Title: Turkish Lady's Navel (Kadin Gobeci)
Categories: Dessert
Yield: 20 Servings

6	tb	Butter
1 1/2	c	Water
1/2	ts	Salt
1 1/2	c	Flour
2		Eggs
1		Egg yolk
1 1/4	c	Oil
SYRUP
2	c	Water
1 3/4	c	Sugar
1	tb	Lemon juice

The Turks have a way with pastry names. Lady's Navel, for instance, is a fried puff pastry that is rolled into a round 'belly' shape marked with a sensual dimple in the center.

Melt butter in saucepan. Add water with salt and bring to boil. Add flour all at once and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, 1 to 2 minutes, until dough is shiny and leaves sides of saucepan. Set aside to cool.

Add eggs and egg yolk to dough mixture, stirring to mix well. Knead 10 minutes. Oil palms of hands. Pinch off walnut size pieces of dough and roll each piece into ball. Press to flatten slightly, then with finger, indent middle of dough ball.

Heat remaining oil in skillet until medium hot. Drop pastries into oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain well. Drop balls into Syrup. Let soak 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough pieces, letting oil cool before cooking each batch. Makes 20 pastries.

SYRUP - Combine water and sugar in saucepan. Add lemon juice and bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes until thin syrup is formed. Makes 1 1/2 cups. Each pastry contains about: 149 calories; 101 mg sodium; 44 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

VARIATIONS:

Vizier's Fingers - Proceed as with Lady's Navel, but shape dough into finger-sized rolls. Fry and soak in Syrup as directed.

Beauty's Lips - Proceed as for Lady's Navel but shape dough by pinching off large walnut-size pieces of dough. Flatten and fold each in two to form "lips." Slit center, then fry and soak in Syrup as directed.

Presented by: Rose Dosti, L.A. Times article, "Discreet Charms of Sultan's Fingers, Lady's Navels", 2/9/95, page H4.

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