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Balls of buttery pastry are filled with dried fruits and nuts and crowned with sesame seeds. Manenas :JFME DPPLJFT t 1SFQBSBUJPO UJNF NJOVUFT QMVT CBLJOH UJNF Shelf life: at least 3 days Whole seeds are used liberally throughout the Middle East as ornamenta- tion on baked goods, says Juliet Borowiec, who became immersed in the culture after living and traveling there extensively with her journalist husband, Andrew. Now living in Cyprus, she learned to make manenas from her Cairo-born mother-in-law. Balls of buttery pastry are filled with dried fruits and nuts and crowned with sesame seeds. For the filling: 5 ounces mixed dried apricots and dates 3 ounces mixed shelled almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon orange flower water ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground cardamom generous pinch nutmeg ze st of 1 small tangerine, finely grated, divided For the pastry: 8 ounces all-purpose flour 5½ ounces (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened ¼ cup superfine sugar 1 large egg 1 tablespoon orange flower water ½ teaspoon salt tangerine zest reserved from filling 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 table- spoon milk ½ cup lightly toasted sesame seeds 1. Heat oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Prepare the filling: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel chopping blade, combine the apricots, dates, nuts, butter, orange flower water, salt, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg and half of the tangerine zest. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine meal. Remove, roll the filling into 24 one-inch balls, and set aside. 3. Prepare the pastry: In a bowl, blend the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles fine meal. Add the sugar, egg, orange flower water, salt and the tangerine zest remaining from the filling, and mix until well blended. Divide the dough in half. Roll each portion into a log about 12 inches long, and cut into 12 equal slices. Roll each slice into a ball and make a generous indentation with your thumb in the center of each. 4. Place a ball of filling in each dough slice center. Work dough around the filling, covering it completely. Chill dough balls until firm, 5 to 10 minutes. With the tines of a fork, press a design around the outside edge and on the top of the pastry. Brush the upper half of each cookie with the beaten egg yolk mixture, dip the top into the sesame seeds, and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough. Bake until lightly colored, 30 to 35 minutes, remove to a rack to cool, and store in an airtight container. NUTRITIONAL DATA (per cookie): Calories: 150; Cholesterol: 30 mg; Sodium: 55 mg; Fat: 10 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g Joanna Pruess is a regular contributor to Specialty Food Magazine. FIND INGREDIENT cost worksheets at specialtyfood.com/ SFMarchive under the July/August 2012 issue. Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 5224 JULY/AUGUST 2012 115 Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 3132