It's that time of the year again! Figolli Time. Figolli are almond pastries cut out to represent symbolic figures. They come into their own at Easter time. After our first figolli post, we couldn't resist the temptation, and decided to produce another lot which we would like to share with you all. The following recipe is for 4 - 5 figolli, depending on the thickness of the filling.
For the pastry
750 grams plain flour
350 grams unsa lted butter
250 grams sugar
4 egg yolks
Grated rind of 1 lemon
For the filling
600 grams pure ground almonds
2 drops almond essence
600 grams sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Whites of 4 eggs
For the coating (royal icing)
400 grams icing sugar
2 egg whites
few lemon drops or almond essence
Method
Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter. Mix in the sugar and the lemon rind and combine.
Add the egg yolks a nd knead into a dough. Turn the dough onto a
floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Cover and leave to stand
for 30 minutes in a cool place.
Meanwhile, combine the ground almonds, essence, sugar and lemon rind in a bowl. Add the egg whites and mix well.
Roll out the pastry over a floured surface. Use
figolli cutters to cut out the pastry into the figolli shapes of your
choice. You will need 2 pastry shapes for each figolla. Place 3 tablespoons of the almond mixture on 1 pastry
shape. Moisten the edges of the pastry with a little water and then
top with the other pastry shape.
Press down to seal edges together well. Proceed in the same manner to prepare the other figolli.
Place the figolli on a greased baking tray and bake in a moderate to slightly hot oven for 35 minutes or until figolli are lightly browned. Bring out of the oven and stand for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Now you need to coat your figolla with royal icing. To do this you will need 400 grams icing sugar mixed with 2 small egg whites and a few drops of lemon / two drops of almond essence. Use a blender to mix well.
This is final result....
