Syrian Delights Cookbook by Ashley Ludlow

SYRIAN Delights

SYRIAN Delights A Recipe Book of Syrian Desserts

compiled and edited by Ashley Ludlow

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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SYRIAN Delights A Recipe Book of Syrian Desserts

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Dedicated to

Grandma & Chloe Don’t worry, I won’t forget to dust you off.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS O7 dedication O9 introduction 10 syrian ingredients 13 recipes 35 index 37 Acknowledgments

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Recipes

INTRODUCTION

Introduction Syria is a crossroads of cultural traditions. The area spans 71,000 square miles and is bordered by Turkey, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. With the Euphrates River passing through the area, Syria supplies 80% of the countries water. The center of any city in Syria is the souk, or marketplace, full of alleys, stalls, tiny shops, mosques, and shrines. Syrian cuisine is full of hearty flavors and aromatic spices. The main ingredients of Syrian food are wheat, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products. Vegetables are the main ingredients of daily recipes. Meat dishes are served on special occasions and feats. Desserts are stuffed with various nuts, cream, cheese, or dates. Dates, figs, plums, and watermelons are the most used fruits. Food is often flavored with olives, lemons, parsley, onion, and garlic and the main beverages include tea and soda. When food is served, tables are decorated with various appetizers and salads. Mezzah, the midday meal or Syrian life, includes up to twenty or thirty small dishes including hummus, ground sesame paste, eggplant puree, stuffed grape leaves, salad, chickpeas, and pita bread. Syrian cuisine is sophisticated and particularly healthy with a mix of spices and textures. In this cookbook, I have compiled Syrian desserts. I chose desserts as my focus to highlight the sweet flavors of Syrian cuisine and the use of garnishes and a focus on unique aromatic ingredients.

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INGREDIENTS

Syrian Ingredients The mix of spices and textures is what makes Syrian sweets unique to the region. Syrian desserts are a combination of nuts, spices, and oils, and many of the dishes are paired with garnishes to enhance the taste. Eid al-Fitr is an event that is the breaking of the Ramadan fast. At Eid al-Fitr celebrataions, large quanitities of food are consumed, sweets in particular. Desserts are also main dishes at weddings, parties, and other festivities. Some of the ingredients unique to Syrian desserts include cardamom, semonila, dates, orange blossom water, rose water, and a variety of nuts.

Recipes

Cardamom a cool spice with a minty aroma

Orange Blossom Water comes from the distillation of fresh bitter-orange blossoms often used for its sweet aroma

Rose Water comes from rose petals as a by-product of rose oil, used to flavor food and for its aroma

Dates can be pitted and stuffed with various fillings - used for sweet flavour

Semonila comes from durum wheat - usually used in sweet dishes and is an alternative to corn meal

Pecans

INGREDIENTS

Pecans Walnuts Orange Blossom Water

Semolina Cardamom

Dates

Rose Water

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RECIPES

RECIPES »» cigar nut pastries 10 »» basbosa hazelnut 16 »» rose of damascus 17 »» roz bhaleeb 18 »» maamoui bi ajwa 21 »» nutmeg coffee cake 23 »» nammourah 24 »» eswaret as-set 27 »» makbouseh 28 »» mshabbak 29 »» mhallabiet al-halib 33

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RECIPES

cigar nut pastries with orange-honey cream

INGREDIENTS ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped ½ cup almonds, finely chopped ½ cup pistachios, finely chopped, plus extra, to serve ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar 2 tsp orange-blossom water* 16 sheets filo pastry 1 cup unsalted butter, melted Sugar syrup

1 1/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup water 1 cinnamon quill 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 2 tsp orange-blossom water Orange-honey cream

1 cup pouring cream 2 tbsp honey ½ orange, finely zested

• Orange-blossom water is

available from specialist and Middle Eastern food shops.

