Рецепт Basbousa
(Ahem, our guest cook for today is Anthony Francis, picture to the left, and he will be making us some of his famous basbousa.)
The one thing Ryan keeps mentioning is his father’s basbousa. We would have basbousa elsewhere and it was never fluffy enough, soft enough, and delicious enough. After trying his father’s recipe, I can safely say that there is nothing like warm basbousa fresh out of the oven. (I think you are suppose to let it cool.) The almonds offset the sweetness of the rosewater syrup, and if I had my way, the only thing I would change is that I would crush the almonds a bit and cover the whole thing with them. Maybe I would tone down the sweetness a bit and add the smallest bit of tartness to the syrup afterwards. Although, I would be a little afraid to take too many liberties, since Ryan might accuse me of perverting one of his favorite Egyptian snacks. Mmm I find myself wanting some now. It’s really soft and comforting with the nuttiness of wheat and almonds.
I was lucky that Ryan’s father Tony was willing to share his recipe with me. Almost everything is something you would find in the house… with the exception of rosewater and cream of wheat (for me). I guess I could go knock on Tracy’s door next door for some rosewater…
She actually came over last night to join Ryan and me for some dinner (We had some left over chicken cutlets, and we made some whole wheat penne with sun-dried tomato, olive, and garlic tapenade tossed with olive oil and pecorino romano for her. She’s a vegetarian. We watched some “The IT Crowd.”) and taste some sake we bought. I should have had her bring it over last night. :P
It’s actually surprisingly easy to make. You just mix together the following:
- 2 cups farina or cream of wheat
- 48 almonds for 24 pieces of basbousa (or more if you like)
- 1/4 cup of plain yogurt
- 1 stick of butter (microwaved)
- 1 and 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of milk
- Dash of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
Preheat the oven at 375. Soak the almonds in a small bowl and microwave for 30-60 seconds, until the peels slide right off. Unpeel all of the almonds and drain. Set aside for later.
Mix the farina or cream of wheat with the yogurt, butter, sugar, milk, and baking powder and soda. Mix it lightly. Then, line a baking pan with shortening or the grease of your choice and pour the mixture in and even out the top.
Tony likes to put in little cutting lines with the knife and add two almonds per square.
Bake the mixture for 40 minutes. While you do that, mix the following in a saucepan over medium heat.
1 cup water
1 and 1/2 cup of sugar (I might dial this down a little bit)
Stir to let the sugar dissolve. Let this mixture simmer under low heat for almost the whole baking time. Around 35 minutes in, add:
Around a tablespoon of butter
3tablespoons of rosewater
Once the basbousa has finished baking, take out of the oven and and place pan on a rack. Pour the contents of the saucepan into a pouring utensil/cup to SLOWLY pour over the basbousa. Let the basbousa cool and this liquid settle before serving. Tracy, Ryan’s sister likes to attack them while they are fresh out of the oven, though. I would say, let them sit for 15-20 minutes, then serve.
So, during my time in Portland, he also made some bachlava, which was pretty awesome. I didn’t get to learn how to make it, though. Something for next time…