Denise says:

One of the great mitzvahs on Purim is the giving of Mishloach Manot, little food gifts to friends and family. As the megillah story of Esther tells us that the Queen was a prisoner in the palace obtaining kosher food was problematic and eating seeds, nuts and legumes was the easiest way to overcome this difficulty. I thought that a recipe suitable to be carried in baskets using poppy seeds would be the ideal gift.

The flavour combination of orange and poppy seed is highlighted in these almond based biscuits. If you fancy a change, lemon can easily be substituted.
Poppy Seeds are the tiny nutty tasting, blue grey seeds of a yellowish brown opium plant indigenous to the Mediterranean. Poppy Seeds are used to flavour breads, cakes and rolls in European and Middle Eastern cooking. In Turkey, they are often ground and used in desserts. In India, the seeds are ground and used to thicken sauces.

NB: Keep this recipe for Pesach as it is perfect for then too!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Makes 20-25

Ingredients:

300g ground almonds
150g castor sugar
50g cake meal or fine matzah meal
finely grated zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 eggs, separated

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 140?C/ 275 F/ Gas Mark 1.
2) Line two large baking trays with non-stick baking parchment paper.
3) Place the ground almonds, castor sugar, cake meal, orange zest and poppy seeds in a medium bowl and mix until well combined.
4) In a clean medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold gently into the almond mixture. Fold the egg yolks into the mixture.
5) Place rounded teaspoons of the mixture on the baking trays about 2cm apart. 6) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
7) Cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tagged in: Ashkenazi, Desserts, Oranges, Parev, Poppy Seeds, Purim, Shabbat, Tea