can't have one without the other!

how could i introduce my favourite season of (f)all with apples, and not follow without pears ....

apples and pears have always been two of my favourite fruit when it comes to baking. especially when paired with almonds or almond paste. this post, however, doesn't include pears as in the REAL fruit. here you will learn to actually make pears!

it is a sephardic recipe, passed on to me from an aunt. the recipe obviously has spanish/iberian roots as it uses ground almonds and orange flower water, the former the essential building block for massapan (or in english, marzipan), a favourite item used in sefardi baking.

one thing i do insist on telling you for making this recipe, is to use orange flower water and not omit it. it just does not have the same flavour it is supposed to have without it. rose water is not acceptable here as a substitute either. sorry folks .... some things just aren't meant to be changed or substituted without serious compromise of both taste and authenticity.

apart from that pettiness, they are very easy to make and go very quickly if you have all your ingredients near you. it goes even faster if you have help! the recipe is a non-dairy one and can, i imagine, be made without the egg whites if you use one of those egg (white) replacer items or make the flax seed replacement. don't use water as a substitute or you'll get a gummy product due to inclusion of the semolina ('cream of wheat' not durum semolina flour).


peras de massapan (almond pears)

not as rich as pure marzipan, these über-cute baby pears make a statement and are perfect for introducing fall into your home. once baked, they have a nice shell covered in confectioners sugar hiding a soft interior & a whole blanched almond. redolent of the smells of spain, these will have you longing for its coast as you feel the chill of autumn set in.

ingredients:

2 3/4 c (250 g / 8.8 oz*) of finely ground almond**
1/4 c (40 g) + 2 heaped tbsp sugar
1/4 c semolina (wheatlets/sooji/smeed/solet)
3 + 1 capfuls of orange blossom water (absolutely necessary)
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp grated orange rind, opt
2 small egg whites or 1 1/2 large egg whites***

16 whole blanched almonds
16 whole cloves

3/4 c (6 oz / 185 g) confectioners (icing) sugar

*oz by weight not volume!
** the measure is for already ground almonds
***you can use egg white replacer but you have to figure out yourself how much you need

method:

preheat oven to 350F (180C).

place the ground almonds, sugar and semolina in a bowl and mix together. add the orange rind if using.

make a little well in the center and add ONLY 3 full capfuls of orange flower water. don't mix yet.

beat the egg whites with a fork to slightly to break them up. add them on top of the orange flower water.

mix everything together. the texture should be slightly dry.

if it's wet you had the wrong sized egg whites or mis-measured your dry ingredients. to test if it's right, it should clump nicely together when pressed into a small ball. if it doesn't or is wet, then correct it by adding a bit more egg white or ground almonds. you can also add A BIT more semolina.

now add the last capful of orange flower water and 1 tsp almond extract and mix well. it should make a ball which is moist and only slightly sticky.

fill a little dish with about 3 tbsp of orange flower water and keep a teaspoon in it.

have your cloves and almonds by you also to form the pears.

procedure as follows (but read through first):

divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. they should be about a large tablespoon or so each. never measured so i have no clue.

wash your hands off and dry them well. take a 1/2 tsp of orange flower water and rub your hands with it. (rewet them as necessary —this serves to add extra flavour and to keep the dough from sticking to your hands). then, take a piece of dough and roll it into a ball.

you can also use a little bit of vegetable oil instead to grease your hands ; i prefer the orange flower water.

there are 2 methods for the shape:

shaping method a:

take one almond and stuff up its bottom {oh, my!} and make sure it is enclosed. this is done to give its body extra bulk and to include a little surprise inside!

close up the bottom.

now, make a little neck and shape it into a pear. it should sort of look like a mini bowling pin.

shaping method b:

alternately, you can form all the pears first using both hands, rolling a ball and then, still using both hands twisting the balls and elongating its neck to make it pear shaped. wish i could have included how but hard to take a picture when both hands are in action! at this point, make all the pears and then stuff the almond in the lower half and enclose it.

whether you chose method a or b, take a clove and gently press it with ball/claw side down so the end is sticking out like a miniature stem.

once shaped, adjust the neck and body shape slightly to make it appealing. they should pretty much retain their shapes as they bake.

place these on an oiled sheet or on parchment. if you don't, they will stick and you'll have problems getting them off.

bake them for 10 minutes @ 350F and then about 5 - 6 minutes at 375F. they should still be whitish and the top of the pears a little browned. the bottoms will brown.


after taking them out of the oven, let them sit and cool down slightly. they should be warm but not hot.

while still warm, very important, roll them in confectioner's (icing) sugar until they are well coated.

place on a plate to finish cooling. they must sit for at least 2 to 4 hours before eating. sometimes, these are garnished with a fine sprinkling of cinnamon (not my fave) or cocoa — but literally, only a dusting of it.

