Real African Dishes: [MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] Arab Semolina Cake

Monday, May 24, 2010

[MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] Arab Semolina Cake - Namoura

* Exported from MasterCook *

Arab Semolina Cake - Namoura

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 9 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Veggie

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups simple syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sesame paste -- (tahini)
3 cups coarse semolina
2 cups sugar
1 cup finely grated unsweetened coconut -- grated fine in a food processor
1 cup whole milk -- heated
1 cup unsalted butter -- (2 sticks), melted
1/4 cup orange blossom water
1/2 cup almonds -- peeled

Preheat the oven to 400F, with a rack in the center.

Prepare the simple syrup. In the final step, remove the pan from the heat
and stir in the 1 tablespoon butter. (If you already have the simple syrup
on hand, heat it gently in a small saucepan. Then remove it from the heat
and stir in the butter. Set it aside to cool completely.

Coat a 13-inch round cake pan with the sesame paste, and set it aside.

Combine the semolina, sugar, and coconut in a large bowl. add the hot
milk, melted butter, and orange-blossom water, and mix until the
ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared cake
pan and bake until the edges begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the
pan from the oven and reduce the heat to 350F.

Using a sharp kitchen knife, score the cake in squares or diamond shapes,
and place an almond in the center of each. Return the pan to the oven and
bake until the almonds are toasted, 40 to 50 minutes.

Using a soup ladle, pour the simple syrup along the scored lines in the
cake, filling them in and repeating until the entire surface of the cake
is covered. (If you prefer a less sweet cake, drizzle a very thin layer of
simple syrup over the entire cake.) Set the cake aside to cool completely.

Cut the cake into pieces along the score marks, arrange the pieces on a
platter, and serve.

Serves 8 to 10

AuthorNote: A batter of semolina, coconut, milk, and orange water bakes in
a pan slicked with tahini in this wonderfully fragrant cake. I always
swirl a bit of butter into the sugar syrup the minute I take it off the
stove to give the topping a nice sheen. Namoura will keep in a tightly
sealed container for 4 days at room temperature.

SIMPLE SYRUP
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon orange-blossom water

Combine the sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan and heat over high
heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and continue to
boil for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the lemon juice,
and cook for 10 minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the
rose water and orange-blossom water. Set aside to cool.
Makes 2 1/2 cups

Cuisine:
"MidEastern"
Source:
"The Arab Table by May S. Bsisu, 2005."
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"May 2010"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 780 Calories; 36g Fat (40.7%
calories from fat); 11g Protein; 106g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 62mg
Cholesterol; 28mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0
Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 7 Fat; 4 Other Carbohydrates.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 1354 0 26643 0 0 4302 0