Apple & Mint Pastilla with moroccan Ras el Hanout ice Cream

PREP TIME

60 minutes

COOK TIME

30 minutes

SERVES

6 people

Ingredients

MOROCCAN RAS EL HANOUT ICE CREAM

1 1/2 cup caster sugar
24 medjool dates, pitted
16 egg yolks
2L thickened cream
2 tbsps The Spice People’s Moroccan Ras El Hanout
2 tsp The Spice People’s Rose Petals
MINT CUSTARD CREAM
1300ml milk
2 large handful fresh mint leaves
2 The Spice People’s Vanilla Bean, split with the seeds scraped out
6 tbsp corn flour
2/3 cup semolina
1 1/3 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
a few drops of mint essence – optional

APPLE PASTILLA

350g butter
1 cup caster sugar
6 green apples – cored, peeled and sliced
200g almond flakes
200g icing sugar
2 tbsps The Spice People’s Cinnamon Ground
16 sheets filo or packet of puff pastry
mint leaves, to serve

The love this recipe

This Moroccan dessert has the most amazing combination of flavors that is sure to delight and surprise you. A Moroccan Pastilla is a variation of the traditional apple strudel which I believe is worth the effort to make.

This pastilla pays homage to Shane Delia’s recipe of the same name, while perhaps not as authentic as some pastilla’s it is definitely a wonderful variation. The delicious flavors of caramelized apple with a mint and vanilla custard, cinnamon, and almonds in a delicate puff or filo pastry make this a dessert for special occasions.

If this wasn’t enough the star of this dessert is actually the homemade Moroccan and date icecream which is delicately spiced with Moroccan Ras El Hanout blend.

There are 3 components to this dessert, but you can cheat and just make the icecream with a bought apple pie or strudel if time is short.

Directions

Date and Moroccan Ras El Hanout Ice Cream:
– Put the sugar and 250 mls of water into a saucepan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Add in the chopped dates and puree with a stick blender. Set aside to cool.
– Beat the egg yolks using an electric mixer until thick and pale yellow. Add to the date puree mixture.
– Whip the cream in a separate bowl to stiff peaks in the electric mixer. Fold in gently the date puree and egg yolk mixture, season with the Moroccan ras el hanout and rose petals. Our Moroccan ras el hanout blend has a medium heat level so you may wish to add only 1/2 tbsp to start and taste before adding the rest.
– Place in the freezer for 2 -3 hours to firm.
Mint Cream:
– Heat the milk in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the point of the boil. (little bubbles around the edge of the saucepan).
– Take off the heat and add the mint leaves. Leave it to infuse for 5 minutes. Then strain off the mint leaves.
– Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and whisk over low heat until it thickens. Place the mixture aside.
Apple Pastilla:
– Heat 50 g of butter in a frying pan over medium heat and sprinkle over the castor sugar, stir until dissolved.
– Reduce the heat to low and add the apple slices and cook until soft and caramelized turning occasionally. (approx 20 min).
– Remove from the heat and set aside.
Mix the almonds, cinnamon, and icing sugar together and place in a bowl. Set aside.

Preparing the pastry:
– If using puff pastry just line the base of round or square standard cake tin or individual pots.
– If using filo pastry you will need to layer and brush with melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon almond mixture between sheets. This will give you a more delicate flaky pastry finish. We used the puff pastry and found it to be easier and tastes great.
Putting it all together :
– After placing the puff or filo pastry on the base of the cake tin, then sprinkle some cinnamon and almond mixture, next layer the apples, and then a layer of custard. Continue this process till you have reached 2/3 the height of the tin.
– Then place a final layer of puff pastry or filo layers. Glaze with melted butter or some of the sauce from the caramelized apples and sprinkle with the cinnamon almond mixture and place in a hot oven (200 degrees) for 30 min.