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DIRECTIONS 1. To make sugar syrup, place

all the ingredients, except the orange-blossom water, in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for a further 4 minutes or until syrup slightly thickens. Remove from heat, add orange-blossom water and swirl to combine. Cool. Makes 1 cups.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C 3. Combine all the nuts, brown sugar and orange-blossom water in a bowl.

4. Place 1 sheet of filo pastry

on a dry surface, keeping the others covered with a lightly dampened tea towel. Liberally brush with melted butter and sprinkle 1 tbsp of nut mixture evenly over sheet. Place a long knitting needle or chopstick at the short end of the pastry and roll up filo around the knitting needle as evenly as possible. Push ends of filo towards each other so the pastry scrunches up evenly.

5. Pull out needle and lay cigar on a greased baking tray. Repeat with the remaining sheets of filo, butter and nut mixture.

6. Bake for 20 minutes or

until golden, then transfer to a wire rack. Reserve 1/4 cup sugar syrup and brush pastry with remaining syrup. Refrigerate until cold.

7. Meanwhile, make or-

ange-honey cream by whisking cream,honey and orange zest to stiff peaks.

8. Cut pastry cigars in half.

Place 4 cigars on each plate to form a square. Spoon orange-honey cream into the centre of each, drizzle with reserved syrup and sprinkle with extra pistachios.

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RECIPES

Basbosa Hazelnut INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

Syrup 1 cup water 2 tbsp lemon juice (35% butterfat) 1 stick cinnamon 2 carnation cloves, not minced

1. To make the syrup, put water and

Basbosa 1 ½ cup sugar 3 cups semolina 2 tsp baking powder 4 tbsp ghee 1 ½ cup yogurt 1 ½ cup coconut (optional) 1 tbsp tahini 1 ½ cup minced hazelnut 1 ½ cup minced almond

3. Leave on heat for 10 minutes or

sugar in a pot on medium heat until they start to boil.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients,

(you can also add rose water and vanilla for taste), and scrap froth from the surface once it appears. until it thickens and then use it warm.

4. To make Babosa, mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl.

5. Add yogurt and mix it well until you get a soft dough.

6. Coat an oven tray with tahini.

7. Bake mixtures in a 350° oven for 15 minutes.

8. Take out of oven and sprinkle nuts on the surface.

9. Bring the tray back to the oven

and bake it for 20 more minutes or until it is well-cooked.

10. Remove from oven. Pour the

syrup onto the Babosa while hot and then place in the oven again for another 5 minutes.

11. Leave treat to cool and then serve with ice cream.

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RECIPES

Rose of Damascus INGREDIENTS

Turkish Delight Ice Cream 2 ½ cup milk 2 ½ cup thickened cream (35% butterfat) 1 ½ cup caster (superfine) sugar 10 egg yolks ½ cup rosewater splash of “real red” food coloring Filo Pastry Flowers 10 sheets filo pastry ¾ cup clarified butter, melted ¾ cup icing (confectioner’s) sugar ¾ cup honey, warmed Toffeed Strawberries 1 punnet strawberries Caster (superfine) sugar Dried rose petals (optional)

DIRECTIONS 1. To make the ice-cream, put the

stacks of filo pastry, each commilk and cream in a large, heavyprising 5 pastry layers.Use an 3 based pan and heat gently. in flower-shaped pastry cutter to Meanwhile, put the sugar and cut 12 flowers from each pastry egg yolks in a large mixing bowl stack — 24 in total and whisk by hand until thick and pale. Pour on the hot cream and 4. Carefully transfer the pastry “flowers” to the prepared baking whisk in quickly. Tip the custard trays and lay a sheet of baking mix back into the pan and heat parchment on top of each tray. gently until it thickens to coat the Weight down lightly with another back of a spoon. Remove from tray, which will keep the flowers the heat immediately and cool in flat as they cook.Bake for 8–10 a sink of iced water. Stir to help it minutes, or until golden. Remove cool down quickly. When cool, stir from the oven and leave to cool. in the rosewater and enough food colouring to tint it a pale pink. 5. To prepare the toffeed strawberries, preheat the grill to its 2. Pour the chilled mixture into an highest temperature. Hull the ice-cream machine and churn, strawberries an cut them in half. according to the manufacturer’s Dust them all over with caster instructions, until nearly set. Line sugar then place them under the a 1 inch baking tray with plastic grill until the sugar caramelizes, wrap. Tip the ice-cream into the turning once. Alternatively, use a tray and smooth the surface. blow torch. Transfer to the freezer until

