My host mom loved to make pudding... I know that is not exactly Turkish, but she did it in such a unique and professional way that I really want to include a picture of it. Inside the pudding, at the bottom of every bowl was a cookie and the pudding would soak into it and make it moist, then sometimes she would add orange to the pudding for added flavor, and on top of it all she would slice bananas and sprinkle coconut powder! Delicious!
Another dish she loved to make (and made very, very well) was aşure (pronounced: ashureh). This is a very traditional and special dessert. There is a special month in which lots of people usually prepare aşure and tradition requires that, once made, the preparer shares it with everyone they know. I mentioned we had aşure at Thanksgiving, but that was not the normal time. Usually it is prepared after a few weeks after Kurban Bayram (the month is according to the Muslim calender, so I am not sure when it actually started). 
Aşure is special because it commemorates the end of the flood which Noah survived. At the end of the long rains the only food left in the ship was grains and dried things, so aşure usually has rice, maybe some other grains, sugar (lots of it!), nuts, beans, and dried fruit. And, there should always be at least 7 ingredients. Here is a picture of all the aşure bowls poured out. My host mom always put crushed almonds and walnuts with pomegranate seeds on top to finish the recipe!
Aşure is special because it commemorates the end of the flood which Noah survived. At the end of the long rains the only food left in the ship was grains and dried things, so aşure usually has rice, maybe some other grains, sugar (lots of it!), nuts, beans, and dried fruit. And, there should always be at least 7 ingredients. Here is a picture of all the aşure bowls poured out. My host mom always put crushed almonds and walnuts with pomegranate seeds on top to finish the recipe!And, of course, what would life in Turkey be like without baklava?! Here are two handmade versions (which are usually different from store bought). My boyfriend's mother made these in preparation for Kurban Bayram.
This shows the kind of variation that you can find in desserts...both of these are baklava even though they look really different!
And, this last one is called helva. It is a made from semolina (which is crushed up wheats). It has a really strange consistency (although, helva actually has lots of variations). This one is usually served warm with some powdered pistachio on top...but it takes some time to get used to it. And some people hate it!
Well, this is just the beginning of Turkish desserts...I could eat just desserts there, but then I wouldn't have any space for the bread, kebabs, and everything else!
