Persian Rosette, “naan panjareh-i”

Do you know the deep fried cookie called Rosette which is made during Christmas time? Well, in Iran, we make a quite similar type of cookies during the Persian New year, Norooz.

Makes one wonder about the association, hummm…  Ours, when translated literally means “Window Bread”.  It is the first cookie I learned to make in a high school course when I was 14. Still following the same recipe.

Ingredients: (making about 50 window breads)

• 1/2 cup, Starch
• 1 cup Milk.
• 1 cup Regular white flour.
• 5 eggs.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• 1/2 cup powder sugar (or more depending how sweet you would like your window breads to wind up).
• 1 tbsp. powder pistachio (optional) to be mixed with powdered sugar.
• Plenty of oil (about 4 cups)

Required Tools: Rosette iron (absolutely necessary).  Frying thermometer (very handy, but could do without)

Required People: You need at least one friend to help you out with this, especially if this is your first experience.

Method: 1) Dissolve starch in cold water. Slowly add flour and stir until you get a homogeneous paste-like batter. 2) In a separate bowl, beat the eggs manually with vanilla for a few minutes.  3) Mix the first and second batters well. That’s all you need to start with.  Let’s get into the baking.

Use a deep frying pan, wide enough to hold at least two rosette irons. Fill the pot about three quarter with oil. Dip in one of your rosette irons and bring the oil’s temperature to 350 F.  Note: It is crucial to have the oil’s temperature right.  So, if you do not have a thermometer, you would have to experiment a few times, making sure the iron is hot enough to make the batter stick to it in the next step.

Dip the hot iron into the batter just up to the iron’s edge; in other words, make sure the batter will not run over the top of the iron – just as shown in the picture. Hold a few seconds- long enough only to make a thin coat of batter on the iron.  Dip the coated iron into the hot oil, and shake vertically to help release the batter in the oil. Within a few seconds the cookie is magically shaped- floating on the surface and turning golden. Using an ice-clip or fork, take it out and slip in a big platter (here is where a friend’s help would be very much appreciated) Your friend should also generously sprinkle the cookies with sugar powder (or the mixture of sugar and pistachios powder) while it is still warm.  Repeat the process until the batter is finished.

Tips:

–          Make sure you won’t burn the oil by keeping an eye on the temperature and adjusting the heat throughout the process.

–          Half way through, transfer the batter in to a smaller bowel so that the iron could still be easily dipped and coated.

–          Staking hot cookies on top of each other makes them soft; avoid doing that.

–          Window breads should be tender and crispy. If for any reason they turn soft, don’t worry! Continue till the end. Then, place them in small batches in the oven; turn to 250 F, leaving the oven’s door half open and bake for 15-20 minutes. This should fix the problem. Sweet Baking!