Kabak Tatlısı

Name: Kabak Tatlısı
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H25M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT10H25M0.000S
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: turkish
Ingredients: One 2-pound sugar pumpkin or kabocha squash; 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar; 1/2 cup tahini; 1/3 cup grape or mulberry molasses (see Cook’s Note); 2 tablespoons slivered or ground pistachios, optional

Getting reviews...

Level: Easy

Total: 10 hr 25 min
Active: 25 min

Yield: 6 servings

Kabak tatlısı is a classic Turkish pumpkin dessert made simply from pumpkin chunks cooked in sugar syrup and topped with tahini and molasses. Pumpkin season is something Turkish cooks take seriously, and this is one of the most popular dishes to make. The pumpkin is drizzled with a traditonal molasses-like sweetner known as pekmez. Grape and mulberry are popular pekmez; although they’re dark, caramelized and slightly bitter like sugarcane molasses, the flavor is lighter and fruitier, somewhat like pomegranate molasses. The flavor combination of the pumpkin, tahini and pekmez go exceptionally together, making this a simple but impressive treat when fresh pumpkins or kabocha squash are available. The dessert is usually served at room temperature or chilled, so you can even make it a couple days in advance.

Level: Easy

Total: 10 hr 25 min
Active: 25 min

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Deselect All

One 2-pound sugar pumpkin or kabocha squash

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup tahini

1/3 cup grape or mulberry molasses (see Cook’s Note)

2 tablespoons slivered or ground pistachios, optional

Directions

Wash, peel and remove the seeds and stringy fibers from the inside of the pumpkin. Cut it into 3-by-2-inch pieces and place them in a bowl or other container. Add the sugar, give it a good toss and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight so the pumpkin releases its juice.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the pumpkin and syrupy liquid to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until the pumpkin is tender but not mushy, 40 to 50 minutes. Let it cool completely and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
When you’re ready to serve, place the pumpkin pieces on individual serving plates or bowls, drizzle with tahini and molasses and top with pistachios if using.

Cook’s Note

Mulberry and grape molasses can be found in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean shops or online. Turkish-style fruit molasses, known as pekmez, are lightly syrupy and very fruity in flavor, so heavier sugarcane molasses is not a good substitute.