- By Admin
- December 06, 2023
Text by Mégane Fleury
International cuisine: Gourmet food beyond our borders
There are as many cornes de gazelle as there are Maghreb countries.
This small crescent of dough, filled with a soft stuffing, is prepared differently in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. In Tunisia, the pastry is fried. In Morocco, it exists in different versions: in Tetouan, it is decorated and sometimes sprinkled with sugar, in Ouarzazate, it is usually garnished with dates or figs, and another recipe consists of sprinkling the dough with sesame seeds or crushed almond pieces. In Algeria, two main versions coexist, one is rolled in icing sugar, the other is decorated with almond chips.
WHAT ARE CORNES DE GAZELLE?
Cornes de gazelle are probably one of the more well-known oriental pastries, and it’s easy to get hold of them anywhere in France. "I've tasted them everywhere," says Yasmine Boudia, pastry chef in Arcueil (94). But usually there is too much sugar on top, or even the dough is too tough.” With Maison Yasmine, her Algerian pastry shop, she wants to showcase the "real gazelle horn", made using the traditional recipe, slightly adapted. “The stuffing contains almond and lemon zest, but no cinnamon.” Spices are often added to this recipe, but according to the pastry chef, they are not present in the classic version of gazelle horn.
IT'S ALL IN THE ACTION
Yasmine Boudia learned the basics of Algerian pastry while on holiday there with her family. Today, she recalls the memories of the elderly ladies who gave her advice on how to make them. “The most difficult part is the shaping,” she explains. They should really have the typical crescent moon shape, with very fine tips and a well rounded middle. When this isn’t done successfully, I call it a boomerang, not a gazelle horn!” As in most desserts where the dough is worked by hand, it is important not to overdo it: if it is mixed too much, then it risks shrinking during cooking. "Flour is still flour," observes the pastry chef. There are the same risks as in French pastry.” Once formed, the gazelle horn should rest for at least two hours in the refrigerator. "This allows them to set well before cooking."
A FINE GARNISH
In Algeria, gazelle horn stuffing contains almonds and lemon zest. For Yasmine Boudia, it is not as simple as replacing the almonds with ground almonds. “I use whole blanched almonds that I grind. They provide flavour and texture. When using almond flour, the result is too doughy, though it is nice and chewy.” Lemon zest is also an essential ingredient: it compensates for the sweetness of the icing sugar to create a balanced pastry. The pastry chef adds a little orange blossom water, some sugar and a little butter to keep it meltingly soft. She kept the basics of the traditional recipe, reworking it slightly. "I specifically reduced the amount of sugar so that you can really taste the dried fruit, I don't put any in the dough, for example, because it's already in the stuffing and also on top, with the icing sugar.” The dough is made from flour, butter, orange blossom water and a pinch of salt.
"I use whole blanched almonds that I grind."
She also makes another recipe: gazelle horn coated with crushed almonds. For this one, the dough contains egg and is therefore more crunchy. It also includes yeast, which gives a slightly leavened dough. The stuffing is made of unblanched almonds, also crushed, with sugar and orange blossom water. "It tastes different, compared to the gazelle horn with icing sugar," she observes.
GAZELLE HORN, A FESTIVE DESSERT
Made with icing sugar, gazelle horn is a festive dessert: its preparation and consumption are reserved for special occasions, such as a religious celebration or wedding, etc. "Throughout North Africa, 'desserts' such as pastry, puddings and sweets don’t necessarily form part of the meal, because they would be superfluous, given their nutritional richness,” continues Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, in her book "La très belle et très exquise histoires des gâteaux et des friandises". In fact, (...) they are vectors of welcome, testimonies of fraternity and a symbol of hospitality. We share them with those who drop by and have honored the house by choosing to enter it.” The gazelle horn is a small cake but a big symbol.
"We share them with those who are passing by and have honored the house"
Yasmine Boudia
MAISON YASMINE IN ARCUEIL (94)
In another life, Yasmine Boudia was a pharmacy assistant. In 2007, she began a fresh start and trained in pastry at the Ferrandi school in Paris. She fifirst worked in shops and tea rooms, before starting out on her own in 2016. In her shop, Maison Yasmine, she offffers Algerian pastries, such as the famous gazelle horn, but also balklava, a puffff pastry fifilled with an almond fifilling and covered with honey, or even cornets, an almond and pistachio fifilling coated in a crunchy pastry. These days, the pastry chef takes on a lot of custom orders, especially for parties, but she also offffers on-site sales. Eventually, she’d really like to open a shop in Paris, to help make Algerian pastry even more widely available.
Sources: - « La Très Belle et Très Exquise Histoire des Gâteaux et des Friandises » de Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat aux éditions Le Pérégrinateur - http://cuisinedumaghreb.fr/recette-cornes-de-gazelle/
- https://www.196flavors.com/fr/maroc-corne-de-gazelle/
- Yasmine Boudia