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Gato cravate
Bow-tie pastries
Gato cravate: Mauritian bow-tie pastries, fried crisp and tossed in sugar
Gato cravate, 'tie cakes', are named for their shape: little strips of sweet dough slit down the middle and pulled through themselves into a twisted bow. In Mauritius they are fried by the tin in the week before Divali and packed with other sweets onto the plates that neighbours exchange on the night of the lamps; they also turn up at weddings and tea time. The pastry is lightly sweetened with sugar and vanilla, fried until blistered and crisp, then tossed in cinnamon sugar. Common mistake: rolling the dough thick, which gives a hard, bready bow; roll it as thin as a coin and fry until pale gold and the bubbling has nearly stopped, a sign the moisture has cooked out. Chef's tip: toss them in sugar while still warm so it sticks, and let them cool on a rack so they stay crisp.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the dough
- 9 oz plain flour
- 1 ⅜ oz buttersoft
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup milkabout
To coat
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor frying
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz plain flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt and rub in 1 ⅜ oz butter. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and enough ½ cup milk to make a firm, smooth dough. Rest for 15 minutes.
18 minStep 2: Roll the dough to 2 mm thick and cut into strips 3 cm wide and 8 cm long. Cut a 3 cm slit in the centre of each and pull one end through the slit to make a twisted bow.
15 minStep 3: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil to 350°F and fry the bows in batches for 2–3 minutes until pale gold and the bubbling slows.
18 minStep 4: Drain briefly, then toss the warm bows in 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar mixed with ½ tsp ground cinnamon. Cool on a rack and store airtight.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 19 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gato cravate take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- 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 butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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