Evette comes from Iraq and grew up eating these cookies, that are traditionally eaten to break the fast of Yom Kippur. She has passed on this tradition to her own grand daughters and game them a recipe book for their Bat Mitzvah’s with all her recipes. She is part of the Dishing Up The Past video project.
Ingredients:
1 cup(s) shelled almonds
1/3 cup(s) sugar
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Rosewater
Preparation:
Materials
Food Processor
Pot
Large Bowl
Small Dish
Two baking trays
Parchment/wax paper
*To prepare almonds:
1. Boil water in a pot
2. Add whole, unshelled almonds and let them cook for two minutes.
3. Take out a little at a time, drain, and remove peel using thumb and
forefinger. This is called blanching the almonds.
4. Let the almonds dry on a tray lined with parchment paper for one or two days.
5. Grind the almonds in batches in a food processor until quite fine (it is best to do this in two stages or else the almonds will release too many oils and become soggy)
Method
1. Mix ingredients together into a dough
2. Pour some rosewater into a small dish and wet hands with it.
Cut dough into small balls (size of bubble gum)
Shape into a smooth ball, flatten with palm of hand
Punch around the outside of the ball 5 times to shape into a star
Place stars on tray lined with parchment paper
Indent each star lightly in the center (to avoid puffing up)
Place tray in another, empty tray (to avoid burning the bottom of
cookies)
9. Bake stars in a 450º F oven for 7-10 minutes (they should remain pale)