A Moroccan almond and phyllo pastry translated as "Coiled Snake"
Author: GalleyPirate
Ingredients
FILLING
1 1/2cupsBlanched slivered almonds
1tspAlmond extract
1/4cupButter,melted
3/4cupConfectioners sugar(powdered sugar)
3 1/2tbspOrange flower water
1Egg
1/2tspCinnamon
PHYLLO
12sheetsPhyllo pastry
3/4cupMelted butter(1 1/2 sticks)
1Egg(beaten in a little water)
GLAZE
1/2cupHoney
1tbspOrange flower water
Zest of one clementine, tangerine or blood orange
Instructions
FILLING
Melt 2 sticks of butter. You will need 1/4 cup for the filling and the rest to brush onto the phyllo dough later. Combine all the filling ingredients into a food processor and pulse many times until you get a smooth paste. Or in a hand processor, crank for a very long time until you get a smooth paste.
Divide into three equal portions and place in the ice box to chill.
For a galley oven, place one or two insulated cookie sheets on your oven rack to help prevent the pastry from burning. If you don’t have those, a few layers of foil will help. Preheat your oven to between 350º.
If your dough is dry enough, you should be able to roll out each of the three sections of dough on a pastry board. Roll them out to the length of a phyllo sheet, about 1 ft. long by 3/4″ thick.
Brush a phyllo sheet with melted butter. Place another sheet on top and do the same. Repeat that until you have 3 sheets of buttered phyllo dough stacked on top of one another. If you were able to roll out the three logs of filling, place one log on the long end of the buttered phyllo sheets. If your filling is just too sticky to roll, with your hands form a “log” out of one third of the filling along the long end of the buttered phyllo sheet.
Roll the log up and bush with more melted butter with each turn of the roll. Keeping it well buttered will help keep the phyllo from breaking. Coil the first log onto a buttered pie sheet. I’m using a tart pan with a removable bottom so it will be easier to slide the baked M’Hencha off the pan. Repeat this process with the other two logs. Lay them end to end in a coil to resemble a coiled snake. You can patch any cracks with more buttered phyllo.
Place in your preheated oven and bake until golden, about 30 minutes. In the mean time, prepare the glaze.
Zest a clementine, tangerine or other thin-skinned “orange” so that you have a good tablespoon worth. The flavor of the zest of these smaller fruits is more prominent than that of oranges. (but use an orange if that’s all you have). Dry fry the sliced almonds in a small pan until golden and remove to a bowl. In the same pan over a very low flame, melt the honey and add the orange flower water. Add a pinch of the zest and set aside.
Once golden and crispy, remove the M’Hencha from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Slide onto a serving platter, drizzle with the honey mixture and sprinkle the toasted almonds and remaining zest on top. You can sprinkle a little powdered sugar on as well.Slice and serve at room temperature.