Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Algerian Tamina: Toasted Semolina & Honey Dessert

As-Salamu Alaikum / Peace be upon you Sister and Hello dear reader,

Tamina is a very old Algerian recipe served usually to celebrate the birth of a new baby but can be made an enjoyed all year round especially when desiring something super sweet.

It just so happens mashaAllah / as God willed, I gave birth little over a week ago to my third child, Zayd, he and I are both doing well Alhamdulillah/All praise and thanks be to God so I thought it would be a good idea to share this recipe on the blog.

I am no expert on breastfeeding however, I've certainly found that consuming Semolina either in this dessert form or bread such as Kesra increases my milk production, so for all you breastfeeding mothers who are struggling in those first few days after birth, you have more than 1 child to feed  or you just want to increase your milk production for those growth spurts your little one goes through, This dessert is something I would recommend you try.


My version of this Algerian classic is by no means the authentic Algerian Tamina recipe. I have used a dairy free substitute in place of butter in order for my 2year old daughter (has dairy allergy) to be able to enjoy this dessert along with the rest of the family but I really think it tastes just as good if not better as it is a little dare I say, healthier!

Tamina

Adapted from here

Ingredients

500 grams Coarse Semolina

250 grams Butter or Vegan Margarine as the one pictured above

250 grams Runny Honey

2 tablespoons Orange Blossom Water

Almonds, Sugar decorations to decorate (optional)

Method

Add semolina to a large non stick frying pan / skillet and turn on the heat to high, constantly stir the semolina grains to avoid burning.

You want to toast the semolina until it's the same colour as sand it will take anyway between 10-20 minutes, once you smell the semolina toasting you may want to reduce the heat to medium/low so that you have more control i.e. that it doesn't burn and don't forget you can always pre-heat your frying pan which would reduce the time it takes to toast the semolina just I prefer or feel more at ease to bring the pan up to heat along with the semolina inside.

Once your semolina as toasted transfer into a large bowl and set aside.  

Melt the butter/vegan margarine in the frying pan.

Add the Honey

Add the Orange Blossom Water and Stir

Return the Semolina to the frying pan

and slowly mix all the ingredients together until it forms into what resembles damp/wet sand.

Spoon into desired moulds, I used my silicone star cake cases but you can always be more traditional and serve it on small plates, decorate with nuts, cake decorations as desired.

I made this tamina a few days before I gave birth, not much was left when I returned home from the hospital but alhamdulillah I managed to sneak in a few for breakfast (it's not really a breakfast staple in Algeria lol) one morning before labour day as some of instagram followers may recall the photo below....

Until my next post in sha Allah / God Willing.......As-Salamu Alaikum / Peace Be Upon You



Mini Vanilla Custard Slices

As- Salamu Alaikum / Greetings Reader,

My sincere apologises to any of my instagram followers who saw my pic of these mini vanilla custard slices many days ago now and have been waiting to hear more about them, well let me tell you they didn't take all this time to eat, they were gone within 24 hours = proof you need to make these delicious treats sometime soon, yes preferably when the sun isn't on show like it is here today here in the north of England, mashaAllah / As Allah  = God Willed.

I don't think anything can beat dreamy, creamy vanilla infused custard, sandwiched between delicate, flaky layers of puff pastry and topped with sweet orange blossom perfumed icing.

Also, the good news is they are 'mini' so you can eat 2 in one sitting without any guilt / shame!

Mini Vanilla Custard Slices

Makes 12

Ingredients

Puff Pastry

500grams block of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the fridge overnight
Plain flour, for work surfaces and rolling pin

Filling

batch of Crème Patissiere / Pastry Cream = Thick Custard

Icing

200grams icing/powdered sugar
5teaspoons cold water OR 4 3/4 teaspoons water and 1/4 teaspoon orange blossom or rose water

Method

Pre-Heat Fan Oven to 200C

On a lightly floured surface roll out your puff pastry block until it's about 50 x 35cm 1/4cm thick.

Divide in half (a ruler and sharp knife come in handy for this) and place each half on it's own lined baking sheet and bake for on the 2 middle racks of your oven for 15-20minutes or until light golden in colour (you may wish to rotate the baking sheets half way through so you get even cooking and colouring)

 

Remove puff pastry halves from oven, prick each, all over with a fork and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Make up a batch of crème patissiere and cool/chill in the fridge until your ready to assemble.

 

To divide up your puff pastry equally, place one puff pastry half on top of the other, trim any curvy edges and divide up (ruler and serrated knife) into 12 pairs each puff pastry pair being about 3-4cm wide and 7-8cm in length.

 

To fill, I find it easiest to pipe my crème patissiere onto the puff pastry bottoms, I do one row of piping and then another on top, quickly place the puff pastry lid on top then smooth / spread out the pastry cream around the sides using an angled palette knife. Repeat this step until you have filled all your 12 mini vanilla custard slices.

 

 

Next make up your icing, I personally love anything flavoured with the hint of orange blossom water and it helps slightly cut through the sweetness of all the sugar, you could use rose water or lemon/orange juice too.

 

 

I find it's best to put a generous teaspoon of icing onto the pastry lid and then being very careful not to rough up the puff! using a butter knife spread the icing until it covers the lid. Note: Please only use 5teaspoons of water, don't think as I did that it's too thick and add another teaspoon of water it will make your icing run slightly down the sides which makes for a nice photo and sticky fingers!