Hi, I am going to write something completely different today. I will be giving you a recipe from my country, Malta. The recipe if for 'figolli'. These are like gingerbread men, of all shapes and sizes, which kids love to eat in Eastertime. They are made of almond paste and pastry. Very fattening but hey, its only once a year!!:)

Hope you like them, once you try them out. :)

For the pastry

• 350 grams caster sugar
• 400 grams butter
• 800 grams plain flour, sifted
• Grated rind of lemon
• 4 egg yolks, beaten

For the Almond Paste:

• 600 grams, caster or icing sugar
• 2 to 3 egg whites
• Grated rind of lemon
• A few drops orange flower water
• 600 grams of ground almonds

1. Make the pastry by mixing the sugar with the flour, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
2. Add the grated lemon rinds and the yolks, then mix with a little water to make a dough.Leave to chill. Put aside for now.
3. Mix together the orange flower water, sugar, lemon rind and ground almonds. Bind these with the egg whites.
4. Now, roll out the pastry and cut it into different shapes (we normally use animal shapes). Make 2 of these figures at a time, as the almond paste will be sandwiched in between these 2 shapes.
5. Lay the first shape on a greased and floured baking tray. Spread the shape with almond paste. Leave a small margin.
6. Lay the second shape over the top and press the edges together. It might help if you wet the edges with a pastry brush, so they stick together.
7. Bake at 200 C/400F,gas mark 6 for 5 minutes, then lower to 180C/350F/gas mark 4, for about 20 minutes, until the figures become golden brown(make sure they don't burn!! - this happened to me in the first few tries, don't worry - practice makes perfect!!)
8. Cool on a tray.
9. Once these are cool, you can decorate them with chocolate icing, or any other colour icing, and hundreds and thousands. When the icing is soft, you can press a small foil-wrapped easter egg in the middle of each shape.

Now enjoy!!

Let me know, if you make it, what you think of it!! Like I already said - as you see, its a rich dessert - and not at all low in calories - but its absolutely gorgeous!!

Till next time,

To your success,

Mimi

www.mimivercellono.info