and leave undisturbed for 12 hours.
After 12 hours, run a knife through the fat layer that has formed to cut it into thick long strips, around 5 cm (2 in) wide. Carefully remove to a plate, avoiding taking a lot of the remaining milk with it. Pour away any liquid that might have pooled under the ashta on the plate. Refrigerate for up to 3 days and use as required in your recipe.
QUICK/LUXURIOUS PROCESS
Mix the milk, cornflour and semolina in a saucepan until incorporated. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and stir the mixture until it comes to the boil and starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the aromatic waters (and the cheese if making the luxurious version) until incorporated.
Pour the mixture into a container and cover the surface with cling film (plastic wrap) to prevent a skin forming. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, break it up with a fork to get a clumpy texture. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.