griouches

Ingredients :

* 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of flour kneaded with a piece of leaven as big as * a fairly large tomato

* 1 kg (2 Ibs3oz) of fine flour * 1 whole egg * 1 egg yolk

* 250 g (9 oz) of grilled sesame seeds put through a meat mincer * 3 times

* 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of grilled sesame seeds to sprinkle over the cooked cakes

* 1/2 teaglassful of vinegar * 1/2 teaglassful of orange-flower water * 1/2 teaglasaful of melted butter

* 1 teaglassful of groundnut oil * 1 good pinch of crushed saffron flowers

* 6 litres (11 pts) of honey * 4 litres (7 pts) of oil for frying

The day before:

Sieve 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of flour, make a hollow and place the salt and the leaven or 20 g (1 oz) of baker’s yeast in a little water and mix with the flour to make a stiff dough as for bread. Knead well for 30 minutes and shape into a ball. Place in a deep bowl. Cover and leave to prove in a fairly hot place until the next day.

The next day:

The place where the dough is to be prepared should be warm. This is most important. Close the doors and the windows if necessary. Wash, drain and grill the sesame seeds, passing 250 g (9 oz) through the mincer 3 times. Sieve the fine flour and add it to the ground sesame saeds, together with the melted butter and oil.

Heat the vinegar and the orange-flower water. Dissolve the saffron in this liquid and add to the dough which was left to rise the day before. Add the whole egg and the egg yolk together with the flour and sesame seeds dough. Knead this dough energetically throughout the preparation of the griouches.

At least 2 people are needed to prepare these cakes, one kneading the dough and the other shaping the cakes. Take a ball of dough, flatten and roll it out lengthwise with a rolling pin to about 2 mm (1/10’) thickness, turning over often. Cut with a pastry cutter squares about 10 cm (4’) long, then cut them into strips 2 cm (1’) wide. Put the forefinger of the left hand in every uneven strip, seize the two right hand corners with the right hand and press together so that they stick. Then put the cake down gently, overlapping the strips without breaking them and cover.

When all the cakes are shaped, leave them to rise for about 30 minutes. Brown on both sides in boiling oil and dip immediately in the honey which has been brought to the boil for a few minutes and removed from the heat . Leave to absorb the honey while the next batch of griouches is browning in the oil. Remove with a skimmer and sprinkle the cakes with grilled sesame seeds while they are still hot.

Put the honey on to re-heat now and again as it should remain very hot. If the griouches have beem made successfully, they should absorb about half or more of the honey. Leave to get cold and store in an airtight tin.