Halvasfourno Recipes

PERSIAN HALVA

Steps:

• Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir rose water and saffron into the sugar mixture; cover saucepan and remove from heat.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat; stir flour into the melted butter until mixture is a smooth paste. Continue to cook, stirring often, until paste turns golden, about 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Slowly whisk sugar mixture into paste until smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and spread halva evenly onto a plate or platter. Make a pattern on the top of halva using the back of a spoon or a knife. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.

HALVA 5 WAYS

Steps:

• Line an 8x8" baking pan or a 9x4" loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2" overhang on 2 sides. Using a wooden spoon, mix tahini, salt, and vanilla in a medium heatproof bowl.
• Pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan, then stir in sugar. Attach a candy thermometer to side of pan.
• Bring sugar to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally to help sugar dissolve, until thermometer registers 250°F. Immediately remove syrup from heat. Gradually stream syrup into tahini mixture, mixing tahini constantly with wooden spoon. Continue to stir just until halva comes together in a smooth mass and starts to pull away from sides of bowl (less than a minute). Be careful not to overmix or halva will be crumbly.
• Working quickly, scrape halva into prepared pan, pushing toward edges; smooth top. Let cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with plastic and chill at least 2 hours. Remove from pan using parchment overhang. Slice as desired to serve.
• Do Ahead: Halva can be made 3 weeks ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.
• For Pistachio-Rose Halva
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 300°F. Spread 1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until fragrant and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer nuts to a plate. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
• Prepare halva, adding half of the chopped pistachios and 1/4 tsp. rosewater to the tahini, salt, and vanilla mixture.
• Stir sugar syrup into tahini mixture and form halva as directed. Sprinkle remaining nuts over, pressing gently to adhere. Cover and chill as directed.
• For Cardamom-Chocolate Halva:
• Prepare halva, adding 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom to the tahini, salt, and vanilla mixture.
• Stir sugar syrup into tahini mixture, then quickly stir in 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate just to combine (you want to see streaks of chocolate). Form halva as directed. Sprinkle 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate over, pressing gently to adhere. Cover and chill as directed.
• For Lemon-Poppy Seed Halva:
• Prepare halva, adding 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds to the tahini, salt, and vanilla mixture.
• Add 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest to water in saucepan before making the sugar syrup, then prepare syrup as directed.
• Form halva as directed. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds over, pressing very gently just to adhere. Cover and chill as directed.
• For Chocolate-Za'atar Halvah:
• Prepare halva, adding 1/2 tsp. za'atar to the tahini, salt, and vanilla mixture.
• Stir sugar syrup into tahini mixture as directed, then quickly stir in 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate just to combine (you want to see streaks of chocolate). Form halva as directed. Sprinkle 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate over, pressing gently to adhere. Cover and chill as directed.

HALVAH

Steps:

• Line an 8- x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• Combine sugar, vanilla seeds and lemon zest with 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Allow mixture to simmer into a syrup, without stirring, until temperature registers 245 degrees on candy thermometer.
• While syrup is cooking, place tahini and salt in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle. Beat on medium speed. Carefully stream syrup into tahini with mixer running. Mix until syrup is incorporated and mixture begins to pull away from sides of bowl, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Be careful not to overmix. The halvah texture should be fudgelike, not sandy.
• Working quickly with a heatproof spatula, transfer mixture to the prepared pan. Place another piece of parchment on top and use your hands on top of the parchment to smooth out halvah. Cool completely to room temperature and cut into squares. Store at room temperature, well wrapped in plastic, for a week.

HALVAS FOURNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 12 x 8 cake tin.
• In a saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the water over high heat. Add the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
• While the syrup is cooking, cream the butter, sugar and lemon rind with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Sift together the semolina and flour and then fold into the butter mixture alternately with the milk. Mix in the chopped almonds.
• Spread the mixture in the cake tin and arrange rows of flaked almonds on top.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is golden and shrinks slightly from the sides of the tin.
• Prick the surface with a fine skewer and then pour the cooled syrup over the hot cake.
• When the cake is cool, cut into squares or diamonds.

HALVA (IRANIAN DESSERT)

Steps:

• Heat 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden and thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool briefly.
• Combine water and sugar in a separate saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Stir in rose water and saffron. Add the flour mixture. Cook and stir until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes at most. Serve halva with crushed pistachios and almonds sprinkled on top.