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Cookie Quiz - What type of cookie are you? |
Persian dessert recipes aren’t like a typical
chocolate chip cookie recipe, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t as good.
They include a number of unusual ingredients, at least in terms of the American
palate. Rosewater is an often used ingredient because it has a fresh and sweet
taste. They also use a large number of pistachio nuts and even cardamom
seasoning. Take a look at some of the following examples.
Fereni Recipe
Ingredients:
2/3 cup of cornstarch
2 cups
whole milk
6 cardamom seeds
½ cup of ground almonds
Dash of rosewater
½ cup of slivered almonds,
toasted or blanched
½ cup of sugar
Mix together the cornstarch and 1 cup of water until
dissolved. Pour the other cup of milk into a saucepan and heat until boiling.
Add the mixture to the pot and stir rapidly. Once the mixture is well combined,
add the dash of rosewater, ground almonds and cardamom seeds. Continue mixing
over heat for another minute. Drain the mixture to remove any chunks. Add to
bowls with a handful of slivered almonds and serve.
Baagh-lava Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
½ cup whole
milk
2 egg yolks
½ cup rosewater
2 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon baking powder
1
tablespoon cardamom
1 cups white sugar
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups ground almonds
Mix together the oil, egg yolks, baking powder and milk. Once everything is
combined, slowly incorporate the flour. Place the dough in a bag and let it sit
in a cool place for several hours. Mix together the ground almonds with the
confectioners sugar and cardamom powder. Divide the dough into several pieces,
making small balls of each piece. Lay a ball of dough on a floured surface and
roll it out until it’s as thin as possible. Spread a small amount of almond
paste on top of the dough and dot with the rosewater. Repeat with the remaining
pieces of dough. Place in a 300 degree oven. In a small saucepan bring together
the white sugar, ½ hot water and the remaining rosewater. Bring the mixture to a
boil and then turn down the burner to low. Remove the dough from the oven after
35-40 minutes and let cool. Brush the top of the baked dough with the rosewater
mixture every few minutes and serve.
Find out even more Persian
dessert recipes:
Lastly, no look at Persian desserts would be complete without a recipe
for baklava. This traditional Iranian/Persian dessert is served for special
holidays, but also as a typical dessert throughout the week.
Baklava
Ingredients
1 package frozen phyllo dough
1 pound
chopped pistachio nuts
1 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup honey
Set the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9X13 inch
baking pan. Combine the nuts and cinnamon in a small bowl. Then place the phyllo
dough underneath a dampened towel. Set two pieces of the dough in the bottom of
the baking sheet and brush the top with melted butter. Continue until there are
16 layers of dough in the pan. Add a sprinkling of nuts and cover with two more
sheets of phyllo. Place more of the nuts on top of that, then another layer of
phyllo and butter. Continue until you reach the top of the pan. Cut across the
top of the pan in one direction and then in the opposite direction, making a
diamond pattern. Bake for 50 minutes. Bring together the sugar and water in a
small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Then add the honey and the vanilla and
cook for 15-20 minutes. Pour the sauce over the baklava when it comes out of the
oven and let cool before serving.
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