AsiaLIFE

Gazelle’s horns or Tcharek m’saker

Almond mix

3 measures of ground almonds (about 400g.)
1/2 measure of raw sugar
1/2 coffee spoon of cinnamon powder
4 tbs. of orange blossom

Syrup

500 g of crystallized sugar
¼ litre of water, orange blossom water

Preparation

Mix the sieved flour with the salt and melted butter. Rub in hands to let the mixture stick well to the flour.

Slowly sprinkle with the mix of water and orange blossom water while kneading the pastry until it becomes supple. Separate in little balls and let them rest for a while.

Simultaneously, prepare the almond pastry with the above-mentioned ingredients. Make sure to mix them all well together.

Thinly roll out the pastry, then cut it in 8cm-diameter circles. Put one tablespoon of almond pastry in the middle of the circle; fold in half and lightly press the sides to glue the two sides together, then shape it into a half-moon (croissant).

Continue with this until you run out of pastry. Then, put the croissant pastries on a baking tray and cook in a pre-heated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes (200C – 220C). They should get a light golden colour. Take them out of the oven and let them cool down.

During the cooking, prepare the syrup with the sugar, water and orange blossom; once the syrup starts to thicken slightly, take it off the heat and let it cool down a little. Dip each croissant in the syrup and let the syrup drip off them.

Sprinkle the sieved ice sugar on each croissant. Cover well by gently pressing them with the palms of your hand to make the sugar stick. Let it rest for a few hours, then again cover the croissants with sieved ice sugar to form a second layer.       

About the Chef

Aged 47 and born in Tunisia, Mohamed Moumni opened the patisserie ‘La Gourmandise Bleue’ in January, 2008, to sell French and Eastern specialties.  Mohamed graduated from Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris.