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Hispanic Heritage Month Recipes

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Each year, from September 15 to October 15 Americans celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by sharing the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. 2021 was especially significant because it was the 200th anniversary of Costa Rican Independence from Spain. Here are a few traditional & unique Latin American recipes you may want to add to your menu: 

Dainty Orange Flower Tea Biscuits...Our Travels - Dubai

This past November, on our way to India, we spent 2 wonderful days in Dubai, UAE. I'll be honest I was equal parts scared and excited to visit. I wasn't sure what to expect given the vastly different experiences I had read online. As soon as we got through customs we had our plan: drop off our bags at the hotel and go sight seeing!

Luckily for us we were able to visit the Dubai Museum, Dubai Mall, Dubai Creek, Burj Khalifa, and...The Spice Souk.

We had a wonderful time!

Dubai was a study in contrasts: 

Old & New- Beautiful New Buildings built around and among Historical places.  
Traditional & Modern - Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see women in Catsuits walking around in the same area as women wearing Burkas...in the Middle East!

That night when we returned to the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised with a basket of fresh fruits and tea biscuits in our room. After a long wonderful day of sight seeing, we ended the evening with a short walk by Dubai Creek and some tea with those biscuits. They were deliciously light and flakey, with an orange almost perfume-y taste. I asked in the morning what those biscuits were made with, and I was told they were made with Orange Flower Water. Orange Flower Water is the perfume by-product of steam distillation of orange blossoms for essential oil, the same process is used to obtain Rose Water. It adds a lovely light orange and flowery essence to desserts across the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa. 

Here is my recipe for Dainty Orange Flower Tea Biscuits:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cup Unbleached Sifted Flour
1/2 Cup Confectioner's sugar
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
2 Tbsp Grated Orange Rind
2 Tbsp Orange Flower Water
2 Tbsp Water
1/8 Cup Sliced Almonds - Lightly crushed

Preheat oven to 375F

Directions:

1. Cream Sugar and softened Coconut oil together.

2. Then add Orange Rind and Orange Flower Water.


3. Slowly add the sifted flour and mix until you have a firm dough. Add water if needed.


4. Roll dough into a log and roll into crushed sliced almonds.


5. Slice dough into approximately 15 circles.


6. Place on a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes; or until lightly browned on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.



Enjoy!!

I have entered this post in Tea Time Treats -  hosted by Janie at The Hedge Combers and Karen at Lavender and Lovage.


Comments

  1. What a lovely recipe Emily, thanks so much for sharing it with Tea Time Treats :)
    I love to get inspired by my travels, it opens up your palate to so many wonderful new experiences.
    Janie x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Jane, travel definitely opens your eyes and palate! Plenty more recipes to come from our travels! :)

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  2. How very interesting to read about your trip to Dubai. I may have to go there for work in the near future, so I was particularly pleased to read your account. The biscuits look really good and I must try and bake with coconut oil, as it seems to give a good result.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janice! That's cool that you'll be working there, Dubai really was lovely you'll have a nice time. Word to the wise don't drive and give yourself plenty of time to get anywhere, traffic is crazy!

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