Baku style halva
Halva is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet, popular in Azerbaijan. There are many variations on two basic types of halva: one is a moist, near-liquid sweet made from butter, sugar and flour while the other is harder and is based on nuts or sesame seeds. Saying halva won’t make your mouth sweet” is a popular Azerbaijani proverb. It means that it’s not enough to talk about something, you have to take action too. Azerbaijani cuisine has a variety of types of halva. Baku halva is the moist, gelatinous kind.
To 4 dessert plates:
180 g wheat flour
200 g butter
225 ml water
200g sugar
1 tea spoon honey
3-4 thread safron
Pinch of salt
Put the sugar in a saucepan and add the water, stirring well. Heat over a medium flame, adding the honey and some threads of saffron. Mix well and let it boil in during 5-10 minutes. Let the saucepan on a minimum flame.
Melt the butter separately into the pan. Add the flour and a pinch of salt to the melted butter and mix well. The flour must be completely absorbed by the butter. Pay attention, that the flour may not be added later!
Heat the flour and butter mixture over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture turns a golden color.
Remove from the heat and add the sugar and water mixture. Take care not to burn your fingers. Mix thoroughly.
Place the halva on dessert plates. Leave for one hour to set before serving. The finished halva should be moist, neither too liquid nor too firm in consistency. If the halva is firm or dry, too much flour has been used.
Nush Olsun! Enjoy your meal!
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