In the summer, when apricots are in season, most everybody in the villages makes apricot jam (partially cooked in the sun). The apricot season is very short and the apricots are extremely fragrant during that time. A tart is made with the apricot jam called mabroucheh in which the top layer of dough is grated onto the jam. Feel free to use that technique, but I would recommend freezing the dough for 15 minutes prior to get it hard enough to grate on a box grater (big holes).

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of flour
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tbsp of dry milk powder (optional)
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp of sugar
• rind of a lemon (2 tsp)
• 2 or 3 tbsp of whipping cream or sour cream or labneh or whole milk
• 1/2 cup of butter cut into small dice (4 ounces or 125 g.)
• 1 cup of apricot jam or more as needed

1. Place the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Mix for a few seconds to combine and aerate the mixture; add the cut-up butter and mix a few more seconds until the dough looks sandy. Add the egg and cream and lemon rind and mix till the dough becomes compact and leaves the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a large piece of plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for one hour or longer.
2. Grease and flour tartlet pans; take one tablespoon of dough at a time and flatten with the palm of your hands, pressing it onto the tartlet pan to fit the bottom and the sides. Keep one third of the dough to use as bands on top of the jam. Prick the dough with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer; spoon some jam onto the tartlets. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into long shreds, cutting the shreds to fit the tartlets sideways. Pat them onto the tartlets. 
3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes or until the tartlets are golden and crispy. Cool and serve.

An easy cocktail or light party fare. The duck is bought precooked and is simply cut-up and marinated a bit. The apricots are soaked overnight in hot water to soften and get plump. About thirty minutes or so before grilling or warming the sticks in the oven, a sweet and dark sauce simmers until syrupy combining white wine and grape molasses.

INGREDIENTS: 2 to 4 servings

• 1 duck breast, preferably precooked (to save time)
• marinade: olive oil, a dash of thyme or zaatar, a touch of white pepper (optional)
• 1 cup of white wine
• 4 tbsp of grape molasses (can replace with honey)
• 1 cup of dried apricots

METHOD:

1. Cut the duck in bite-size pieces; marinate in a little olive oil and thyme and pepper. Cover and set aside in the fridge.
2. Pour boiling water over the apricots and let them plump up for one hour or longer.
3. When ready to serve, heat the white wine and grape molasses and simmer until syrupy. Heat the grill, assemble the sticks with apricots cut in half and the duck pieces. Grill for a few minutes, watching to prevent burning the sticks. Serve immediately with the sauce.

Amardeen is a beloved snack for every kid raised in the Near-East; Amardeen is a sheet of apricot paste. The apricots are grown in the area of the Ghouta, near Damascus in Syria.  Amardeen is tangy, sweet and has an intense apricot flavor.

This is a basic sponge cake with an apricot filling made out of a sheet of amardeen.

Middle-Eastern stores commonly sell the amardeen in sheet form, but also as a syrup. Both can be used here. The cream should be prepared the day before if using amardeen (instead of the syrup) as it needs time to dissolve in water.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SPONGE CAKE

http://www.joyofbaking.com/AmericanSpongeCake.html#ixzz1RYICrmSQ

• 6 Large eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar, divided (200 g.)
• 1 Tablespoon orange blossom water (or a mixture of orange and rose water)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Rind of one orange or lemon
• 1 cup of sifted cake flour (100 g)
• 3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
• Powdered sugar, as needed
• Amardeen cream

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl, mix the sifted cake flour with 1/4 cup of sugar. In a large mixing bowl, place the egg whites and next to the mixing bowl, place 1/4 cup of sugar and the cream of tartar. Start beating the whites, add the cream of tartar when frothy and add the sugar gradually to the whites; don’t over-beat, stop the machine once the whites form a stiff but still shiny meringue. Set aside or transfer to another bowl and start beating the yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar.
2. Beat the yolks and sugar till thick and light in color; add the flavorings and citrus rind. sift the flour mixture over the yolks and gently fold it in with a spatula. Fold the whites into the batter gently so as not to deflate it and when the batter is ready, transfer into a cake pan lined with parchment paper (or greased and floured). I used a 9 inch pan.
3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 35 minutes; test the cake with a toothpick and when golden-browned and puffy remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes then remove from the cake pan and cool it completely.
4. Using a long serrated knife, cut the layer in two, and spread the amardeen cream on the bottom layer. Assemble the two layers and sprinkle powdered sugar on the cake. Serve.

