Tcharek

Ingredients

Pastry

• 500 gplain flour
• 200 gunsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 pinchsalt
• 1egg
• 2 tbsporange-flower water
• About 120 ml cold water

Almond filling

• 500 gground almonds
• 200 gcaster sugar
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 2 tbsporange-flower water
• 1egg
• 2 tbspmelted butter
• grated zest of 1 lemon

To finish

• 1egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp milk, for glazing
• 200 gicing sugar, for dusting
• or 250 g warm honey and 100 g toasted flaked almonds, for the glazed version

Directions

1. Rub the melted butter into the flour and salt with your fingertips until it resembles damp sand, then bind with the egg, orange-flower water and just enough cold water to make a soft, pliable dough.
2. Knead briefly, only until smooth, then wrap and rest for 30 minutes; over-kneading develops gluten and gives a tough, bready crescent instead of a short one.
3. Knead the ground almonds, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, orange-flower water, egg and melted butter into a firm paste that holds together when squeezed, adding a teaspoon of water if it crumbles.
4. Roll the paste into small tapered ropes about 6 cm long, thicker in the middle than at the ends, one for each crescent.
5. Roll the dough out to 2 mm thick and cut discs about 9 cm across with a cutter or a glass.
6. Lay a tapered rope of almond paste across each disc, fold the pastry over it and press the edge to seal, then curve the parcel into a crescent with the sealed edge outermost and pinch the two points.
7. Set the crescents on a lined tray, brush with the egg-yolk glaze, and chill for 15 minutes so they hold their shape.
8. Bake at 170°C (350°F) for 16 to 20 minutes, until barely coloured; tcharek should stay pale blond, and browning dries the almond filling and spoils the texture.
9. For tcharek msakar, cool completely and roll in icing sugar twice, half an hour apart. For tcharek el ariane, dip the hot crescents in warm honey, drain and press flaked almonds over them. Store in a tin between paper.

Technique

• The pale bake is deliberate and is what distinguishes tcharek from a European almond biscuit; look for set and firmness rather than colour.
• Roll the almond paste thicker at the middle so the finished crescent has a plump belly and fine tapered horns, which is the shape people expect on the Aid tray.
• The dough is short and fat-heavy, so keep it cool and work quickly; if it becomes greasy and slack, chill it for 10 minutes.
• Tcharek is the crescent moon, and the biscuits are made for Aid el-Fitr, weddings and engagements, piled on tiered trays with dziriette and baklawa.

Substitutions

• Ground almonds can be part-replaced with ground hazelnuts or peanuts, which is common when almonds are expensive, though the flavour is heavier.
• No orange-flower water: use rose water or 1 tsp almond extract plus lemon zest, accepting that the perfume is different.

Variations

• Tcharek msakar is dusted in icing sugar; tcharek el ariane is honey-glazed and almond-crusted.
• A modern version tints the filling green with pistachio.
• Some cooks stamp a fine pattern into the pastry with tweezers before baking.

History

One of the essential Eid al-Fitr cookies of Algerian households, shaped by hand into a crescent moon.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tcharek?

Tcharek is a dessert from Algeria: crescent almond cookies scented with orange-flower water, dusted with icing sugar. One of the essential Eid al-Fitr cookies of Algerian households, shaped by hand into a crescent moon.

How long does Tcharek take to make?

Tcharek takes 45 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 35 crescents. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Tcharek?

Yes, within limits. Ground almonds can be part-replaced with ground hazelnuts or peanuts, which is common when almonds are expensive, though the flavour is heavier. No orange-flower water: use rose water or 1 tsp almond extract plus lemon zest, accepting that the perfume is different.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tcharek?

Knead briefly, only until smooth, then wrap and rest for 30 minutes; over-kneading develops gluten and gives a tough, bready crescent instead of a short one.