Cornes de gazelle — delicate Algerian crescent pastries filled with orange-blossom almond paste, baked golden, dipped in honey and sprinkled with pistachios.
- 2 cups Almonds
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 beaten Egg
- 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 ½ tbsp Orange Blossom Water
- 3 tablespoons Pistachio
Video
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Spread the almonds over it and bake until fragrant and roasted, 20 to 25 minutes.
- While the almonds roast, make the dough: combine the flour, ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon butter and salt in a bowl and rub together to fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg, oil and 1½ tablespoons orange blossom water and knead to a smooth dough, adding a teaspoon of water at a time if too dry. Shape into a ball, wrap, and rest for 30 minutes.
- Cool the almonds slightly, then process until finely ground. Add ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, the cinnamon, egg and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water in that order, pulsing after each until it forms a paste.
- With greased hands, take walnut-sized portions of filling and roll into small logs with thin ends, then set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Roll out half the dough very thinly on a lightly floured surface. Place an almond log on the edge, fold the pastry over to cover it completely, seal the edges, and mould into a crescent. Cut around it with a pastry cutter and transfer to the sheet, then repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Bake until lightly golden and baked through, about 20 minutes — they shouldn't get too dark. Cool slightly.
- Heat the honey in a small saucepan over low-medium heat, remove and stir in 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, then dip the gazelle horns into the honey, place on a serving plate, and sprinkle with crushed pistachios.