enjoy!

lokma lessons

lokma (loukoumades) *bimuelos

this is a typical sephardic hanukkah pastry which is fried in oil, and like almost all middle eastern pastries, soaked in a sweet syrup. it is worth all the effort — at the very least, once a year. *in ladino, these are called bimuelos and are but only one kind or type of bimuelo — there are a variety, the word bimuelo often denoting something tasty fried in oil. bimuelos can also take the form of pancakes, small "cakes" or fritters. it can be confusing at times which is why i called them by their turkish (or greek) name for this posting. amongst spanish speaking jews, they would be mostly called "bimuelos". an interesting article can be read here.

for the recipe itself, please refer to my previous post for the 2006 holiday festive food fair. this is a parve (no meat, no dairy) dessert and appropriate for both strict vegetarians and vegans.

the dry ingredients are first mixed in a bowl and then liquid is added to make a pancake type batter which will be set to rest for the yeast to activate. here, i have opted for the faster method of using instant yeast which can be mixed directly with the dry ingredients.

after a final mixing and incorporating the oil and flavourings, the bowl is then covered and placed in a warm spot. once the yeast has proved and the batter has risen enough, oil is placed over a medium heat to obtain the correct temperature [around 375 F].

a cookie sheet is set up nearby with paper towels to absorb the excess oil once the lokma are cooked. a small dish or bowl with oil and a spoon is set next to the work area to facilitate with the batter dropping easily into the hot oil. you can also just use two spoons, one to push the batter off the other.

the lokma are gently and carefully dropped into the oil and fried on both sides until they are golden brown. lower the heat if they brown too quickly. the more you place in at one time, the lower the heat will drop.

part of the fun is seeing what shapes you will end up with. they won't always be perfectly round but if you use less water in the batter, you can control for that better shaping. i happen to like mine less doughy on the interior and use more of a wet batter so that they are light and crisp. {i should add here that these are not the perfectly round ones, each being exactly the same, you'd see at a vendor specialized in making lokma and other such pastries. in hindsight, i wonder what results i would have obtained had i used a cookie gun-type implement for extruding them; perhaps a big gloppy mess? i'll have to save that experiment for another time}. this is more of a home-style preparation yet equally as delicious, made by your own hands and something with which to delight your guests. once fried to the correct doneness, they are placed on paper towels to drain.

the interior of a perfectly cooked specimen :P

when the lokma are all cooked and set aside to cool, the simple sugar syrup is made. it is composed of sugar, water, a little lemon juice and then later flavoured with either orange blossom water or rose water. orange or lemon zest can be added also. note that this can be done the other way around — make the syrup and let it cool and then make the lokma. the rule of thumb for these pastries is always hot pastry, cold syrup or cold pastry, hot syrup.

once cooked to a thin syrup, the lokma are put in and well coated. they will soak for about a minute and then are put on a serving plate.

the reserved syrup is served along side and the pastries sprinkled with chopped pistachios and fresh orange or lemon zest, if you like.

lokmalicious!

to be enjoyed with a strong cup of turkish coffee.


happy holidays — חג שמח

before i forget, these may also be made and dusted with only powdered (icing) sugar instead of being dipped in the syrup. they taste very good that way, too.

here is a second recipe which unlike the other one, calls for eggs in the dough and uses honey in the syrup and not just sugar. it is from cookbook author gloria kaufer-greene. i have used this recipe and it works well also.

Hanukkah Bimuelos (Fried Honey Puffs)

from the author:

"This is the most traditional Hanukkah treat for Sephardic Jews who come from Greece and Turkey. Bimuelos (or burmuelos/bunuelos) is the pastry's Judeo-Spanish name, loukoumades (or loukoumathes) is its Greek one, and lokma is its Turkish one. Sephardic Jews actually use the name "bimuelos" for a number of foods in addition to this one. For instance, it can also mean pancakes or fried patties, or even a type of baked muffins."

--Gloria Kaufer Greene

Ingredients

Batter

1 packet active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.), divided
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose white flour, preferably unbleached
1/4 teaspoon salt

Honey Syrup

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

For Frying and Garnish
Vegetable oil
Ground cinnamon

Instructions

For the batter, mix together the yeast, 1/2 cup of the warm water, and the sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Let the yeast mixture rest for about 5 minutes, or until it is foamy. Stir in the remaining batter ingredients (including the remaining 1/2 cup water) until smooth. The batter should be very loose and sticky. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let the batter rise for 1 hour. (If necessary, the batter can be stirred down at this point and allowed to rise for another 30 minutes.)

While the batter is rising, prepare the honey syrup. Mix together all the ingredients in a 2-quart or similar saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Lower the heat slightly and boil the syrup, uncovered and undisturbed, for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

When the batter has risen, stir it down. Put enough oil into a large saucepan or a wok so that it is about 1-1/2 inches deep. Heat the oil until it is very hot, about 375 degrees F. Dip a teaspoon into the oil, and then use the spoon to scoop up a small portion of the batter. Gently drop the batter into the oil. (Keep your opposite hand moistened, in case you need to nudge the batter off the spoon. The batter will not stick to wet hands.) The dollop of batter will quickly puff up to almost twice its original size. Make more puffs in the same manner, but do not crowd the pan. Fry the bimuelos, turning them occasionally with a slotted spoon, until they are browned on all sides and very crisp.

Drain them briefly on paper towels or on the rack that attaches to some woks. Then drop 1 or 2 at a time into the cooled syrup (see Note). Use a different spoon or tongs (so the syrup will not get oily) to turn the hot bimuelos in the syrup until they become completely coated with it. Lift the bimuelos up, and let the excess syrup drain off. Put the bimuelos on a large plate. Repeat the frying and dipping process until all the batter is used. Then sprinkle the bimuelos generously with cinnamon. For best taste and texture, serve them as soon as possible.

Note: If desired, the bimuelos may be fried in advance, and coated with hot syrup just before serving. Some Sephardic cooks prefer to stir about 1 teaspoon cinnamon into the syrup, and then let each guest pour a bit of syrup over his or her own serving of bimuelos. In some households, purchased pancake syrup is used. Another easy alternative is 1 cup honey mixed with 1/4 to 1/3 cup water, heated just until blended and hot. Use while warm to drizzle over the bimuelos.

Yield: about 36 bimuelos (honey puffs).

Source:
The Jewish Holiday Cookbook
by Gloria Kaufer Greene
1985
ISBN: 0812912241

lokma (bimuelos)

also known in greek as loukoumades ....

this recipe is for "you-know-who". enjoy!
we eat these at hanukkah and other holidays like purim. deep-fried deliciousness!

lokma

makes a lot. i suggest cutting the recipe in half if it is just for a few people or a small family. they can be made a few hours ahead and are meant to be served at room temperature. do not cover with plastic wrap or they will stick to it! use tin foil instead.

see my post called, lokma lessons, and read it before starting this to get a visual idea of what you will be doing. this version does not use eggs or honey and is suitable for vegans.

ingredients:

2 to 2 1/4 c AP flour
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast [like fleischmann's reg or *rapid rise]
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c (up to 2 c) water [warm]
1 tbsp margarine melted
1 tsp lemon juice
1 - 2 tsp orange flower or rose water [optional]
orange or lemon zest [optional - add to dough]

3 c sugar
1 1/2 c water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 -2 tbsp orange flower or rose water [optional]

finely ground or chopped pistachios
lemon or orange zest

method:

dissolve the yeast in 1/2 c water with 1 tsp sugar. when proved, add the rest [3/4 c] of the water, salt and sugar to the yeast and then the lemon juice and the flour and melted margarine. start with 2 c of flour. if it is too thin you may add the rest of the flour. mix well to make a thickish batter. add enough water to make a thick pancake like batter. let this rise for about an hour to an hour and a half. it needs to double.

*if you're using the rapid rise yeast, put all the dry ingredients together and add the wet ones. then continue recipe.

while that doubles, make the syrup. add sugar, water and lemon juice to a pot. put on medium heat and stir until all is dissolved. bring to a small boil and let syrup cooking WITHOUT STIRRING for about 10 to 15 minutes. if you stir you may seed/crystallize the sugar and ruin it. test after 10 minutes if it is thick enough. it should be a thin syrup but not too thin. sort of like maple syrup. add the orange or rose waters at the end, if using. keep aside as you make the lokma.

after the batter doubles, heat oil for deep frying. be careful!

put some oil in a small cup about a 1/4 c. with a tablespoon. coat the spoon with oil and dip into the batter and carefully add to the oil. we make small — think quail egg size — balls. re-dip the spoon every few times. fry the balls until golden about 3 minutes or so. turn them in the oil to make sure both sides brown. place them on a paper towel to absorb the oil. make sure that the oil is at the correct temperature — too low and they fry too long, absorb a lot of oil and become very hard and too hot, they will fry too quickly, taste raw and burn.

when they are all fried, rewarm the syrup and dip the pastries in it. the rule of thumb is always hot pastry to cold syrup or cold pastry to hot syrup to aid in absorption.

place on a platter and serve extra syrup to drizzle.

garnish with the lemon or orange zest and pistachios.

you may want to halve the recipe to try it out or if you are not serving many people.

enjoy!