Melomakarona
Ingredients for about 40 pieces:
for the syrup:
350 - 400g walnuts for sprinkling |
Let's begin! Take the walnuts and grind them finely in a food processor. Since you are at it you can also grind the ones that are for garnishing but make sure you don't mix the quantities. You gotta keep them separated! :)
You are gonna have to use a hand mixer with a wire so put the sugar, olive oil, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder in a bowl and beat on medium speed so they are mixed well and the sugar has melted. Add the orange zest and mix slightly. Put the orange juice in a glass or cup but make sure there is room left over. Add the soda and mix. This will make the juice foamy and it will rise so quickly add it to your mixture. Mix slightly. Now change from a wire to a dough mixing part and slowly add the flour while mixing on low speed. Keep mixing well. You can continue mixing by hand if it is too difficult for the hand mixer. You should have a dough that is not running, but it is soft and separates form the hands.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius. Get a large tray and lets start placing the melomakarona in. use a scale so all your pieces are the same and they take the same time to be soaked in your syrup. Weight approximately 20g of the dough and shape it in an oval shape. Take a tooth pick and make criss cross lines on top of them. Place them 5cm apart form each other in the tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Don't over bake them as it will be harder for them to absorb the syrup. Once you are done with all the dough let them cool down.
Now let's make the syrup. In a pot put all the ingredients for the syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium high and boil for 5 minutes. Try to remove the foam that forms on the top. Once the syrup is done you have two options to soak the melomakarona. You can either place them all in a big deep tray and pour the syrup on top. Let them soak on one side and then turn them on the other side. Or you can use our method which is placing them in the pot and letting them soak in the syrup. The safest way is the first method because you are not running the risk of soaking them too much. However, if you use a thermometer and the timings we give you, you can accomplish the same result. So...use a thermometer and measure the syrup to be 80 degrees celsius. Place the melomakarona in the pot on one side and leave it for 2 minutes. Then turn them on the other side and leave them again for 2 minutes. Take them out and place them on a plate to garnish. If your syrup is not hot enough you can heat it on low heat.
Once you are done with all the pieces take the walnuts you grinned before for the sprinkling and coat all the melomakarona evenly! Place them on a plate and enjoy! Happy holidays everybody!
You are gonna have to use a hand mixer with a wire so put the sugar, olive oil, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder in a bowl and beat on medium speed so they are mixed well and the sugar has melted. Add the orange zest and mix slightly. Put the orange juice in a glass or cup but make sure there is room left over. Add the soda and mix. This will make the juice foamy and it will rise so quickly add it to your mixture. Mix slightly. Now change from a wire to a dough mixing part and slowly add the flour while mixing on low speed. Keep mixing well. You can continue mixing by hand if it is too difficult for the hand mixer. You should have a dough that is not running, but it is soft and separates form the hands.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius. Get a large tray and lets start placing the melomakarona in. use a scale so all your pieces are the same and they take the same time to be soaked in your syrup. Weight approximately 20g of the dough and shape it in an oval shape. Take a tooth pick and make criss cross lines on top of them. Place them 5cm apart form each other in the tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Don't over bake them as it will be harder for them to absorb the syrup. Once you are done with all the dough let them cool down.
Now let's make the syrup. In a pot put all the ingredients for the syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium high and boil for 5 minutes. Try to remove the foam that forms on the top. Once the syrup is done you have two options to soak the melomakarona. You can either place them all in a big deep tray and pour the syrup on top. Let them soak on one side and then turn them on the other side. Or you can use our method which is placing them in the pot and letting them soak in the syrup. The safest way is the first method because you are not running the risk of soaking them too much. However, if you use a thermometer and the timings we give you, you can accomplish the same result. So...use a thermometer and measure the syrup to be 80 degrees celsius. Place the melomakarona in the pot on one side and leave it for 2 minutes. Then turn them on the other side and leave them again for 2 minutes. Take them out and place them on a plate to garnish. If your syrup is not hot enough you can heat it on low heat.
Once you are done with all the pieces take the walnuts you grinned before for the sprinkling and coat all the melomakarona evenly! Place them on a plate and enjoy! Happy holidays everybody!
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