Maronchinos (Almond Biscuits)

With Passover coming soon, it's a great time to try out some wheat-free recipes. Adapted from Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food, we made these little almond biscuits and they turned out a huge success. It takes about 10 minutes to make, but the richness of the almond and rose essence give the impression you labored over them for at least a day. The biscuits are delicately moist and can go well either with coffee or tea or as a dessert.    

The Ingredients:

400 gr ground almonds

125 gr sugar

3 drops almond essence

3 drops rose essence

1 tbs vanilla extract 

2 eggs, lightly beaten

The Recipe:

In a large bowl mix the almonds and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands to get a smooth paste. Roll into walnut-sized balls, flatten them slightly with your finger and place in a baking dish on a greased baking paper. Bake in the oven at 180 C for 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

 

 

 

The Shop, Phnom Penh

Our first choice for brunch in the capital, The Shop serves good sandwiches and coffees to a hungry expat clientele.


The Shop Bakery. 39, 240 street, Phnom Penh
tel: 023 88 60 12/023 986 964

Places to Eat... Kashgar

In Kashgar, the best way to go is local. The bustling night market is filled with busy stalls and restaurants serving Central Asian specialties with Chinese twists. The lachman may also be served on steamed rice with chopsticks and you can taste the local speciality, a stew of roasted chicken, egg and chickpea.

Alternatively, you can dine Western style at the Xinjiang cafe chain, Eversun Coffee. This place serves quality and pricey tea and coffee with a western menu. After two months in Central Asia, we were delighted to have a piece of cheesecake.