About This Dish
A dessert version of pastilla unique to Tetouan that fills crispy warqa pastry layers with a rich almond cream and tops it with toasted pine nuts and orange blossom-scented custard. This is a purely sweet pastilla with no savory elements, reflecting the Andalusian pastry traditions that Tetouan preserved after the Moorish expulsion from Spain. The city's pastry artisans are renowned across Morocco, and this sweet pastilla represents their finest work. Served at weddings and the most special celebrations, it is a dessert of extraordinary elegance.
Ingredients
- 10 sheets Warqa or phyllo pastry
- 300 g Blanched almonds, finely ground
- 150 g Powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp Orange blossom water
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 100 g Butter, melted
- 50 g Pine nuts, toasted
- 2 Egg yolks
- 2 tbsp Honey for drizzling
Instructions
- 1
Mix ground almonds, powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, orange blossom water, and egg yolks.
- 2
Layer buttered phyllo sheets in a pan. Spread almond mixture. Layer more phyllo.
- 3
Repeat for 2-3 layers, ending with phyllo on top.
- 4
Brush top generously with butter.
- 5
Bake at 180C (350F) for 25-30 minutes until golden.
- 6
Dust with remaining powdered sugar and cinnamon. Top with pine nuts and a drizzle of honey.
Tips & Tricks
- Pine nuts are specific to the Tetouan version — do not substitute.
- The pastry should be paper-thin and shatteringly crisp.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.