DATE& CINNAMONSQUARES
(MAAMOULMAD)
SERVES 15-20
11 / 4 cups(225g)semolina
(^2) / 3 cup(130g)finesemolina
130gcastersugar
3.5g(halfa sachet)driedyeast
(^1) / 2 tspmahlab(Middle Eastern spice
- optional)
(^1) / 3 cup(80ml)rosewater
170gunsaltedbutter,melted,
plusextra,forgreasing
1 cup(100g)walnuts
500gmedjooldates,pitted
(^1) / 2 tspgroundcinnamon
(^1) / 3 cup(80ml)runnyhoney
(^1) / 4 cup (35g) pistachios, finely chopped
Combinebothsemolinasintoa large
mixingbowlwiththesugar,yeastand
mahlab,if using.Stirin2 tbsoftherose
waterandthemeltedbutter.Usingyour
hands,gentlymixtogetheruntiljust
combined. Rub the mixture between the
palmsofyourhandstoseparateoutthe
grainsasmuchaspossible. Cover and
refrigeratefor2 hours.
Meanwhile,placethewalnutsina
foodprocessorandprocessuntilfinely
crumbled.Setaside25g.Addthedates
tothefoodprocessoralongwiththe
remaining2 tbsrosewaterandthe
cinnamon.Processtoa paste.
Lightlybuttera 23cmsquarecakepan.
Removethesemolinamixturefromthe
fridgeandquicklyworkthemixturewith
yourhandstoseparateoutthegrains
again.Addhalfofthemixturetothecake
panand,usingyourhands, evenly press
intothebase,tocover.
Nextyouwanta layerofthedate
mixture.It’seasiesttodothisinstages.
Slightlywetyourhandstostopthedates
from sticking, then take a small piece
ofthedatemixtureandflattenit out.
Placeit ontopofthebaseandcontinue
toflattenandspreaduntilyouhavea
layerthatevenlycoversthebase.
Preheatovento200°C.Topthedate
layerwiththeremainingsemolina
mixture.Pressingoutandflatteningto
formanevenlayer.Runa sharpknife
aroundtheedgeofthepan.Bakefor
30-35minutesoruntilgolden.Remove,
standona wirerackandcoolcompletely.
Coverthecakepanwitha largeplate
andcarefullyinvert.Coverit againwith
yourlargeservingplateandflipagain
sothatthelovelygoldensideis ontop.
Drizzleoverthehoney,thenscatterthe
pistachiosandreservedwalnutsoverthe
top. Portion and serve immediately.
EXTR ACT.