Morocco’s claim to fame is the great classic movie Casablanca so we’re going to toast “Here’s looking at you, kid” at our grub club gathering. After finding out that the theme for our upcoming grub club is Moroccan food—I started to search. We rotate courses in our group and it seems that I often find myself bringing dessert for a cuisine that is not famous for its desserts. The people of Morocco love sweets but reserve them for special occasions. Well, I guess our grub club event is special enough.
The foods of Morocco have been influenced by the Spanish, the Mediterranean countries, the Moors and, most of all, the Arabs. Dates, figs, oranges, and almonds are plentiful. I found some recipes in the Foods of The World series (Time-Life) that looked delicious and not too challenging to make for the dessert course. Everything was wonderful!
Orange Sections with Orange-Blossom Water
(To serve 4)
4 medium-sized navel oranges, peeled, with all of the outside membranes removed and divided into sections (below)
1 tsp. orange-blossom water (may substitute an orange-flavored liqueur such as Triple Sec)
1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Arrange the orange sections attractively in rows or concentric circles on a serving plate, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle them with the orange-blossom water or liqueur, cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled. Just before serving, sprinkle the oranges with the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon.
Sectioning Oranges
Use a small, very sharp knife and cut deeply into the peel near the stem. Cut the peel and all of the white membrane away from the orange, using short sawing motions. Now cut along each side of each membrane division to the core of the orange. As each orange section is freed, carefully lift it out.
M’hannsha (Pastry coils filled with Almond paste—the “Snake”)
To make 12 small pastries
6 sheets filo pastry, each about 16 inches long and 12 inches wide, thoroughly defrosted if frozen
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, melted, plus 4 to 8 tablespoons butter
1 recipe for almond-paste filling (see below)
2 to 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
¼ cup sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut each filo sheet in half crosswise to make a dozen 8-by-12-inch rectangles. For each m’hannsha, brush the entire top of one filo rectangle lightly with melted butter, then fold the filo in half to make a two-layered rectangle 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Brush again with melted butter. Spoon the almond paste into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch plain tip and pipe the paste along the 8-inch side of the rectangle about ½ inch from the edge and to within about 1 inch of each end. Turn the edge of the filo over the almond paste and roll the rectangle into a tight cylinder, tucking in the ends as you proceed. Brush the cylinder with a little butter and shape it into a coil. When all of the m’hannsha have been filled and shaped, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy 10-to12-inch skillet. When the foam begins to subside, add 2 of the m’hannsha and brown them in the hot fat, turning them over gently with a wide metal spatula and regulating the heat so that they color richly and evenly without burning. Transfer the browned pastries to a plate and sprinkle them with a little of the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Brown the remaining ones in the same fashion, adding butter and oil to the skillet as needed. Serve the pastries warm or at room temperature.
Almond-Paste Filling
½ cup blanched slivered almonds
8-oz roll of almond paste, softened
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
3 Tbsp orange-blossom water or orange liqueur
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Heat oven to 350. Spread the almonds out in a shallow baking pan and, turning them occasionally, toast them in the middle of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Pulverize the almonds in a food processor; add almond paste, 4 tablespoons of butter, sugar, egg and 1 Tbsp of the orange-blossom water and continue to process until mixture is smooth.
Kab el Ghzal (Pastry Crescents filled with Almond Paste (“Gazelle Horns”)
½ pound butter, chilled and cut into bits
1 ½ cups flour
¼ tsp. salt
3 to 4 Tbsp ice water
In a large chilled bowl, combine the butter bits, flour and salt. With your fingertips, run the flour and butter together until like flakes of coarse meal. Pour ice water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather the dough into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 400. Roll out dough to less than 1/8 inch on lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 3” squares. Place 1 tsp. of almond-paste filling across one corner of a dough square about ½ inch from point and lift the point over the paste. Then, starting with folded edge, roll the dough up tightly, tucking in the ends as you proceed. Pinch the ends firmly together and gently shape the pastry roll into a crescent. Arrange about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. While warm, sprinkle with orange-blossom water and roll in confectioners’ sugar. Let pastries cool to room temperature before serving.