ready to assemble the dessert. 6. When ready to assemble, To prepare the filo pastry flowremove the ice-cream from the ers, preheat the oven to 160°C freezer. Turn the block out onto (320°F). Line and butter 2 baking a chopping board and peel away trays, each about 25 cm x 30 cm the plastic wrap. Use the 8 cm (3. (10 in x 12 in). Lay a sheet of filo in) flower-shaped pastry cutter to on your work surface and brush cut out 12 flowers of ice-cream. liberally with clarified butter and Place a pastry flower on each dust with icing sugar. Repeat with plate and top with a flower of 2 more layers, drizzling a little ice-cream. Add another pastry warm honey on the third sheet of flower and ice-cream flower, and filo. Continue stacking and brushfinish with a top layer of pastry. ing with 2 further layers of pastry. Dust each Rose of Damascus with icing sugar and serve with 3. On the top (5th) layer, brush with the toffeed strawberries, and butter, but do not sprinkle on dried rose petals if you’re feeling icing sugar. Repeat this process particularly exotic. with the remaining 5 sheets of filo pastry. You should now have 2

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RECIPES

Roz Bhaleeb

RICE PUDDING

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

5 cups milk ( whole or reduced fat) ½ cup medium-grain rice ½ cup sugar (add 2 tbs for sweeter pudding) 2–3 tbs rose water 1 tbs orange zest

1. Wash then boil rice in water 2 in

Makes 10 servings

2. 3. 4.

6. 7. Cool, smooth, creamy dessert Rice cooked until done to thicken milk - Mixtures simmers to attainperfectly smooth texture, Rose Water adds mysterious heavily touch.

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above rice level. Simmer 30-40 minutes or until rice is done. You might have to add more water so rice does not stick to the pot. Meanwhile, heat milk in a saucepan on medium heat until hot, but do not boil. Slowly add rice to milk and stir well so rice does not crumble Turn down the heat and leave the mixture on low heat setting occasionally stirring for an hour and a half until it thickens. It is very important that you stir every five minutes or so so rice does not stick to the otto of the pan. If milk stuck, do not try to scratch it off. When mixture thickens and reaches a consistency similar to unrefrigerated vanilla pudding, add sugar and rose water and leave for extra ten minutes Turn off heat and pour pudding in mall or big bowls and leave outside until it cools. Sprinkle with orange zest and refrigerate for at least 4 hrs before serving.

Recipes

Filling your house and heart with sweet baking smells, - associated with special occasions like Eid bt, Maamoui Bi Ajwa can be eaten year round. - Golden crumbly cookie with a sweet date filling.

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RECIPES

Maamoui bi Ajwa Date Cookies

INGREDIENTS 2 ½ cups flour 1 cup clarified butter/ghee (or butter or a mix of both) 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp yeast ½ tsp mahlab (mahaleb) ¼ cup warm water Makes 24 pieces 12 oz pitted baking dates

DIRECTIONS 8. Start by activating the yeast

ern groceries.

10. Add melted but not hot clarified

wont stick to it. Press one dough ball lightly into the mold and hit its edge on a surface so that the cookie comes out. If if a mold is not available, press the cookie with your palm on a pan and decorate with a fork.

by dissolving it in 1/4 cup warm 13. After the dough has rested, water with 1/2 teaspoon sugar divide it into 24 one-inch balls. andleave for 10 minutes until Hal low each ball with your foamy and ready to use. index finger, place one date ball and seal the ball. 9. Meanwhile, prepare the dough by combining flour, mahaleb, 14. Syrians use special wooden and sugar. you can substimaamoul molds to give artistic tute some of the flour with shapes to the cookies. If you whole wheat flour or semolina have one, rub it with some veg(smeed) for an extra crunch. gie oil before use so the dough butter and mix very well until incorporated.

