Chocolate Macaroons

INGREDIENTS
Macaroon Batter
1 cup (100 g) icing sugar
½ cup ground almonds (about 50 g)
3 tablespoons (25 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65 g) caster sugar

Chocolate Filling
½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
4 ounces (120 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 g) butter, cut into small pieces

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.

Grind together the icing sugar with the ground almonds and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn't quite fine enough.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the caster sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macaroons, stand for 1 hour, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

Chocolate filling
Heat the cream in a small saucepan. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using.

Assembly
Spread a bit of batter on the inside of the macaroons then sandwich them together, you may or may not use all the filling.

Let them stand at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze. If you freeze them, defrost them in the unopened container, to avoid condensation which will make the macaroons soggy.

SERVINGS
15

COMMENTS
Big hit, literally gobbled up!

SOURCE
David Lebovitz

Bourekia

INGREDIENTS
Pastry
250g plain flour
70g cold butter
finely grated rind of 1 small lemon

Filling
200g ricotta or smooth cream cheese
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp orange blossom water
25g caster sugar

light olive oil (for frying)
icing sugar (to serve)

METHOD
Pastry
Mix flour, butter and salt in large bowl, sifting and working through with your fingers until it forms large breadcrumbs.
Add 5 tablespoons of water and lemon rind and knead gently and quickly with your hands until the dough just comes together in a mass.
Knead for 20-30 seconds or until smooth, take care not to overwork the dough.
Wrap in plastic wrap and leave for about 1 hour in a cool (but not cold) place.

Filling
Mix ricotta or cream cheese with cinnamon, orange blossom water and caster sugar.
Refrigerate until needed.

Bourekia
Roll out pastry very thinly.
Cut 8cm rounds with a biscuit cutter or sharp rimmed glass.
Put a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each round.
Wet your finger with a little water and run it around the edge of the pastry, then fold it over into a half moon.
Press the edge to make sure it is sealed.
Keep all the pastries on a tray dusted with flour until you are ready to fry them.
Fill a saucepan or deep-fat fryer one-third full of oil and heat up for deep-frying.
Fry the pastries a few at a time for 30-40 seconds, turning them around until they are golden.
Lift them out with tongs onto a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain off the oil.
Arrange on a serving platter, dust very generously with icing sugar and serve immediately.

COMMENTS
Fiddly but absolutely awesome!

SERVINGS
24

SOURCE
Tessa Kiros Falling Cloudberries

Honey-dipped Briouats with Almond Paste

INGREDIENTS
Almond Filling
200g ground almonds
90g unsalted butter
60g icing sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon orange flower water

6 sheets filo pastry
125g smen (see note below), melted

Honey Syrup
260g honey
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon orange flower water

METHOD
Under a medium heat, add the ground almonds to a heavy-based saucepan and stir constantly until lightly browned - about 3-4 minutes.
Tip out into a bowl when done.
Add the butter to the pan and stir until melted.
Let this cool before adding it to the toasted ground almonds along with the icing sugar, almond extract and 1 tablespoon of the orange flower water.
Mix thoroughly - set aside while you prepare the filo.
Stack the sheets on a cutting board with the longer side toward you and cut into strips 11cm (4½ inches) wide and 28-30 cm (11½ - 12 inches) long.
Stack the sheets in the folds of a tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
Take a sheet and place in on your board, brush half of it lengthways with smen, then fold in half to give a strip 5.5cm/2¼ inches wide.
Brush over the top with smen then place a heaped tablespoon of the filling towards the end of the strip.
Fold the end diagonally across the filling so that the base lines up with the side of the strip, forming a triangle.
Continue folding in the same manner to the end of the strip - trim any excess pastry with a knife.
Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling and when completed, brush the tops lightly with smen.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Do this after the triangles have all been made to ensure the kitchen is cool and doesn't dry out the pastry.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden.
Meanwhile, place the honey, water and orange flower water in a 1.5 litre saucepan.
Just before removing pastries from oven, bring this mixture to the boil before reducing to a low heat.
Put two hot pastries into the honey, leave for 20 seconds then remove with two forks to a baking paper lined tray. Be careful as the honey will bubble and rise when you place the pastries in.
Repeat with the remaining pastries.
Let the pastries cool before serving them - they are best eaten on the day they are made.

A note on Smen
Smen is a clarified butter with milk solids that have been allowed to brown slightly, giving it a nutty flavour. You can make this yourself. Cut 250g (9 oz) of salted or unsalted butter into pieces and place them in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat. Simmer on the lowest flame possible for 25 minutes. Pour through a sieve lined with muslin - the clear oil collected is the smen and this can be stored in the fridge in a sealed jar. It should keep for a few months.

COMMENTS
A more delicate sweet than baklava, everyone loved it at the Moroccan party!

SERVINGS
18

SOURCE
"A little taste of Morocco"