Gazelle Horns

In case it's not already apparent from the plethora of sweets i've cooked using the ingredient, i'm a devotee of almond meal. The nutty, almost creamy flavor that it imparts through a dish, with the faint hint of bitterness, makes my tastebuds rave!

The chef at the work cafeteria, Rosalee, makes the most delicious frangipane croissants, however she keeps the exact recipe a closely guarded secret! Frangipane is a sweet filling similar in flavor to marzipan. Flicking through a Moroccan cookbook i came across a couple of recipes incorporating a form of frangipane. One, a filo coil filled with the mixture, looks very easy to make, so i thought i'd take a shot at the second, slightly more involved recipe: Gazelle's Horns. These Moroccan celebratory biscuits shaped like a crescent, have a thin crisp outer shell filled with a sweet almond mixture, with faint scents of roses.

Ingredients (Makes about 18)

Pastry

•  300gm plain flour
• 30gm butter, melted
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp rosewater

Filling

• 1 egg white
• 300gm almond meal
• 150gm icing sugar + extra to dust
• 1 tbsp rosewater
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp almond essence

Method

Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Mix the yolk with 1/2 cup water and pour all ingredients into the well in the centre of the flour

Mix through into a dough and knead in the bowl for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic

Split the dough into 2 seperate balls (this will be easier to work with later)
Wrap the dough ball in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 degrees
To make the filling, add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well until a fine paste is formed.

Take a heaped tablespoon of filling into your hand and roll into a ball
Rolling the ball between your hands, form a sausage about 7.5cm long (about the same size as a cocktail frankfurt)
Place on a sheet of baking paper and repeat until all filling has been rolled into sausages
When the dough has rested, roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle about 2-3mm thick

Place the filling 'sausages' in a line on the dough making sure they are at least 3cm apart

Lightly brush the dough surrounding the filling with water and then fold the dough over the filling.
Press the dough to form a seal around the filling, removing as much air as possible.
Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut an arc around the filling

Place the finished horn on a baking tray, bending slightly to form a crescent

Repeat until all filling and pastry has been used, including offcuts

Prick 4 holes into each horn with a toothpick
Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until firm but not browned
Transfer to a baking rack to cool, dusting with icing sugar whilst still hot

Enjoy at room temperature