Ricciarelli
Ricciarelli
by: Ruth Nieman
Known as the Italian macaron, the Ricciarelli is chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside, with a hint of rose water or almond essence for added flavour… this is the perfect Pesach biscuit, that can be served alongside the ubiquitous cinnamon ball with a cup of tea.
Chag Pesach Sameach!
Makes approx. 16 biscuits
Food writer and cookbook author Ruth Nieman, is inspired by the culinary and viniculture of Israel’s diverse cuisine, which you can savour at Cultural Bites.
Ingredients
150g / 1 ½ cups ground almonds
130g / 1 cup icing sugar + extra to roll the biscuits in & dust after baking
zest & juice of clementine or small orange
1 large egg white / 2 small egg whites
a pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon of rose water or almond essence
flaked almonds
Directions
Whisk the egg white, salt, juice of the clementine & rose water or almond essence together with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form
Using a fine mesh sieve, sift in the almond flour & icing sugar & fold gently into the egg whites, trying to keep as much air in the egg whites as possible, the mixture will form a pretty sticky dough at this point, add the clementine zest & fold in to combine
chill for 1 hour to harden slightly & develop the flavours
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Sprinkle icing sugar onto a separate large board
Roll the dough into balls about 1″ in diameter, roll in the icing sugar until well coated & shape into an oval shape, (typical of the ricciarelli) place on the lined baking sheet with some space between them, as they will spread whilst cooking
with a damp finger, flatten slightly & sprinkle a few flaked almonds over the top of each one
Leave the biscuits at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or until the tops have dried out and formed a crust, like the macaron
Preheat oven to 160C / 320 F / GM 3 & once dry, place the biscuits in the oven for about 12-14 minutes & golden
Cool and store in an airtight container & dust with more icing sugar before serving…