To make the amardeen cream:

• 1/2 package of amardeen cream (250 g.)
• 1/2 cup of sugar (or more, to taste)
• 1/3 cup of cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon of lemon

METHOD:

1. Cut the amardeen in small pieces and soak in two cups of water overnight (cover and keep in the fridge); the next day, transfer to a saucepan and heat gently until the amardeen is completely dissolved. Add the sugar and make sure it is dissolved in the mixture, then add the lemon juice.
2. Dilute the cornstarch in a bit of water and when the amardeen cream is steaming, stir the cornstarch mixture in and stir for a couple of minutes until the mixture thickens. Strain (to make sure no lumps remain) and cool; it will thicken more.
3. Spread the apricot cream over the bottom layer of the cake.

NOTE: You can make the cream using the syrup; dilute the syrup with a cup of water (same volume water and syrup), add sugar and dissolve the sugar over low heat; add the cornstarch mixture and when thick strain through a sieve and cool.

Just what is amardeen?

For a lot of us who grew up in the Near East, it was an after-school treat; an extra-tangy, intensely flavored apricot leather that we would suck on for as long as possible (to make the pleasure last).

It is a large sheet of apricot paste made from apricots that are cultivated in the region near Damascus in Syria.

Have you ever bought fragrant apricots at a supermarket that had a heady apricoty perfume?

I haven’t. The only apricots that I have experienced with a perfume so strong you could smell it several feet away, were bought in Lebanon during the short season when they are at their best. It is an experience one should go through at least once.

To get back to this amardeen, what is it used for?

• Cut off a piece and suck it as a sweet and tangy snack, full of vitamins and fiber.
• Chop it and soak it in water, whirl in the blender and make a juice with it. Click here for the recipe.
• Make a drink with it, try margaritas, click here for the recipe.
• Make a pudding with it, click here for the recipe.
• Make an apricot sorbet, click here for the recipe.
• Make an amardeen bar with it, click here for the recipe.

The list could go on and on.

If you have grown up in the Middle East, then amardeen was most likely in your pantry; an apricot paste sold in large one-pound sheets, it has an intense, tangy and sweet apricot flavor. The apricots are from a region in Syria near Damascus.

Kids in the Middle-East eat it as a snack, a little piece every day.

Amardeen can be found either  in a one-pound  sheet or in a bottle and is sold in Middle-Eastern groceries; if unable to find, then apricot nectar will be a good substitute.

Amardeen is made into puddings or drinks. I wanted to make it into bars, because I love lemon bars and amardeen bars are just as tangy but with the added fragrance of apricots.

First Step: Make the amardeen curd

• 1 1/2 cup of amardeen syrup + 1/2 cup of water
• 4 eggs
• 4 ounces of unsalted butter (100 g)
• 1/2 cup  of cornstarch
• 3 Tablespoons of sugar (or more, to taste)

METHOD:

• Melt the stick of butter; add the eggs, the sugar and the amardeen syrup (reserve the water for later)
• Stir the mixture continuously; it will steam and get a bit thicker.
• Add the cornstarch diluted in the water and stir continuously.
• Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Cool and refrigerate, covered with a sheet of plastic wrap.

Second Step: Make the cookie base

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 4 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (100 g)
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of mahlab
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

METHOD:

1. Place the flour, powdered sugar, mahlab, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Mix the dry ingredients for 30 seconds. Add through the feed tube all the other ingredients: Melted butter, oil, egg, cream cheese.
3. Process for one minute or so, until the mixture becomes lumpy; remove from the bowl, gather into a ball and wrap in plastic or foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.
4. Roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 3 mm or 1/4 inch. Place in a pan lined with parchment or baking paper. Bake for 30 minutes at 375F; if it browns too fast, cover and bake at 325F for a few more minutes until the pastry is baked thoroughly and crisp.
5. Cool. Spread the amardeen curd evenly on the pie. Top with ground pistachios if desired. Keep refrigerated.

NOTE: Substitute apricot nectar, with a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (to taste). Boil the nectar down a few minutes in the microwave to concentrate its taste (it will reduce its volume, so plan accordingly).

This is a traditional drink during Ramadan; by the way, Ramadan Kareem to all!

Amardeen is the name given to a large sheet of apricot paste; the apricots and the sheets are from Syria; amardeen has a tangy, sweet and intense apricot flavor. It is diluted in water, made into a drink or a pudding or just eaten as is in chunks.

For a quart-sized pitcher:

Dilute 500 g (about 1 package or 1 pound) of amardeen in a pint of water overnight. The next day, pour one cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the water. Cool and set aside. Place 2 ounces of nuts (pistachios, pine nuts) in a bowl filled with water for at least one hour.

In a blender, pour the amardeen and water mixture and the syrup and process until smooth; taste for desired sweetness. Serve the drink in cups and garnish with a few pine nuts and peeled pistachios or almonds or walnuts, if desired.

