M'hanncha (Snake Cake)

Working with phyllo pasty required tremendous care and patient. Middle Eastern people love their phyllo sheets. Most of their sweet and savoury pastries layered with delicate phylllo pastry. Imagine sinking your teeth into crispy exterior and nutty creamy interior. M'hanncha as it's shape describes resembles a coiling snake is one of the Morrocan famous dessert




Ingredients

12 sheets phyllo pastry sheets
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg yolk, beaten


Filling

1 1/2 cups finely ground nuts(pecan,pistachio,almond)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp orange blossom water
3 tbsp butter, melted


Syrup

1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp orange blossom water

Garnishing

10-12 toasted whole almonds



Methods


In a bowl, combine ground nuts,cinnamon,orange blossom water, confectioner sugar and melted butter. Mix well till mixture is a paste

On a clean working surface, place 12 sheets of phyllo pastryPlace another 2 sheets on the top, buttering between each till all the 12 sheets were used up

Place one of the almond filling along the edge of the phyllo and roll up gently. Curl the pastry into spiral



Notes

• Be gently in handling phyllo pastry. The paper thin delicate pastry sheet tend to tear off easilly. Handle one sheet at a time and place a damp kitchen towel over unattended sheets to avoid drying up

• Always brush each layer of phyllo pastry with melted butter to avoid cracking during baking process

• Feel free to use nuts of your choice for the filling. Pecan,pistachio,walnuts,cashews or combination off all of it works well with M'hanncha

• Orange blossom water can be found in all Middle Eastern grocery shops. Rose water can be a good subtitute