A couple of years ago there were quite a number of fisherman boats tied at the Yenikoy coast in Istanbul serving as seafood restaurants. Although those floating restaurants had limited menus, they served the freshest and by far the cheapest seafood, the best salads (especially Tuana), and surprisingly simple yet delicious desserts (Takanik was the #1 when it came to desserts). All those boat restaurants moved tot the land after the ban; they're all still in Yenikoy, but in buildings in stead of boats. In the past years I tried different types of halva based desserts on these boats and loved them all. Normally I don't eat halva and this should give you an idea about how good their halva desserts are. I had purchased a box of Koska pistachio halva months ago from the Turkish market in Atlanta, for whom or what I have no idea. When I saw it in the pantry I decided to make one of the floating restaurants' halva desserts. The dessert was great, but it definitely lacked the preceding fish platter served on the boats. Although it is hard to find horse mackerels, halva is highly common here in the States in Middle Eastern markets or online.
for two people
two 1" halva slices--use one slice per person (I used pistachio halva, but you can use plain, coco, or any kind)
1 carrot, grated
1 tsp lemon juice
cinnamon
2 tbsp ground pistachio or walnut
-In an oven safe small bowl (a small souffle bowl) place a slice of halva. Make it as thick or thin as you wish.
-Squeeze a couple of drops of lemon juice on top: approximately 1/2 tsp.
-Cover halva with grated carrot; not too much, just enough to cover halva ~approximately 1/2 cup
-Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
-Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven at 380F.
-Serve hot with ground walnut or pistachio on top.
-If you don't have a oven proof bowl, you can layer everything on a square aluminum foil, wrap it by bringing the corners together, and bake like that.