11. Finally, add the yeast water

and knead until the dough comes todather. This is a thicker dough (more like playdough) 15. Arrange in a cookie sheet and Cover and allow to rest for 2 bake in 350 degree F oven for hours. 10-13 mins until golden brown. 12. To make the filling, chop the 16. Broil on low for the last 2 mins dates (use a food processor if to brown the surface a little. needed) Then knead until they form a dough. Make into 24 17. Cool completely before serving. little 2/3 inch balls. You can rub Store in an airtight container your palms with little vegetable at room temperature. these oil for easy handling. Do not cookies can keep up to three add sugar to dates as they are weeks. naturally very sweeeet. Use 18. Enjoy maamoul with eta or dark soft dates (ajwa) or just coffee buy a package of baking dates available in most middle east-

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RECIPES

Nutmeg coffee cake

INGREDIENTS 2 cup flour 2 cup firmly packed brown sugar ½ cup butter ¾ cup chopped nuts 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp nutmeg 1 cup sour cream 1 egg

DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In

a large bowl, combine first 3 ingredients; blend at low speed until crumbly.

2. Press 2 cups of the crumb

mixture into ungreased 9 inch square pan. To remaining crumb mixture, add 1/2 cup nuts, soda, nutmeg, sour cream, and egg; blend well. Pour batter over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup nuts.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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RECIPES

NAMMOURAH DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS 2 cups medium grain yellow semolina (smeed asfar wasat) 1 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder 3 tbsp ghee 1 ½ cups full fat milk 1 ½ tbsp tahini, for greasing baking pan Blanched raw peanuts, halves Sugar Syrup 2 cups sugar 1 cup water 1 tsp lemon juice ½ tbsp ghee, preferably samneh Arabi (Syrian ghee made from sheep’s milk)

1. In a bowl, mix medium grain

yellow semolina (smeed asfar wasat), sugar, and baking powder.

2. Add ghee to the mixture. 3. Add milk to the mixture. 4. Mix with your hand until well

Recipes

blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside for 5 hours. After 5 hours, batter will be ready and the semolina has absorbed all the liquid. Bring round aluminum baking pan with 12 inch diameter, and grease baking pan with tahini. Transfer the batter to the baking pan, spread evenly with your hand.Hold the baking pan with your hands and tap it for several times on a surface, that will help to even the surface of the batter.

5. Cover the baking pan with an-

other pan or saran wrap and set aside for 1 hour.

6. After 1 hour, top the batter with blanched raw peanuts (half peanut) and press them, make sure to add the pea nuts in a way that will help you later in cutting.

7. Heat the oven to 355°F (Heat the oven 15 minutes before placing the baking pan in oven to bake). Turn off the upper burner before placing the baking pan in the oven. Place the

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baking pan in the oven (rack position the second from bottom), and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown in color on top and bottom (I’ve turned on the upper burner in the last minutes just to brown the top).

8. During baking, prepare sugar

syrup, turn on heat, in a pot put sugar and water and stir to dissolve, and keep stirring every once in a while.

9. Once the mixture boils, add lemon juice. Let the mixture boil for 5–7 minutes, then turn off heat. In a pan, melt ghee and bring it to high heat.

10. Pour ghee to sugar syrup. Once you take the baking pan out of the oven, immediately pour hot sugar syrup to it.

11. Allow to cool completely, and then cut into rectangles or squares.

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RECIPES

Eswaret As-Set INGREDIENTS 200 g ghee, melted and cooled 1 package (500 g) commercial phyllo, thawed Sugar Syrup Crushed pistachios, as needed

Servings: 50 Pieces

DIRECTIONS 1. Melt ghee, and set aside. Cut

each sheet of phyllo dough into 4 equal parts and keep under damp towel to prevent drying.

