Ajeen Beckford Falafel Recipes

AJEEN BECKFORD SOUR CREAM MUFFINS

Steps:

• 1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Beat well.
• 2. Sift the dry ingredients together.
• 3. Stir in the dry ingredients and sour cream, alternately, into the butter mixture. Stir in the vanilla.
• 4. Portion and bake at 350°F until light brown and set, approximately 20 minutes.
• 5. Allow muffins to cool briefly before removing from the pan.
• NOTE: Other fruits and nuts may be added for variety. Add approximately 4-6oz (1 cup) fresh or frozen drained fruit to the batter. Popular products are; blueberries, dried cherries/cranberries, candied fruits, pecans.
• Streusel Topping.
• 1lb 8oz.
• 8oz (250g) cake/pastry flour.
• ¼ oz cinnamon.
• 4oz (125g) brown sugar.
• 4oz (125g) sugar.
• 8oz (250g) whole butter, cold.
• 1. Combine all dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
• 2. Sprinkle on top of muffins or quick breads prior to baking.
• NOTE: topping will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

AJEEN BECKFORD LAHMA BI AJEEN

Steps:

• Mix all dough ingredients well. Knead for a few moments. Set aside to rest while preparing filling. Mix all the filling ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400°F
• Since you will be preparing a large number of these, it makes sense to work on a large, clean surface. The kitchen table is perfect. Roll half the dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a clean table. Use a glass, 2-2.5 inches in diameter to cut circles of dough. Place these circles on a well oiled baking sheet. Work the remaining dough into a ball, and roll it out to cut more circles. Keep combining the circle cutouts until you have used all the dough. Place 1.5 teaspoons filling on each circle. With a fork, carefully smooth filling to the edge of the circle. It's fine for the lahma bi ajeen to touch each other in the pan, but they cannot overlap.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, or until dough is just firm but not crisp.
• Serve with tehina and soup or salad for a first course.

AJEEN BECKFORD CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook the syrup to the caramel stage. Toward the end of cooking, turn the heat to very low to avoid burning the sugar or letting it get too dark. It should have a golden colour. Occasionally wash down the sides with a brush to dissolve any sugar granules.
• Remove from the heat and let cool five minutes.
• Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Add a few ounces of it to the caramel.
• Stir and continue to add the cream slowly. Return to the heat until all the caramel is dissolved.
• Let cool completely.
• Stir in the milk into the cooled caramel sauce.

AJEEN BECKFORD FALAFEL

Steps:

• Coarsely chop the chickpeas in a food processor.
• Add the garlic, parsley, chives, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper and process for a few seconds more.
• Add the eggs, salt and flour and process briefly. Remove from the machine and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Combine the yoghurt and lemon juice and mix well. Set aside.
• Portion the falafel into approximately 60 balls (meatball size) and deep-fat fry until crisp at 375°F Drain well and keep warm.
• To assemble: cut a pita in half or open it to form a pocket and stuff with several balls of falafel and 1oz of the shredded lettuce and diced tomato and dress with the yoghurt sauce.