This recipe comes from a woman I met whose first name is Malika, a lovely blue-eyed blond from the Kabil region of Algeria. Fragrant with fruit and nuts, and the ubiquitous orange flower water of North African pastries, it is always a welcome dessert. I made it one night for a dinner that I had catered by an Algerian friend, Cherifa Kalabi, and she begged for the recipe. Cherifa is from Algiers and had never tasted this Kabili confection!
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
1 recipe Sweet Pie Pastry
3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 ml) un ltered honey
2/3 cup (100 g) raw almonds, skinned, lightly toasted, and coarsely chopped
2/3 cup (100 g) hazelnuts, lightly toasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped
½ cup dates (100 g), pitted and thinly sliced lengthwise
Scant ½ teaspoon fleur de sel
2 tablespoons orange flower water
Note: These squares truly are better when made several hours in advance and left to ripen. They will also keep for several days in an airtight container. If you cannot find orange flower water locally, I
highly recommend you order some from the Spice House, thespicehouse.com.
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of about ¼ inch (.6 cm) to make a rectangle about 7 × 13 inches (18 × 33 cm). Transfer the pastry to a jelly-roll pan by rolling it tightly around the rolling pin, then unrolling it onto the pan. Bake it in the center of the oven until the pastry is golden at the edges and nearly baked through, about 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).
4. In a large, heavy saucepan, over medium heat, heat the butter with the honey. Add the chopped nuts and the dates and cook, stirring, just until the nuts are coated with the honey. Remove from the heat, add the fleur de sel and orange flower water, and stir until mixed. Then spread the nuts atop the prebaked pastry, going as close to the edge as you can. Drizzle the nuts with any honey and butter left in the pan.
5. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the edges of the pastry and the nuts are deep golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool, then cut the pastry into 12 serving pieces.