2. Place one piece of phyllo

dough on a working surface and brush the phyllo with melted ghee.

3. Place a dowel at the corner of

NOTES AND TIPS

»» It is really important to use good quality ghee. »» When you add orange blos som water to the syrup, you have to add it and turn the heat off. »» Sugar syrup must be cold when you want to pour it to the dessert.

the phyllo and roll the phyllo up in the dowel. Leave a small section of the phyllo unrolled. Push the phyllo to the center of the dowel, creating a wrinkled effect. This is the phyllo after creating a wrinkled effect.

5. Repeat all the steps until you finish all your phyllo.

6. Bake in preheated oven at

392 °F (200 °C) for 20 minutes or until light golden in color. Remove from oven and pour enough cold sugar syrup (sugar syrup must be flavored with orange blossom water).

7. Place crushed pistachios in the center of each piece.

8. Let it cool. Store at room tem-

perature in airtight container in a single layer separated with wax paper.

4. Carefully slide the phyllo off the

dowel. Carefully bend the wrinkled part of the phyllo around the small section until it is surrounded and taut. The small section will be the base for your pistachios. Place on ungreased baking sheet and immediately brush the top and the sides with melted ghee.

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RECIPES

INGREDIENTS Dough

62 g powdered sugar 1/2 cup ghee 1 cup all purpose flour Filling

1/2 cup water 1/2 cup medium semolina (smeed wasat) 1/2 cup caster sugar 2 tsp orange blossom water 1/8 tsp rose pink food coloring

Makbouseh DIRECTIONS DOUGH

1. In a large bowl, add powdered sugar.

2. Add ghee to powdered sugar. 3. Mix powdered sugar and ghee with your hand until combined and the color of the mixture becomes pale off-white.

4. Add the flour and mix until

combined - you should have a soft dough that doesn’t stick to your hand.

5. Cover the bowl with plastic

wrap, and let the dough rest in refrigerator for 24 hours.

FILLING

1. After 24 hours, prepare the

filling, in a pot add water and bring it to boil.

2. Once water is boiling vigorous-

NOTES AND TIPS »» You should work in a

cool place. »» It is really important to use good quality ghee. »» Medium semolina is known in Arabic as smeed wasat. »» Be careful when baking makbouseh because it might get burned easily.

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ly, add semolina and sugar and whisk. Keep whisking until the mixture combined, and boil the mixture for few minutes until slightly thickened, then turn off heat.

3. To the filling, add orange blos-

som water and food coloring, and set the filling aside to cool completely.

4. When the filling cooled com-

pletely, take the dough from the refrigerator and keep at room temperature for 10 minutes, then gently knead the dough.

5. Divide the dough into two equal parts, spread the first half of the dough into baking dish, and smooth the surface of the dough.

6. Add the filling over the dough. 7. Add the other half of the dough over the filling, and smooth the surface of the dough.

8. Cut into diamonds. 9. Bake in preheated oven

at 302 °F (150 °C) for 20 min utes or until the bottom becomes very light golden in color (the color of the bottom should be almost similar to the top).Remove form the oven and keep in the baking dish until cooled completely.

10. When cooled completely,

remove from the baking dish and store them in airtight container in the refrigerator, - should be consumed in one week.

RECIPES

Mshabbak INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

500 g medium semolina (smeed wasat) ! 500 ml hot water 1/8 cup plain yogurt 1/8 cup milk 1/4 cup sugar syrup Corn oil, for frying Sugar syrup flavored with orange blossom water, for dipping

1. Measure medium semolina

Servings: 6 – 7 Rings

NOTES AND TIPS »» »» »» »» »»

Medium semolina is known in Arabic as (smeed wasat). Sugar Syrup is called in Arabic (Al-Qater), for the recipe of sugar syrup click this link sugar syrup. Sugar syrup added to the dough should be plain and not flavored with any flavors, and should be cold. Sugar syrup for dipping mshabbak should be flavored with orange blossom water. Sugar syrup for dipping mshabbak should becold, be cause the basic rule is: Cold sugar syrup is added to hot desserts and hot sugar syrup is added to cold desserts.

