Honey-Nut Spiced Arab Candy Mexican Recipe

Honey-Nut Spiced Arab Candy Mexican Recipe

Ingredients

• alfajor de miel con nueces y especias – honey-nut spiced arab candy

Makes 8 to 10

• 2 cups honey
• 1¼ cups ground almonds
• 1¼ cups ground hazelnuts
• 1½ cups bread crumbs
• ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground canela
• pinch of ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon toasted coriander seeds, ground
• ½ teaspoon toasted aniseed, ground
• 16 to 20 rice wafers

Method

1. Heat the honey in a medium pot over low heat until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes
2. Add 1 cup of the almonds, 1 cup of the hazelnuts, and the bread crumbs and stir to combine
3. Once the mixture starts coming together, add the sesame seeds, canela, cloves, coriander, and aniseed and stir for a couple of minutes until well blended
4. Pour into a bowl and let sit until cool enough to handle
5. Put a bit of the mixture on top of a rice wafer, spreading it around evenly, and press with your hands to about ¼-inch thickness (you can dampen your hands slightly if the mixture is too sticky)
6. Sprinkle some of the remaining ¼ cup almonds and remaining ¼ cup hazelnuts on top, pressing lightly, then put another wafer on top and press so it sticks
7. These are best eaten a day or two later
8. You can store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry area
9. Serve whole or cut into quarters
10. Panaderias (bread bakeries) are found all over Mexico, representing one of the main pillars of Mexican cuisine
11. Small villages have their panaderias close to the main square, like a church
12. In bygone days, panaderias were owned by the Spanish, who were always identified by their berets and cigars
13. They were the ones who taught Mexicans the secrets of the ovens, which were fueled by coal or wood
14. When the panaderia opens its doors, a familiar, comforting aroma envelops you
15. After a quick glimpse at the crispy textures and colorful toppings, you pick up a round aluminum tray and a set of banged-up metal tongs, and fill the tray with shapes of ears, flowers, shells, horns, and hearts
16. Each one contains its own particular taste experience
17. You pay and hurry outside
18. Some panaderos use fresh yeast; others use dry
19. Some use pulque (a fermented Drink made from maguey nectar) or beer
20. The skillful panaderos begin their day at around 3:00 A
21. Bread is the cornerstone of a good breakfast and is usually accompanied by hot chocolate or coffee
22. Panaderias bake twice daily as a general rule, ensuring warm, fresh baked goods for breakfast, merienda (supper), and dinner
23. The bread itself is only slightly sweetened
24. Most of its sweetness comes from fillings, toppings, and glazes
25. These are made from fruit, sugar, chocolate, and cream
26. Most panaderias have bolillos and teleras, savory breads that are used to make tortas, but the majority of the selections are sweet ones
27. In the beginning of the twentieth century, pan dulce became affordable to poor people, who called it tecuarin
28. The bread was salty but with a sweet topping, and many types of bread follow that format today
29. The basic ingredients of wheat flour, water, sugar, and salt have remained through time, but others have changed
30. The traditional lard or butter has been replaced with vegetable shortening, margarine, or oil; the hen, duck, or turkey eggs have been replaced with chicken eggs; the use of pulque or beer as a fermenting agent is almost gone; and the use of prepared flours and artificial flavorings has increased as an unfortunate result of industrialization and the economy
31. Some places, however, have kept the integrity of the traditional sweet breads
32. Most Mexicans will say that the ones made in the old-style brick or stone ovens, where the logs are burned hours in advance, have a wonderful distinctive flavor
33. Some small cities and villages-including Zaca-tlan in Puebla and Pomuch, Campeche, and Acambaro in Guanajuato-depend on bread as their main source of income
34. For these panaderos, bread is serious business
35. As with other sweet confections, each region has its own specialty when it comes to pan dulce
36. Pan ranchero, country-style bread often flavored with aniseed, is made in Zacatecas; corn pemoles in Aguascalientes; coyotitas, crunchy corn cookies, in Sonora; and corrientes, a porous bread eaten with hot chocolate, in Morelia
37. Joletepec is known for its mestizas, a lightly sweetened bread in the shape of a heart adorned with a braid around the edges
38. It is said that in the old days, boyfriends would take a mestiza to their future in-laws when they asked for their daughter’s hand in marriage
39. The more ornate and intricate the mestiza, the greater his wealth
40. If you visit San Juan Huactzingo, Tlaxcala, chances are you will leave smelling a bit like wheat and sugar because many homes have their own calabazeros (pumpkin-shaped wood-fired ovens)
41. In the town of Calpan, bread is wrapped in white zapote leaves to keep it dry and give it a subtle, sweet flavor
42. Similarly, in Tinguidin, a town in Michoacan, freshly baked bread is wrapped in banana leaves before it is transported from the different panaderias
43. Members of the purepecha indigenous community make breads in the shapes of animals and people adorned with belts and bows for their offerings in certain celebrations, while the Tepehuas of Tenango de Doria make necklaces out of bread and marigolds for their flower dance
44. And weddings, baptisms, and offerings have their distinctive breads depending on the region
45. Mexican culture even conjures death through bread, the symbol of life
46. Many of these recipes require a bit of planning, so be sure to take this into account
47. I have tried to go back to pan dulce’s roots, when, as I can only imagine, bread was richer
48. Although I personally like to use fresh yeast instead of dry, I believe it is mostly for the sake of tradition; using dry active yeast will not terribly affect the end product

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