Aleppo Bird's Nest Dessert
This is Halabi Balah al-Bulbul, made with puff pastry in two versions: meat and chicken. The pastry is brushed with butter, then filled either with seasoned meat, onion, pomegranate molasses, and pine nuts, or with seasoned chicken, lamb tail fat, garlic, cardamom, ginger, pepper molasses, and lemon zest. It is baked in a very hot oven until browned, then the chicken version is served with garlic cream, hot chili sauce, and pomegranate molasses.
A Halabi dessert-style dish called bird's nest, made with either meat or chicken according to the title.
Like a specialty filled pastry or noodle nest.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry
- 100 g Butter
- 300 g Fatty lamb meat
- 1/5 tablespoon Salt
- 1/4 tablespoon Black pepper
- A small pinch Cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons Pomegranate molasses
- 1 1/2 onions Onion
- To taste Pine nuts
- 300 g Boneless chicken thigh
- 50 g Lamb tail fat
- 1/4 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 tablespoon White pepper
- 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
- 1/4 tablespoon Ground cardamom
- 1/4 tablespoon Ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Pepper molasses
- Zest of half a lemon Zest of half a lemon
- Garlic cream
- Hot chili sauce
- Pomegranate molasses
Instructions
- Remove the puff pastry from the freezer and leave it at room temperature until softened.
- Brush the surface of the puff pastry with softened butter or melted butter.
- Roll out the pastry on a work surface, then cut it into approximately twenty equal pieces.
- Cover the pastry pieces with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Place the fatty lamb meat and onion in a food processor and process until very smooth.
- Mix the lamb meat in a bowl with the salt, black pepper, cinnamon, pomegranate molasses, and pine nuts.
- Set the meat filling aside while preparing the pastry.
- Place the boneless chicken thighs and lamb tail fat in a food processor and mince finely.
- Mix the chicken filling in a bowl with the salt, cinnamon, white pepper, garlic powder, ground cardamom, ground ginger, pepper molasses, and zest of half a lemon.
- Grease the baking tray with a little butter, oil, or ghee, or line it with parchment paper.
- Take a piece of pastry and press it onto the baking tray to form a small round shape.
- Roll out the pastry piece by hand and with a rolling pin, keeping the edges slightly raised to form a rim.
- Fill the pastry with either the meat filling or the chicken filling, as desired.
- Close the edges around the filling to form a Balah al-Bulbul, or bird's nest, shape.
- Repeat with the remaining pastry pieces.
- Arrange the pieces on the baking tray, then place them in the hot oven.
- Bake the pastries in the oven at the highest top and bottom heat until browned.
- Remove the trays from the oven after about 20 minutes.
- Serve the chicken version with garlic cream, hot chili sauce, and pomegranate molasses.