Ingredients
Pastry
- 500 gplain flour
- 250 gcold butter
- 150 gcaster sugar
- 2egg yolks
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbspcold water
Almond filling
- 400 gground almonds
- 400 gcaster sugar
- 3egg whites
- grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
- 1 tspalmond essence
- 2 tbsporange blossom water
To finish
- 300 gicing sugar
- lemon juice and water
- food colouring
- melted chocolate, as an alternative
- a small chocolate egg for each
To serve
- at Easter, to children
Directions
- Rub the cold butter into the flour and sugar until it looks like coarse crumbs. Bring it together and stop working it as soon as it coheres. Chill it for at least an hour before rolling. Mix the ground almonds and sugar, then bind with egg whites. Add the citrus zest, almond essence and orange blossom water. Orange blossom water is used generously and it is what makes figolli smell as they should.
- Add egg white gradually, since too much makes it slump and ooze out during baking. It should be pliable enough to roll but firm enough to stand up. Roll it out to about half a centimetre thick. Roll it between sheets of baking paper, which stops it sticking and tearing.
- Cut two identical shapes for each figolla, since it is a sandwich. Cut them out with a firm downward press rather than dragging the cutter. Roll the almond paste out and cut it in the same shape, slightly smaller. Leave a clear border of pastry all round.
- Lay the paste on one pastry shape, brush the border with egg or water, and press the second shape on top. Press the edges firmly together all the way round. Seal them properly, since filling that escapes burns onto the tray and spoils the shape. Now the thickness they should be. Chill the assembled figures for twenty minutes before baking.
- Bake at 180°C for twenty to twenty-five minutes until pale golden. Do not let them brown deeply, since a pale figolla is correct and a dark one is dry. Let them cool completely on the tray before icing. They are fragile while warm and icing a warm figolla makes it slide straight off.
- Mix icing sugar with a very little lemon juice and water into a thick spreadable icing. Add the liquid drop by drop, since icing goes from stiff to runny in a matter of drops. Now the colours you should use. Divide the icing and colour each portion separately. Spread the icing over the top surface, leaving the edges bare or covering them as you prefer.
- Work reasonably quickly, since the icing forms a skin. Press a small chocolate egg into the icing while it is still soft. Add piped details, sprinkles or sugar flowers. Let the icing set completely before moving or stacking them. They keep a week in a tin and the pastry softens slightly, which most people prefer.
Technique
- The almond paste reflects Malta’s Sicilian and Arab sweet traditions.
- Cut the almond paste to shape rather than spooning it, for an even layer.
- They are iced in bright colours, which is traditional rather than modern.
Substitutions
- Shop-bought marzipan in place of homemade almond paste.
- Melted chocolate in place of icing.
Variations
- Covered in chocolate rather than icing.
- Made small, as individual biscuits.
- With a chocolate egg set into the centre.
History
Cut into fish, lambs and hearts; the almond paste points to Malta’s long Sicilian and Arab sweet traditions.
Frequently asked questions
What is Figolli?
Figolli is a dessert from Malta: almond-filled pastry figures iced and given at Easter to children. Cut into fish, lambs and hearts; the almond paste points to Malta’s long Sicilian and Arab sweet traditions.
How long does Figolli take to make?
Figolli takes 1 hr plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 8 figures. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Figolli?
Yes, within limits. Shop-bought marzipan in place of homemade almond paste. Melted chocolate in place of icing.
What is the most important thing to get right in Figolli?
Cut two identical shapes for each figolla, since it is a sandwich. Cut them out with a firm downward press rather than dragging the cutter. Roll the almond paste out and cut it in the same shape, slightly smaller. Leave a clear border of pastry all round.
