Tcharek El-Ariane (Almond Crescents)
The Maghreb's Eve's crescents: almond-paste filling wrapped in thin shortbread, baked pale, dipped in orange-flower syrup, rolled in icing sugar.
Overview
Almond filling: ground almonds, icing sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, orange-flower water, pulses or kneads to a soft paste. Rolls into ropes 1 cm thick; cuts into 4 cm pieces; each piece tapers slightly at the ends. Dough: plain flour, butter, icing sugar, egg yolk, salt, short shortbread-style. Each almond piece wraps in a small disc of dough; gently shaped into a crescent. Baked pale at 170°C. Dipped briefly in orange-flower syrup; rolled in icing sugar.
Ingredients
Almond filling
- 250 g ground almonds
- 100 g icing sugar
- 30 g unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 lemon (zest)
- 1 tablespoon orange-flower water
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Dough
- 250 g plain flour
- 120 g unsalted butter (cold, cubed)
- 50 g icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk (large)
- 1 tablespoon orange-flower water
- 2-3 tablespoons cold water
Syrup dip
- 100 ml water
- 80 g caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange-flower water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Coating
- 100 g icing sugar (for rolling)
Method
Stage 1 - Almond filling
- In a bowl, combine ground almonds, icing sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, orange-flower water and cinnamon.
- Mix to a soft pliable paste; rest 10 minutes.
- Divide into 24 walnut-sized portions (~17 g each).
- Roll each into a small log about 4 cm long, slightly tapered at the ends.
Stage 2 - Dough
- Rub the cold butter into the flour, icing sugar and salt until breadcrumb-like.
- Beat the egg yolk with orange-flower water and 2 tablespoons cold water; pour into the flour.
- Mix to a soft pliable dough; add more cold water a teaspoon at a time if too dry.
- Wrap; rest 30 minutes.
Stage 3 - Wrap
- Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan).
- Line two baking trays with parchment.
- Divide the dough into 24 portions (~20 g each).
- Take one portion; flatten with the palm to a disc about 6 cm across.
- Place an almond log in the centre.
- Wrap the dough around the almond log; pinch the ends to seal.
- Gently shape into a crescent moon: roll between palms to smooth; bend slightly into a C-shape; taper the ends.
- Place on the tray.
Stage 4 - Bake
- Bake 16-18 minutes until just-cooked but still pale (don't brown - tcharek should look creamy-white).
- Cool on the tray 5 minutes.
Stage 5 - Syrup
- While baking, combine the syrup ingredients in a small pan.
- Bring to a simmer; cook 3 minutes; off heat.
- Cool to warm (not hot).
Stage 6 - Dip and coat
- Spread the 100 g icing sugar on a wide plate.
- One at a time: lift a slightly-cooled tcharek; dip briefly into the warm syrup (just a 3-second dunk - the dough shouldn't soak through).
- Lift out; let excess drip; immediately roll in the icing sugar to coat heavily.
- Place on a wire rack to set.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Cool fully (the icing sugar coat sets to a slight crust).
- Serve with strong mint tea.
Notes
- Pale, not browned: tcharek should look almost white. Browning means over-baked and the dough goes tough.
- Brief syrup dip: the syrup-flavoured glaze coat is the point; soaking through to the centre is not. 3 seconds is the maximum.
- Roll while sticky: the icing sugar coats while the syrup is wet. Once dry, sugar won't adhere.
- Crescent shape: bend gently; don't crush. The shape signifies tcharek across the Maghreb.
Storage
- Keeps 2 weeks at cool room temperature in a sealed tin.
- The sugar coat softens slightly on day 2 (still good).
- Don't refrigerate - the dough goes hard and the sugar weeps.
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