Nov 1, 2012

Namoura (Egg free Lebanese Cake)

By · 8 Comments

It is so strange how a smell can bring back a lot of memories from your childhood. During the Eid el Adha I went to a sweet shop to buy something, and I saw and smelt Namoura. I remembered when I was young, a vendor used to come to our neighborhood with his trolley selling Namoura and we loved eating it with our hands. As I grew up it was one of the first sweet recipes I learnt from my mother. This is an egg free, butter free Lebanese cake, that can be made on any occasion and can last for quite a while time without any alteration to the taste.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 1/2 cup semolina
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 cups yogurt
  • 1/2 cup orange blossom water
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 cup of almonds for decoration

Sugar syrup:

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup orange blossom water
  • teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

  • Mix the semolina with bicarbonate of soda, sugar and salt
  • Gradually add the orange blossom water while stirring with a spoon
  • Add the yogurt and stir until all the ingredients are well mixed
  • Cover the mixture with a clean towel and leave it to rest for half an hour
  • Preheat the oven to 180 C
  • Grease a 40 cm diameter tray with tahini, pour the mixture in the tray, decorate with the almonds and bake it for about 35 minutes, until the cake becomes golden
  • In the meantime prepare the sugar syrup, boil the sugar with water until it thickens, then add the lemon juice, the orange blossom water and the butter
  • When the Namoura is baked remove from the oven and put over it the hot sugar syrup, and put it in the oven  again for 5 minutes

  • Remove the tray from the oven and let it cool, then cut into squares or diamond shape and serve

ET VOILA… C’EST TOUT.

Filed Under: Dessert, Lebanese food · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Apr 25, 2012

Mshabak (Sweet pastry)

By · 3 Comments

Mshabak  is a Lebanese sweet mainly found  during the Holy month of Ramadan or during All Saint’s day or the Virgin Mary’ day. I love to eat this sweet even on regular days and that is why I learnt the recipe from my mother, God rest her soul, who used to make us help her with these sweets we loved so much.

Until today I am still unable to master the shapes they are found in the shops, I am sure this recipe I am sharing with you is just as delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour dissolved in a half cup of  water
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 liter cooking oil


Preparation:

  • Sift the flour with the salt then mix with yeast and cornflour and water until the mixture is as loose as yoghurt
  • Place in a bowl and cover with a tea towel in a warm place for a while till it rises
  • Pour the mixture in a plastic bottle with a narrow dispenser for easier pouring into the oil, or into a plastic bag and cut a corner off
  • Heat the oil in a pot on medium fire, pour the mixture in  circular shapes and fry till golden
  • remove from the oil and place directly into the already prepared sugar syrup
  • Remove from the syrup and place directly into a serving plate

Sugar Syrup Preparation:

  • Boil 4 cups of sugar with 2 cups of water until it starts to thicken then add juice of half a lemon, remove from fire and add 1 tablespoon of Blossom water
This was today’s sweet recipe, I hope you enjoy it!
ET VOILA.. C’EST TOUT. BON APPETIT 🙂
Filed Under: Dessert, Lebanese food · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
Mar 6, 2012

Lebanese Macaroon

By · 6 Comments

The Lebanese Macaroon is very different from the French one. For one thing, the French Macaroons are made from almond powder, egg whites and sugar whereas the Lebanese ones are made out of semolina, oil and some spices. Also, the French Macaroon is baked in the oven while the Lebanese variation is fried in oil. It’s a very indulgent dessert, with a high amount of sugar (how much sugar syrup you add is up to you.) I’ll be posting the recipe for the French Macaroons sometime in the future; you can try it then and see the difference for yourself.

When I was young, I used to help my mother to roll the dough when she made macaroons. It would make me happy to sit on the floor, shaping the dough and rolling it on a straw chair to create a pleasant texture. It maybe difficult to find a straw chairs nowadays (its not necessary to use one) so rolling the dough on a cheese grater will create a similar effect.

This is my mother’s recipe and it is unmistakably delicious. Help yourself to a wonderfully indulgent dessert 🙂

Sugar Syrup Preparation:

  • Boil 2 cups of sugar in a cup of water, stirring occasionally
  • When done, add a teaspoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of rose water
  • Keep warm until you use it in the macaroon

Macaroon Ingredients:

  • 500 grams fine semolina (3 1/2 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon of ground anise
  • 1 teaspoon dried instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn oil
  • 1 teaspoon fennel
  • warm water to form the dough, about 1 cup of water (have a bit more handy)
  • oil for frying
  • sugar syrup

Preparation:

  • Mix the semolina, fennel, anise, dried yeast, sugar and the corn oil together with one cup of water until it forms a soft dough (add only one cup at the beginning, but if you find that the dough still hard add more water little by little until the dough is soft and easy to manage)
  • Take a palm-sized roll of dough, roll it into a long shape (about one finger’s length) and roll it against the grater to give it texture
  • When you finish all the dough, deep fry them until they give a nice golden color
  • Remove from them from the oil and straight into the sugar syrup. Do this quickly so that the macaroons absorb the syrup

ET VOILA C’EST TOUT:)

Filed Under: Dessert, Lebanese food · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,