Just Baking

I was recently engaged with my parents in a discussion about traditional desserts in Algeria and North Africa in general. If you were here, although you wouldn’t understand a word of what we were saying, you would hear my father say, in a very serious manner, that Algerian desserts are very simple and tend to be a basket of seasonal fruits, to which my mother was replying with a sigh at the memory of her parents’ pomegranate, figs, and loquat trees that her sister-in-law razed to the ground; or a basket of dried fruits, to which my mother was replying with a sigh at the memory of all the little cotton purses my grandmother would make for us every year to store our dried fruits in; or a platter of sweet pastries with mint tea, to which both my parents were replying with a sigh at the memory of the sweet pastries they won’t be eating since the doctor told them to watch their sugar level.

This is how serious, and nostalgic, the subject of dessert is in our family. And one of the many reasons we don’t get along with my uncle’s wife.

The traditional way to end a meal in Algeria, and in North Africa in general, can be as simple as a basket of fruits or as elaborate as platters of sweet pastries and sweet Tagines, depending on the occasion and whether you’re having a guest over or not. And even so, pastries are not only offered to the guest at the end of the meal but at different times throughout the day as well, when they are always served with mint tea or coffee, or both. Pastries like Kaab el Ghazel, Dziriyette, and almond samsa, just to name a few, are offered to guests as symbols of hospitality, friendship, and joy.

But if pastries aren’t available for the unexpected guest, the one who shows up at an awkward time, one can never refuse the simple pleasure of a juicy peach, a sweet grape, or a bowl of diced watermelon.

 Fall will see apples, figs, clementines, pomegranates, quinces, pears, and grapes. Winter will bring oranges. Spring will bring berries, apricots, and cherries; and summer will see melons, peaches, plums, and nectarines. All of which are good alone, but become lusciously delicious when mixed with orange blossom water or rose water.

For me, fruit salad has always been associated with orange blossom water, and my siblings and I fighting over who gets the most of the fragrant syrup released by the fruits. The recipe doesn’t seem like much, but if you’ve never smelled or tasted orange blossom water before, you may never understand what I mean. Something magic happens when you mix a fruit, especially a berry (which by the way has a natural affinity for orange and rose water) with orange water and sugar. The sugar will draw out the juice from the fruit to form a fragrant and soothing syrup with the orange water. When no fruit is left at the bottom of your little bowl, you can either drink the syrup up or make yourself one of these Semolina Ghribias to dip into the syrup and soak up as much orange flavor as possible.

Ghribia, also known as Montécao in France and Spain, is a lovely, crumbly, not-too-sweet cookie most famous in Algeria and Morocco. It is very similar to the Middle Eastern Ghoriba, although this version is somewhat different in that it is made with semolina flour instead of flour, and that Ghribia is always sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Versions of Ghribia include using flour alone, semolina alone, a mixture of flour and ground nuts, and a mixture of semolina and ground nuts. Ground hazelnuts or almonds give an exquisite taste to these cookies. They also keep very well for days in an airtight container, which makes them perfect for the unexpected guest and the sudden dessert craving. Because as long as there will be fruits and pastries on our table, there will be plenty of memories to create, stories to tell, and a culture to share and preserve.

Semolina Ghribia and Orange-Scented Fruit Salad

Makes about 2 dozen Ghribia
- Seasonal fruits (I used strawberries and blackberries)
- Cane sugar (start with 1 tbsp and see, depending on the sweetness of your fruits)
- Orange blossom water (Used about 2 big tablespoons for twenty berries)
- For the Semolina Ghribia:
- ¼ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 large eggs
- 5 ounces confectioner’s sugar
- 3½ cups semolina flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- A dash of sea salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Confectioner’s sugar and ground cinnamon for dusting

For the orange water scented fruit salad, peel where necessary and slice the fruits that you are using in a bowl, and toss them together with the sugar and the orange blossom water. Mix well and leave to macerate for at least 1 hour before serving, stirring the fruits from time to time. The sugar will draw out their juices to form a fragrant syrup.

To make the Ghribia, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in the oil over medium heat. Remove from the heat when melted and let it cool down.
In a bowl, stir together the semolina flour, salt, baking powder and set aside.

Beat the eggs with the sugar until fluffy and well mixed. Add the butter mixture and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just enough to moisten the dough. The dough will look crumbly and soft.

Wet your hands and shake off the excess water. Wet again as needed. Form the ghribia by pinching off little balls of dough and rolling between your palms until a perfect dome is formed. Flatten the bottom of the cookie, arrange on the prepared baking sheet a little apart from each other, and sprinkle with a little of icing sugar and ground cinnamon.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. They should remain white and have a cracked top. Do not be tempted to overcook them, as the taste is different if they are even slightly brown. Let them cool on a wire rack before trying to move them from the baking sheet.
 

Ghribia à La Semoule et Salade de Fruits à L’eau de Fleur d’Oranger

In Francais Please:

Pour 2 douzaines de Ghribia
- Des fruits de saison (Fraises et mûres)
- Sucre de cane (commencer avec 1 c.s et ajouter selon la maturité des fruits)
- L’eau de fleur d’oranger (J’ai utilisé environ 2 c.s bien remplies pour 20 fruits rouges)
 

- Pour la Ghribia a La Semoule:
- 56g d’huile végétale
- 56g de beurre
- 2 gros oeufs
- 150g de sucre glace
- 430g de semouline (semoule fine)
- ½ c.c levure chimique
- Une petite pincée de sel marin
- ½ c.c d’extrait de vanille

Pour la salade de fruits, éplucher ce qui doit être épluché et couper les fruits en morceaux. Mélanger dans un bol les fruits avec le sucre et l’eau de fleur d’oranger et laisser macérer au moins une heure avant de servir, en mélangeant les fruits de temps en temps. Le sucre formera avec le jus de fruits et l’eau de fleur d’oranger un sirop succulent et bien parfumé.Pour la Ghribia, garnir une tole de patisserie de papier sulfurisé ou de papier en silicone. Préchauffer le four à 160C.

Faire fondre le beurre dans l’huile sur feu doux. Retirer du feu et laisser refroidir. Dans un bol, mélanger la semouline, la levure chimique et le sel et mettre de coté.

Battre les oeufs avec le sucre pour obtneir un mélange léger. Ajouter beurre-huile et mélanger quelques secondes jusauq’à ce tout soit bien incorporé. Ajouter la semouline et mélanger juste ce qu’il faut pour obtenir une pâte lisse et friable.

Mouiller vos mains légerement et secouer l’excés d’eau, sans les essuyer avec une serviette. Rincer puis mouiller vos mains à chaque fois qu’elles deviennent collantes. Prendre une boule de pâte de la grosseur d’une grosse noix, et rouler entre vos mains afin d’obtenir un dome lisse. Aplatir le fond légerement et deposer sur la tole en laissant un peu d’espace entre chaque ghribia. Saupoudrer de sucre glace et de canelle en poudre.

Faites cuire au four pendant 18-20 minutes. Ne les faites trop cuire, puisque ils doivent garder cette couleur blanche et qu’en les laissant brunir juste un peu, vous risquerez d’alterer leur gout délicat. Laisser refroidir completement sur une grille à patisserie avant de le démouler.