The foods of Morocco have been influenced by the Spanish, the Mediterranean countries, the Moors and, most of all, the Arabs. Dates, figs, oranges, and almonds are plentiful. I found some recipes in the Foods of The World series (Time-Life) that looked delicious and not too challenging to make for the dessert course. Everything was wonderful!
Orange Sections with Orange-Blossom Water
(To serve 4)
4 medium-sized navel oranges, peeled, with all of the outside membranes removed and divided into sections (below)
1 tsp. orange-blossom water (may substitute an orange-flavored liqueur such as Triple Sec)
1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Arrange the orange sections attractively in rows or concentric circles on a serving plate, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle them with the orange-blossom water or liqueur, cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled. Just before serving, sprinkle the oranges with the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon.
Sectioning Oranges
Use a small, very sharp knife and cut deeply into the peel near the stem. Cut the peel and all of the white membrane away from the orange, using short sawing motions. Now cut along each side of each membrane division to the core of the orange. As each orange section is freed, carefully lift it out.
M’hannsha (Pastry coils filled with Almond paste—the “Snake”)
To make 12 small pastries
6 sheets filo pastry, each about 16 inches long and 12 inches wide, thoroughly defrosted if frozen
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, melted, plus 4 to 8 tablespoons butter
1 recipe for almond-paste filling (see below)
2 to 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
¼ cup sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut each filo sheet in half crosswise to make a dozen 8-by-12-inch rectangles. For each m’hannsha, brush the entire top of one filo rectangle lightly with melted butter, then fold the filo in half to make a two-layered rectangle 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Brush again with melted butter. Spoon the almond paste into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch plain tip and pipe the paste along the 8-inch side of the rectangle about ½ inch from the edge and to within about 1 inch of each end. Turn the edge of the filo over the almond paste and roll the rectangle into a tight cylinder, tucking in the ends as you proceed. Brush the cylinder with a little butter and shape it into a coil. When all of the m’hannsha have been filled and shaped, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy 10-to12-inch skillet. When the foam begins to subside, add 2 of the m’hannsha and brown them in the hot fat, turning them over gently with a wide metal spatula and regulating the heat so that they color richly and evenly without burning. Transfer the browned pastries to a plate and sprinkle them with a little of the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Brown the remaining ones in the same fashion, adding butter and oil to the skillet as needed. Serve the pastries warm or at room temperature.
Almond-Paste Filling
½ cup blanched slivered almonds
8-oz roll of almond paste, softened
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
3 Tbsp orange-blossom water or orange liqueur
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Heat oven to 350. Spread the almonds out in a shallow baking pan and, turning them occasionally, toast them in the middle of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Pulverize the almonds in a food processor; add almond paste, 4 tablespoons of butter, sugar, egg and 1 Tbsp of the orange-blossom water and continue to process until mixture is smooth.
Kab el Ghzal (Pastry Crescents filled with Almond Paste (“Gazelle Horns”)
½ pound butter, chilled and cut into bits
1 ½ cups flour
¼ tsp. salt
3 to 4 Tbsp ice water
In a large chilled bowl, combine the butter bits, flour and salt. With your fingertips, run the flour and butter together until like flakes of coarse meal. Pour ice water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather the dough into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 400. Roll out dough to less than 1/8 inch on lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 3” squares. Place 1 tsp. of almond-paste filling across one corner of a dough square about ½ inch from point and lift the point over the paste. Then, starting with folded edge, roll the dough up tightly, tucking in the ends as you proceed. Pinch the ends firmly together and gently shape the pastry roll into a crescent. Arrange about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. While warm, sprinkle with orange-blossom water and roll in confectioners’ sugar. Let pastries cool to room temperature before serving.
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