Middle Eastern Cuisine ......

 

 

 

Dates filled with Chocolate Cream and Almonds

Very rich, but delicious recipe ..............

 

 

 

 

 

48 (10 ounces) pitted dates
1/4 cup (2 ounces) heavy whipping cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
48 (2 ounces) whole blanched almonds

Bring the whipping cream to a boil in a small pan. Remove it from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the chocolate into the cream until it is smooth. Let it sit at room temperature until it thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

Use a paper piping cone, a plastic sandwich bag, or a teaspoon to fill the pit spaces in the dates with chocolate cream. Nestle and almond, flat side down, on top of the chocolate.

Refrigerate the dates, but bring them to room temperature before serving to heighten and enhance the taste of the chocolate.

 

 

This treat originated in Turkey, but is eaten throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

I like the traditional recipe, made with rosewater and lemon juice, however, modern variations also use a few drops of food coloring to create different shades of the treat.

Nuts and coconut are also popular additives; nuts are typically stuffed between two layers

of the candy styrp and coconut is often times used in place of the powdered sugar for coating.

 

 

In a 9 inch baking pan, grease the sides and bottom with vegetable oil or shortening. Line with wax paper and grease the wax paper.

In a saucepan, combine lemon juice, sugar and 1 1/2 cups water on medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Allow mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine cream of tartar, 1 cup corn starch and remaining water in saucepan over medium heat. Stir until all lumps are gone and the mixture begins to boil. Stop stirring when the mixture has a glue like consistency.

Stir in the lemon juice, water and sugar mixture. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, Allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Once the mixture has become a golden color, stir in rosewater. Pour mixture into wax paper lined pan. Spread evenly and allow to cool overnight. (DO NOT COOL IN THE REFRIGERATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Once it has cooled overnight, sift together confectioners sugar and remaining cornstarch.

Turn over baking pan containing Turkish delight onto clean counter or table and cut with oiled knife into one inch pieces.

Coat with confectioners sugar mixture. Serve or store in airtight container in layers separated with wax or parchment paper.

 

 

 

To create colored Lokum ..... add a couple of drops of food coloring to your food mixture towards the very end of the cooking process .... red and green are common colors. You can also add flavored oils in place of the rosewater .... cinnamon and mint are common flavors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bite sized, sweet and yummy ... some people call them Honey Balls.

So simple and easy to make ... just make sure that you use pastry flour.

Make the syrup first, that way it will cool down while you make the Awamat.

 

 

 

 

 

8 cups pastry flour

1 quart plain yogurt (laban) ..... 1 quart is 4 cups

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups olive oil

Sugar Syrup (see recipe below)

 

Sift pastry flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the baking soda and the yogurt to the flour. Mix well with a mixing spoon. Once the flour becomes wet, you will have to knead to well incorporate the ingredients. Heat olive oil until almost smoking. Drop dough by the teaspoonful into hot oil. Fry only a few at a time. They quickly rise to the surface, brown, and are ready to be skimmed out of the oil. Drain on paper towel. When all the awamat are fried, dip a few at a time in the sugar syrup until all of them have been covered. Serve the doughnuts hot or cold.

 

 

 

 

3 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups water
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon orange-blossom water or rosewater

1. Boil the sugar with the water until dissolved, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and remove from the heat.