NOTE: One can add a teaspoon of rose water to this drink if desired.

For a pudding recipe, click here

You know what happens when you mindlessly grab a box of dried apricots at the market and stare at it once home? A few days later, you make a pudding. At least, that’s my reflex. When in doubt, make a pudding!

In the Lebanese kitchen, puddings  are thickened with starch; gelatin is not used; so here is a pudding of apricots, pistachios and milk called muhallabiyeh in Arabic; with a caramel sculpture, for fun.

I am going to list the ingredients and explain the -extra easy- method of making a Lebanese pudding. You will never have to worry about eating something rubbery or heavy.

INGREDIENTS: For the apricot pudding

• 12 ounces of dried apricots
• water
• one cup of sugar (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• a generous handful of pistachios ( can use pine nuts instead, or  nothing!)
• 1 1/4 cup of cornstarch

For the milk pudding: (recipe can be multiplied)

• 2 generous cups of whole milk (or lower fat, if you like)
• 3 tablespoons of sugar (or more, to taste)
• 2  heaping tablespoons of cornstarch
• flavoring: a teaspoon of orange blossom water, rose water, or vanilla; some crushed mastic if you like.

METHOD:

1. Place the dried apricots in a bowl, cover them with water (one inch over the top of the fruits) and let them soak in the water for one or two days, refrigerated.
2. Transfer the apricots and their water into a pot, add more water if needed and cook on a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes or until the apricots are soft ( check by piercing with a fork). While the apricots are simmering, add the sugar and add the lemon juice at the very end, stirring a bit.
3. Transfer the apricots to a blender and puree for a minute or two until smooth. You should have 32 ounces or 500 ml.
4. Retransfer to the pot, and heat the mixture; while it is heating, dilute the cornstarch in a cup of water. AS  SOON as the apricot mixture starts steaming, add the cornstarch and armed with a wooden spoon or a whisk, start stirring continuously until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and place the pot on a flat surface; Take a large sieve and a large bowl and pour it into the sieve to strain it and get it as smooth as possible. Pat it with the spoon to help it through.
5. Throw a handful of pistachios in the apricot mixture and stir to distribute them evenly. Set aside. If not using right away, you can keep it in the fridge for a couple days.

NOW YOU CAN WAIT TO MAKE THE MILK PUDDING UNTIL THE NEXT DAY OR THE DAY AFTER!

1. Place the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat and add the sugar, stirring till melted.
2. Dilute the cornstarch in a bit of milk or water. When the milk mixture starts steaming, add the cornstarch mixture and stir continuously until thickened. Add the flavorings at the end, stirring all the while.
3. Pour the milk pudding through a strainer into a bowl (or easier yet, a bowl with a spout).
4. Start dividing the milk pudding onto the apricot pudding bowls or verrines.

TO MAKE THE CARAMEL GRAFFITI: Recipe from Nick Malgieri, light desserts

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 cup of sugar
• parchment or wax paper as needed

METHOD:

1. Place the water, sugar and corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Stir and heat till all is dissolved. Use a brush dipped in water to go around the circumference of the pan to make sure no sugar remains stuck to the walls of the pan.
3. Cook the syrup until the color turns golden-brown or amber.
4. Remove from heat and to stop the cooking, place the pan in the sink in a little water; be careful, it will sputter! Leave it only a few seconds.
5. Lay a large piece of parchment paper on a metal cookie sheet; using a spoon, take bits of caramel and thrown into the paper in an up-and-down motion, going one way and then the other way; sprinkle some nuts on top if desired.
6. Let the caramel cool, then cut with scissors or your fingers the shape of your liking and insert in the pudding right before serving. The caramel will keep in a tight container in the fridge for a few hours or in a metal box for a few days.

A recent article in the New York  Times about Beirut, with a photo of Tawlé, Kamal Mouzawak’s restaurant-kitchen.

I have had a hankering for this booza al-mushmush ever since I left Beirut a couple months ago. There is a couple  in Achrafieh (Beirut)  who make the most amazing Arabic ice-cream. Their place of business is smaller than most closets. If you walk by the street, you will see them  roasting almonds, hulling strawberries, chopping on the one and only marble board. They do not advertise, in fact, there is hardly a sign on the door, except for a handwritten one in Arabic with a list of flavors and prices by the kilo. Their name is Hanna, in case you happen to be in Achrafieh.

My favorite  is the apricot booza.  It is nicely studded with pine nuts and pistachios. I wanted to recreate it, like, today!

