Edible Sombreros

My Favorites - Fun, Food and Friends!!!

What else do you need when you have all this? I am talking about my special friends and food is the bond that has glued us together. We can talk about food for hours and share knowledge, no secrets, nothing. Its a genuine food based friendship. Time just flies when we meet, 15 minutes turn into 1 hour and 1 hour turns into two. Few months ago we introduced our families to each other and there was instant bonding in them as well. Now when we meet, significant others and the kids don't have to find other activities. All being big foodies, we decided to arrange a nice themed potluck dinner. Theme was to cook from a cookbook that we all agree upon and a course will be chosen for you by a lottery. We all got excited and thought choosing the book will be difficult. WRONG! We all said 'My Bombay Kitchen' almost at the same time! And then chits were drawn and I got the dessert!! Yay!! Oh Nooo!!!! Vegan dessert in a Parsi cookbook?? It was going to be a challenging decision. A friend offered me to exchange with her if I wanted to. But knowing Niloufer's suggestions work really well, I decided to give it a try.

I looked at all the dessert recipes in the book and settled on Khajur Ni Ghari and decided to veganize it. I love dates specially Medjols but finding them fresh sometimes is not always easy. I know Trader Joe's carries packs of these but that was going to be my last choice. My quest for soft and sweet Medjol took me to a small mom and pop type of shop in a nearby city. They had everything I was looking for, including Orange blossom water. Now I was all set to make the gharis.

I started making the pastry with earth balance. I added about 3/4 part earth balance and got scared, what if the pastry doesnt come out well? What if the pastry becomes hard instead of flaky? So I decided to add ghee for the remaining part. I have never tasted original recipe so its hard to decide whatever I am doing is correct or not. I did not want to throw things if they dont come out well. Now that I have tasted this, I know its really easy to veganize it.

A young foodie at the dinner said they look like mini Sombreros so I am calling these 'Edible Sombreros' ...

So here is the non-vegan recipe (adapted from My Bombay Kitchen)-

Date Filling -
1 tbsp Ghee
1 cup Pitted Dates
Zest of an Orange
3-4 Cardamom powdered using mortar and pestle
1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts
Pinch Of salt
1 tsp Orange Blossom Water (Original recipe calls for Rose Water)

Cover/Pastry -
2 cups Wheat Flour (I used regular chapati flour)
3/4 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
8 tbsp Earth Balance
4 tbsp Ghee
1/2 cup Ice Water

Preparation -
Making Pastry -
Combine all the pastry ingredients except water together.
Break earth balance/ghee into small pieces and while mixing it with flour. Work the dough till 'butter' pieces are as big as peas.
Now sprinkle ice water on buttered flour and start making the dough while breaking butter. Do not pour all the water at once.
The dough is mixed just so much that all the dry flour is incarporated in the dough.
Divide the dough in two discs and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refridgerate the dough for at least an hour.

Making Filling -
Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan.
Add dates and mash it while stirring it.
Add walnuts, cardamom powder, orange zest. Mix it well.
It should resemble thick paste. Sprinkle few drops of water if you think the filling is too thick to even move.
Remove the pan from heat and let it cool down a bit. Mix in orange blossom water and mix thoroughly.
Make 12 balls of the filling when it is cool enough to handle.

Ready to assemble

Almost ready for the oven

Assembly - 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (I used aluminum foil).
Lightly flour a surface roll both discs of dough in 1/8th thick sheets.
Now you have 2 rolled out sheets. Cut out 2.5-3 inch discs from the rolled out dough.
Make 24 disc. Make a dough ball from scraps as you go and roll it out to make discs.
Place filling balls on the middle of 12 discs. Now brush water on the edge of these discs.
Cover these discs with remaining 12 discs (line up properly) and crimp the edges with fork. Poke few holes on the top of each pastry.
Brush each of these 12 pastries with ghee and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until brown.

Sombreros on cooling rack

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips -

• As I said, I used few tablespoons of ghee but its easy to veganize. 
• Niloufer's directions are for 6 big (6") gharis but I found them too big to eat so made a personal ghari for everyone with given proportions. Given proportions yield 13 pastries.