Figolli

These are the traditional Maltese Easter bakes!  When I was young, Aunt Karm used to bake them on Wednesday before Easter, and till now, I carried on with the traditon!  I remember my younger brother, making a huge shape of a butterfly, so that it could hold as much of the almond filling as possible!  Then we used to decorate with lemon icing or chocolate.  I believe that Figolli are the Maltese interpretation of all the foreign influence we had on this Island.... the almond filled pastry, comes from the Italian 'Pasta Frolla', the egg on top, is definitely an eastern idea, while the Royal Icing comes from our long colony under the British Empire !!!  Long live the Figolla.

Sweet Short Pastry

250g Butter

200g Caster Sugar

1 tsp BakingPowder

600g Plain Flour

3 eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated lemon rind

pinch salt

Almond Filling

500g Ground Almonds

250g Caster Sugar

2 tbsp Amaretto

Juice of 1 lemon

3 egg whites

1 tbsp rice flour

3 drops Almond Essence

Start with the almond filling by beating the egg whites with a balloon whisk till creamy in a large bowl.  Add caster sugar  and beat for another minute. Add Amaretto, lemon juice, and almond essence and mix well. Add ground almonds and rice flour and mix to obtain a fairly thick paste.  Leave to rest for at least 1 hour. Almonds will absorb some of the liquids and fluff up.

Prepare the pastry by creaming butter and sugar till pale in a food mixer using K beater.  Add eggs one at a time, then lemon rind and lemon juice.  Sift flour, salt and baking powder and  with the K beater still attached add to the butter mixture and mix for just 30 seconds till all has been incorporated and dough resembles very thick paste.  Stop the machine, remove the beater and transfer dough to a plastic bag or wrap in a cling film.  Chill for at least 30 minutes but not more than 1 hour.

To make figolli, dust the work top with flour, roll out half the pastry approx 3mm thick and cut into shapes.  Place shapes in a baking tray, spoon almond filling on top, then even out with a spatula.  Try to keep 5mm away from sides.  Roll out the remaining pastry, cut shapes and place on top  of almond filling.  Even out sides with spatula if necessary.  Bake for 30 minutes or until golden in 185c oven.  Take out from oven, leave to cool in baking tray, then cover with chocolate or ice with lemon icing (Juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp malibu, and enough icing to reach a smooth consistency).

Figolli can be frozen un iced. Wrap in plastic bags after cooked and completely cold. Take out from freezer 1 hour before needed.

Tip:

If you have some pastry and filling left over, make these delicious Date and Almond Pastry Squares, by simply roll out the pastry into a  long strip.  Add remaining almond filling in the middle, then place two dates next to each other  on top of the almond filling. Fold pastry over then cut into squares.  Brush with a little egg and milk then dust with caster sugar and bake.