Briouates au Poulet et aux Amandes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy saute pan with lid
• •Wide frying pan or deep pot
• •Pastry brush
• •Cooling rack
• •Kitchen thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Braise the chicken

   Warm the olive oil and butter or smen in a heavy pan. Add the grated onions, chicken, coriander, parsley, bloomed saffron, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, and salt. Cover and cook gently for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken once or twice, until the meat pulls apart easily and the onions have melted into a golden sauce.

   Use saffron threads bloomed in warm water, not yellow powder. The color should be amber and alive, and the smell should be floral, not dusty.
2. 2

   Reduce the sauce

   Lift the chicken out to a plate and shred it finely when it is cool enough to touch. Keep the onion sauce over medium heat and reduce it until a spoon dragged through the pan leaves a path for a moment. This matters: a dry filling keeps the warqa crisp, while a wet one softens it from the inside.

3. 3

   Set the eggs

   Lower the heat and pour the beaten eggs into the reduced onion sauce. Stir slowly until the eggs set into soft curds and no loose liquid remains. Fold in the shredded chicken, taste for salt, then let the filling cool completely before wrapping.

4. 4

   Prepare almonds

   Toast the blanched almonds until they smell nutty and turn pale gold, then cool them. Grind them coarse, not to paste, and mix with 2 tablespoons icing sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon if you like the sweetness clear, and the orange blossom water. The almonds should clump lightly when pressed, but still keep their little bite.

5. 5

   Cut the warqa

   Cut the warqa or filo into long strips about 7 to 8 cm wide. Keep the stack covered with a barely damp towel while you work, because dry pastry cracks before it folds. Brush one strip lightly with melted butter.

6. 6

   Fold the briouates

   Place a small spoonful of chicken filling and a pinch of almond mixture near one end of a strip. Fold the corner over the filling to make a triangle, then continue folding point over point until you reach the end. Seal the last edge with beaten egg yolk. The parcel should feel full but not swollen, with the filling held tight inside.

7. 7

   Fry until crisp

   Heat neutral oil in a deep pan to 175C. Fry the briouates in small batches, seam side down first, until deep gold and crisp on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Drain on a rack or paper, not in a crowded bowl, so the crisp pastry stays crisp.

8. 8

   Dust and serve

   Dust the warm briouates lightly with icing sugar and fine cinnamon. Serve them on a shared platter, warm enough that the pastry crackles under the teeth and the chicken filling stays soft inside.

Chef Tips

• •If you can find warqa, use it. Filo is an honest substitute, but brush it with a careful hand and keep it covered while you work.
• •Do not rush the reduction. The filling should be moist in the mouth, not wet in the pan, or the pastry will lose its crispness.
• •Toast the almonds yourself and grind them coarse. La balance est dans les yeux, the scale is in the eyes: stop when the pieces are small enough to bind, not so fine they turn oily.
• •Make a few extra. Briouates disappear before the platter reaches the last guest, and a table is a door you leave open.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken and almond fillings can be made 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
• •Fold the briouates up to 6 hours ahead, cover them well, and chill until frying.
• •Fry close to serving time. If needed, re-crisp cooked briouates for 8 to 10 minutes in a 180C oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 65g)