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Arayeche (almond star pastries)
Arayeche: three-armed almond pastries of Algiers, dipped in honey and rolled in icing sugar
AlgerianPicture a star with three plump arms: arayeche are shaped from a ball of orange-blossom almond paste wrapped in very thin pastry and pinched into points, baked pale, dipped in honey and then rolled in icing sugar until snow-white. Along with dziriettes and makrout, they are fixtures of the sweet trays at weddings and Eid in Algiers, set out in paper cases with mint tea. The pastry is crisp and fine, the almond filling dense and fragrant, and the coating of sugar sticks to the honey in a sweet crust. Chef's tip: pull them out of the oven while still pale with barely golden tips; browned arayeche are a common mistake and taste dry once the sugar goes on.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 15
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 9 oz plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 ⅝ oz unsalted buttermelted and cooled
- 2 tbsp orange-blossom water
- ¼ cup waterroughly
- 2 tbsp cornflourfor rolling
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz ground almonds
- 4 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egglarge
- 1 tbsp orange-blossom water
To finish
- 10 ½ oz honey
- 7 oz icing sugar
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour and 1 pinch salt, rub in 2 ⅝ oz unsalted butter, then add 2 tbsp orange-blossom water and enough ¼ cup water to make a firm dough. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
40 minStep 2: Mix 10 ½ oz ground almonds, 4 ½ oz caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add 1 egg and 1 tbsp orange-blossom water and knead into a firm paste. Roll into 30 balls of about 17 g, then pinch each ball into a three-armed star.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 325°F (fan 275°F) and line two trays with baking paper.
Step 4: Dust the worktop with 2 tbsp cornflour and roll the dough out to 1 mm. Cut rounds of about 9 cm.
Step 5: Set an almond star in the middle of a round. Fold the pastry up between the arms and press it around each arm, trimming the excess with scissors so the filling is fully wrapped. Pinch each tip to a point and set on a tray.
Step 6: Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the pastry is set and only just colouring at the tips.
18 minStep 7: Warm 10 ½ oz honey in a pan over a low heat until runny. Dip each warm pastry in it for a few seconds and drain on a rack for 5 minutes.
8 minStep 8: Sift 7 oz icing sugar into a wide bowl and roll each pastry in it until thickly coated. Leave to set for an hour, then store in paper cases in an airtight tin for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arayeche (almond star pastries) take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 15 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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