Ingredients:
· 7 ½ C. slivered almonds
· 1 C. sugar
· 2 T. cinnamon, ground
· ½ tsp. cardamom ground
· ¾ C. + more if needed orange blossom water
· Almond essence, couple drops
· --
· 1 # phyllo
· 2 egg yolks, beaten
· Melted butter, as needed
· Confectioners sugar & ground cinnamon, for garnishing
Preparation
1. Pulse the almonds to make a coarse meal. Combine the almonds, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom together and mix well. Add the orange blossom water to make a paste. Add a little less than the ¾ C. of the orange blossom water because the heat from your hand will release oil from the almond meal. After kneading slightly, adjust moisture level with a little more orange blossom water as needed. The filling should not stick to your hands.
2. Prepare the phyllo by removing the packaging, laying it out flat and covering it with a damp cloth or paper towel.
3. Lay out 2 sheets of phyllo on top of each longways. Brush with melted butter. At the last 2-3 inches of the phyllo sheet, over lap with 2 more sheets of phyllo stacked on top of each other, brushed gently with melted butter. Repeat this with remaining phyllo, 2 sheets at a time until you have a long (lengthwise) sheet of phyllo. About 1 inch in from the bottom of the phyllo, add the filling evenly to make 1 long log of filling. Gently roll the phyllo over the filling and roll all the way to the end so you have 1 long phyllo roll. Starting with the smaller of the 2 ends, roll into a coil to resemble a snake.
4. Using a large flat spatula, carefully transfer to a silicone lined sheet tray. Brush the top of the phyllo with the egg yolks and bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 20-25 minutes to a nice crispy golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
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