pile up on the trays oriental sweets, cakes and cookies, round, square, white drop-shaped, with coconut or almonds, pine nuts and cashew nuts, brown, pink or pistachio green .. . there are 80 different kinds of "La Bague de Kenza. Especially before holidays like the Muslim Aid-party or before Christmas, customers queue up before loading the Paris Rue Saint Maur.
La Bague de Kenza means: The ring of Kenza. Kenza is the name of the daughter of Algerian owners. Together with confectioner Hachemi Chabane they have opened the store in August 1995. The secret of the cake baker!.
Normal take almost as much sugar as almonds, but I suppose for a kilo of almonds, 400 grams of sugar I am as a pastry chef for 45 years in business we see what the people like we have. The cake recipes to improve. "
The original tiny shop has multiplied his face now: La Bague de Kenza has seven branches in Paris, one in the gourmet section of the famous department store Printemps. This Algerian success story started, because chef Hachemi Chabane is not an early riser. After an apprenticeship in the 60 years he worked in France in Algiers:
"Before I started in this bakery, I was at a French bakery is not that I do not like that But as one begins at four in the morning so early... as the baker, he has to make croissants, which are eaten in the morning. I just could not get used to it. Here we start at nine clock in the morning. Our cakes do not have to bake it in the morning, and you can override it. "
the beginning baked Hachemi Chabane the classic Algerian pastries, honey cake with almonds or dates, the so-called Makrout, or the so-called "gazelle horns", an almond paste, which is dipped in white icing sugar. Seller Hussein Ben Moktar..
"The classics have started it the rest have invented them, if they had a bit of time if customers ask if we have a cake with pine nuts, then we do the If you are looking. chocolate cake wonder we invent. "
Some of the goodies require time, patience and sensitivity: For the so-called "Algéroise" for example, the dough is folded over a stuffing with his fingers, the master himself "Tweaks" the dough into a kind of crown. Beginners should Hachemi Chabane a simpler recipe, a diamond-shaped almond cake.
"The easiest way is Makrout el Louz. 500 grams almonds 200 grams sugar mix, add a lemon rind and mix with two eggs, then you make of it a roll and cut it into small pieces."
be after ten minutes baking time at 180 degrees, the cake dipped in a sugar syrup and dusted with powdered sugar.
Recipe:
Makrout el Louz:
dough:
500g ground almonds 200g sugar
Very finely grated lemon zest
2 to 3 eggs (depending on size)
syrup
500g sugar, granulated sugar
1 / 4 liter water (250 ml)
one tea glass of orange flower water
finally: mix dip
in powdered sugar
500 grams almonds 200 grams of crystal sugar, a Add the lemon zest and mix with two eggs. Then you make of it a part and cut it into small pieces.
be after ten minutes baking time at 180 degrees, the cake dipped in a sugar syrup and dusted with powdered sugar.
difficult is the gazelle horns:
Ingredients: 250g flour
1 glass Orangenblütenwasse
2 "nuts" molten
butter 500g ground almonds 300g icing sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon salt
Preparation: 50 minutes Cooking time
: 20 minutes
the almonds with sugar and half a glass of orange blossom water mix. In blender, grind with cinnamon and "a nut" butter. Knead and mix well again, at least 2x, is compact to the dough, knead until soft. Cover with a damp towel.
In a large bowl, flour, Saly, the rest mix butter and orange blossom water. Knead for 25 minutes.
from one piece of dough into a ball knead, roll in flour, flatten and turn over several times. apart with your hands To pull to get a sufficiently large sheet, the fine should be.
The dough pieces with 4 cm apart on the panel. A part of the leaf fold on the other and cover so the dough. Use your fingers to press the edge and cut the half circles with the points of the rolling cutter. By hand bend
the horns and tweak until they have the shape of a crescent. Easily pierce with a fork and place on an oiled plate with a brush.
bake for 20 minutes at thermostat 5, the gazelle horns should be barely golden brown. Serve with mint tea
and you may feel as in the Orient!