It took me all of  10  minutes of preparation and I am willing to bet  anyone who knows Hanna’s that mine is awfully close! Now I did have some apricot nectar in the fridge, sitting in a jug  and not getting consumed. I had made it using leftover amardeen sheets, soaking them in water overnight and throwing the mixture in the blender with several spoonfuls of sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

• 250 g or half a package of amardeen or 1 quart or 1 pint of apricot nectar
• sugar, to taste
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• 1/4 cup of pistachios, peeled and chopped coarsely

METHOD:

1. If using the sheets of amardeen, soak them the day before in water to cover by one inch.
2. The next day, pour the whole mixture in a blender, adding sugar as you blend, one tablespoon at a time.
3. If using the apricot nectar, don’t do anything! unless you want to sweeten it more, then add a simple syrup of sugar melted in water ( for instance, 1 cup of sugar in 1/2 cup of water, heat and boil for 3 minutes, let it cool)
4. Pour the mixture in the ice-cream maker and let it churn happily until the mixture turns into a nice slush.
5. Remove the ice-cream, place in a bowl and with a large wooden spoon, mix in the pistachios and the pine nuts.
6. Place in the freezer for your subsequent enjoyment. Sahteyn!

Love apricots! However, I have not had good luck with the  fresh  apricots sold in supermarkets. They  are so often bland and pasty that I stopped buying them.  I remember my excitement the first time I found the amardeen of my childhood in a middle-eastern store…  we used to tear off pieces and  lick them slowly.. This was an after-school snack, our Levantine fruit roll-up!  Manufactured in Syria with apricots that come from the Ghouta  region near Damascus, this apricot leather is to me the best! Very intense apricot flavor, with the tanginess that makes it so irresistible.

My mom  would  prepare a pudding from the amardeen that she would decorate in a very artsy way using pine nuts, almonds and pistachios. Easy to make. Delicious. With extra  benefits: apricot is a remedy for anemia, as it is iron-rich. It is a gentle laxative, rich in Vitamin A and calcium and good for the eye and heart.

None of the cookbooks I had even mentioned this recipe, until I found it in The Arab Table, by May S. Bsisu. She calls it mohalabia kamar el deen, which is fitting since, just like the traditional mohalabia it is thickened with cornstarch and flavored with sugar and rose and orange blossom waters. Mrs. Bsisu also suggests combining both the traditional milk-based mohalabia and this amardeen pudding, one layer on top of the other. I love the idea, especially since in Lebanon they make an orange pudding and pour it on top. I prefer the tangy taste of apricots on top of milk.

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will serve 6 to 8 people or more if you use smaller goblets.

1 Large package of Amardeen (about 500g or 1 lb)

4 cups of water

1/2 cup of sugar or several tablespoons of syrup (atr) (or more, to taste)

1/2 cup of cornstarch

1 Tablespoon of orange blossom water, 1 Tablespoon of rose water (or more, to taste)

To garnish:

1/2 cup of almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, or any other nut that you like to use

METHOD:

• The night before: Cut the amardeen in large pieces and cover them with water. Leave it overnight and even a day longer in the fridge.
• The next day, puree this mixture in a blender till it is smooth. If you wish, strain it by running it through a sieve into the pot, but I personally don’t find this step necessary. However, it is a good idea to keep track of how many cups you end up with, to calculate how much thickening agent you are going to need. You should have about 6  cups.
• In a large pot, pour the apricot puree, add the sugar  and stir to dissolve.
• Dissolve the cornstarch in  some water and add to the apricot mixture once it starts steaming. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Keep stirring for about 3 minutes and then pour the mixture, this time through a sieve, into a container with a spout.
• Divide the pudding into small goblets or one large platter.

Decorate the surface of the pudding after it has set with a medley of nuts. Sahteyn!

NOTE:

If you feel like combining milk and apricot flavors, prepare the muhallabia first. Use the same quantities as for the apricot.

4 cups of whole milk (or lowfat)

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of  cornstarch

1 Tablespoon of orange blossom water and rose water combined

METHOD:

1. Place 3 cups of  milk and the sugar in a saucepan. Mix the one cup of remaining milk with the cornstarch in a separate little bowl.
2. Heat the milk and sugar till it steams. Now add the cornstarch and stir till it bubbles and thicken, a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add the blossom and rose water and stir for a few seconds. Pour through a strainer into the serving bowl or bowls.
3. Let it cool at room temperature and then refrigerate.

NOTE: It is always possible to thicken more if the pudding is not getting as thick as you like by adding, one tablespoon at a time of cornstarch diluted in a bit of water. Wait for the mixture to thicken then add the cornstarch and stir constantly until thick. Pour through a strainer into the goblet. It should thicken within 3 minutes of constant stirring.