This is pretty interesting this is a warqa pastry, okay, and it's basically like a filo
pastry, that's what the equivalent is back home.
But I just want you to just watch my boy make this.
You've got a pan over a gas with some steaming water, and then literally a lid turned upside
down.
He's got this elastic dough, and he literally smears it on the top.
This is a really respected craft in this country, the steam just sets it, and it's so wafer-thin,
it's so wafer-thin.
Look at it look at it - you've got to be a real expert to be able to pull this off.
It's such a pleasure to see this.
Can you ask him if i'm allowed to have a go - tell him I'll pay for any damages!
It's uh, salt, oil...
That's not good, basically.
This one's not quite up to scratch...
I will get it, I will get it.
Yeah, yeah yeah yeah... nothing like backstreet drivers, thank you.
Okay let's go, come on baby.
All right let's go again.
Okay that's, that's getting better.
I'm getting the hang of it I'm just starting to feel it, it's like anything you've got
to get comfortable with this stuff.
Wax on, wax off, feel the force Luke.
Ok that's not gonna work - nah I gotta do one more.
I think that's the best one I've done so far.
Nice one, nice one.
Halfway there, just another 10 years practice.
Okay I'm gonna make an incredible incredible cake right, and this is a classic Moroccan
dish, it's called a m'hanncha, it means a snake, or they call it the serpent, okay.
Reason being is I'm gonna use that beautiful delicate pastry that I made with your main
man today that I did, frankly, an average job on.
But, you know, it was incredible to see the amount of care.
Absolutely back home you can use filo pastry for the same texture, but that pastry is gonna
give you that crunch.
So what I'm gonna do is make a semi-classic filling.
It's kind of like a frangipane, being the almond paste.
So I've got 375g of butter, and then I'm gonna have 375g of icing sugar.
Mix it around.
And that'll come together...
there you go, there you go.
Then we're gonna have 3 eggs going in.
Nice free-range eggs, have to just fold it to start with.
A bit of shell...
roughage.
And at this point see it looks kind of like it's curdled or, you know, messed up.
But the minute that you add your almond powder, and that's 375g of ground almonds, you wait
it will just go into a lovely consistency.
I'm going to put literally 1 tablespoon of everyday flour in there.
I'm gonna put the zest of one lemon in there, just to bring it bit of a zing you know, bring
it to life.
Orange, big classic flavour out here.
We've got some pistachios here - again a real classic Moroccan thing.
Just gonna mash these up.
So, in with the pistachio, it's got that lovely sort of green hum.
And then the rose water, about 3 tablespoons.
And rose water, I mean it's a big deal, it's a really subtle kind of Turkish delight sort
of rosy vibe, and that rose water just kind of convinces you that you're definitely in
Morocco.
Also they might hit it with different spices, fennel seeds, cinnamon.
I want to keep it reasonably plain.
Now to make it you need a bit of space, nice clean surface.
And you could do this on your dining room table if you wanted.
Now, the pastry - 10 sheets of pastry, so I'll lay that out, and if I'm unlucky I might
come across one of my ones in here.
Look at that!
I'm just gonna overlap them by about 4 inches.
Basically I'm gonna make something about, well about 2 metres long, okay.
Then we're gonna make the serpent.
Okay.
So what I'm gonna do is get this filling and just sort of spoon it.
So little lobs next to each other.
As you can see, as ever, I've peaked slightly too early.
So just equal that out so it goes all the way along like that, it's dead simple, if
it's not perfect it doesn't matter.
And then I'm gonna hit it with some flavour, so what I'm gonna do is just put a little
bit of sugar, and then look at this.
You can buy these beautiful bags of rose petals and it smells fantastic.
And just literally pick through these and put the smallest couple of leaves y'know,
on each one.
So what I'm gonna do now is just roll this little baby up like this.
And then it's literally like rolling up a giant cigar.
Roll it up, roll it up.
I love it!
That is why they call it the m'hanncha, the snake, yeah!
Okay, so what we're gonna do is then to roll it up like this.
Roll it, roll it, roll it, it's like a snail now.
What a pleasure, now, as that cooks the frangipane, the egg in it will up, and that can go in
here.
I've oiled this tray, just gonna snug it in, and I'm gonna cook that little baby at about
180 degrees Celsius, 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for about 40 minutes 45 minutes until crisp,
golden, and delicious.
So there is my lovely cake.
These dried petals you can put just a couple on top like that.
I mean it does feel quite Moroccan innit?
Beautiful.
Time to cut this baby up.
Listen for the noise though, that's what it's all about.
What's about matter with me?
Why do I get so excited about this stuff?
Why does a cake and a noise make me...
I don't know.
That's what food's all about though innit.
Now look at it.
Look at that.
Beautiful.
So I've got the tart there, and the thing that I really want to serve it with, I've
got two things I've got vanilla ice cream with crispy hot frangipane cake, delicious.
And then to go with the whole Moroccan thing I've made like a sauce out of dates, now I've
literally got a cup of lovely stoneless dates and two cups of orange juice.
So I've actually pureed something like this.
Right, let's get a bit of ice cream.
Like that.
Look at that.
Alright that'll be delicious, sweet date with those lovely oranges.
And the thing is that frangipane, dead simple.
That filo pastry looks like something you'd never dare dare attempt, but it is dead simple
you just gotta get stuck in!
And I think I'm just gonna have to try it now.
Bit of the crunchy bit, a bit of the ice cream.
Mm!
That is the one.
Look at that.