I normally make this traditional dessert with a wheat semolina called revani, but here I’ve replaced it with a local corn-based equivalent.
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Coat a 30 x 25 cm (12” x 10”) cake pan with oil. Set aside.
- Step 2: In a bowl, dilute the maple syrup with the water. Set aside.
- Step 3: In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar for about 4 minutes at high speed. Reduce speed to low and add yogurt and oil. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture, then add the cornmeal and mix. Continue beating for one minute until the dough is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly.
- Step 4: Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven. Using a small ladle, gradually drizzle the maple syrup mixture over the cake. The cake will slowly absorb all the liquid. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
- Step 5: Just before serving, cut the cake into squares or triangles (cutting the squares in half). Garnish each portion with a spoonful of yogurt whipped cream and raspberries.
- 750 ml (3 cups) golden maple syrup
- 125 ml (½ cup) cold water
- 4 organic eggs
- 175 g (¾ cup) raw cane sugar
- 210 g (just over 7 oz) plain organic yogurt (at least 3.25% fat)
- 200 ml (¾ cup) Québec sunflower oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 140 g (just under 1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 8 g (approx. 2 tsp) baking powder
- 200 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) Québec cornmeal
- Yogurt whipped cream, to serve
- Fresh raspberries, to serve
Fisun Ercan was born in Turkey in a small village on the Aegean Sea. After studying and working in the fields of Economics/Finance and IT, she decided to pursue her childhood passion, cooking.
A few years later she moved to Montreal, realized that Turkish cuisine was not well known and decided to open her first restaurant, SU la Cuisine Turque, in 2006. In 2011, she published her first cookbook with the same name.
In May 2013, she opened her second restaurant, Barbounya, where she was a chef until May 2018.
Since her passion for cooking is very much linked to ingredients and nature, in 2018 she bought a farmhouse 30 km south of Montreal. With her husband, she renovated their ancestral farmhouse dating from 1858 into a space for her culinary workshops, and built a barn/kitchen for gastronomic events. She began growing vegetables to supply her country table and her events. The new project is called Bika Ferme et Cuisine.
In March 2022, she published her new cookbook, Racines (Roots) - a 2023 Taste Canada Gold Award winner. The book represents Fisun’s roots in her native country and her roots in Québec, with recipes based on the seasons.
Over the years, she has provided recipes for several cookbooks and appeared on cooking shows to promote her native Turkish cuisine and to stress the importance of eating according to the seasons and local produce.
These featured authors and recipes are presented as part of a collaboration between the Museum and Taste Canada. A project meant to celebrate the vibrant culinary scene in Canada and introduce our upcoming exhibition Eat make share: a taste of immigration. This national traveling exhibition will invite you to take a deeper dive into food and immigration. Opening in Halifax, Nova Scotia May 2025.
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