2. 3. 4. 5.

(smeed wasat)

Add hot water to semolina. Add plain yogurt. Add milk. Add sugar syrup (sugar syrup should be plain, and not flavored with any flavors). 6. Stir until ingredients combine. 7. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes. 8. After 15 minutes, spoon the dough to mshabbak maker. 9. Heat corn oil. 10. Squeeze dough into hot oil forming a ring approximately 5 inch diameter circle. 11. Deep fry until golden brown in color, and turn to fry both sides. 12. Dip immediately in sugar syrup (sugar syrup should be flavored with orange blossom water), and turn occasionally to make sure that all sides are dipped with syrup. 13. Serve hot.

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HOW TO

How to roll Filo Pastry

*Process required in the making of Cigar Nut Pastries and Eswaret As-Set

1. LAY IT OUT Lay out fillo dough on a flat surface

2. MELT Melt Â˝ cup of butter in a bowl

3. SPREAD

Spread a thin, but generous amount of butter on the surface of the dough

4. GARNISH If recipe calls for a mixture of nuts, ground up nuts into a powder

HOW TO

→ → 5. SPRINKLE

6. ROLL

Sprinkle nut mixture onto dough

Using a long dowel, roll the dough

7. WRINKLE

After roll, use dowel push dough towards center, creating a wrinkled look

8. BAKE & DISPLAY

Slide off of dowel and display as neccessary - place on a tray bake as directed

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350 ° F

Mhallabiet Al-Halib

RECIPES

Milk Pudding

INGREDIENTS 500 ml low fat milk 3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) 3 tbsp sugar, or adjust to taste 1 1/2 tsp orange blossom water ½ tsp rose water Garnish

Crushed pistachios Maraschino cherry

Servings: 2–3 People

DIRECTIONS 11. In a pot, add low fat milk

add cornflour (cornstarch) to milk.

12. Whisk together milk and

cornflour until dissolved.

13. Turn on heat, and use

wooden spoon and stir the mixture over medium heat.

14. Continue stirring until the

mixture comes to simmer, then add sugar and continue stirring.

15. Continue stirring until

you coat the back of your spoon (when you can make a line with your finge without the liquid coming together, you’re set).

16. Once the spoon test

clears, turn off heat, then add orange blossom water and rose water and stir.

NOTES AND TIPS

»» You can add geranium

leaves to mhallabiyeh and that gives a very nice flavor,the leaves are removed before serving in bowls, geranium is known in Arabic as (A’terah), »» Mastic is also used to flavor mhallabiyeh.

17. Pour pudding immediately into bowls.

18. Allow to cool at room temperature.

19. Garnish with crushed pistachios.

20. Garnish with maraschino

cherry, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

21. Serve Mhallabiet Al-Halib cold.

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INDEX

INDEX B

basbosa hazelnut

hazelnut cake with syrup

cigar nut pastries

pastries with mixed nuts and orange honey cream

eswaret as-set

pastries with mixed nuts and orange honey cream

nammourah almond pastries 24 nutmeg coffee cake syrian coffee cake 23

maamoui bi ajwa date cookies 21 makbouseh pastries with sweet filling 28 mhallabiet al-halib milk pudding 33 mshabbak sweet, deep-fried dough 29

rose of damascus turkish ice cream strawberry pastries 17 roz bhaleeb rice pudding 18 ď ¤

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Acknowledgments basbosa Hazelnut

Aleppafood.com

http://en.aleppofood.com/recipe/basbosa-hazelnut/#.VI3rkb5v_iY

cigar nut pastries

SBS.com -Greg Malouf

http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/syrian-cigar-nut-pastries-orange-honey-cream

eswaret as-set