Special Occasions Recipes - Moroccan Almond Pastry Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 12-16

• 250 g/8 oz ground almonds

• 175 g/6 oz icing sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

• 1 egg, separated a few drops of almond extract

• 1 1/2 tablespoons rosewater

• 6 sheets of filo pastry

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• pinch of ground cinnamon, plus extra

• for sprinkling

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Method:

1. Stir the ground almonds and icing sugar together and mix to a paste with the egg white, almond extract and rosewater. Divide into 3 equal pieces.

2. Sift icing sugar over a work surface, then roll out each piece of almond paste with your hands to form a sausage about 50 cm/20 inches long and about 1 cm/1/2 inch thick.

3. Brush a sheet of filo pastry with oil, cover with a second sheet of pastry and brush that with oil. Cover the remaining pastry with a damp tea towel.

4. Place an almond sausage along one edge of the oiled pastry, about 2.5 cm/1 inch in from the side. Roll up the pastry enclosing the almond filling.

5. Form the pastry-covered sausage into a loose coil, starting in the centre of an oiled 20 cm/8 inch round loose-bottomed tin.

6. Repeat with the remaining almond sausages and pastry. Join one to the end of the coil in the tin, continue to coil outwards; then repeat with the last sausage to form a large coil, filling the tin.

7. Beat the egg yolk with the cinnamon and brush over the top of the coil. Bake in a preheated oven, 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4, for 30 minutes until golden and crisp on top.

8. Remove the sides of the tin, carefully turn the coil over, return to the base of the tin and place in the oven for a further 10 minutes until the other side is golden.

9. Invert on to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly. Sift with icing sugar and cinnamon and serve warm, cut into small wedges.

Note: A moist, aromatic pastry with all the scents of North Africa - this is delicious served cut into small wedges with coffee after a special meal, or as part of an elegant tea party.