Valentine's rousquilles

Eleni
Feb 1, 2016
3 min read

These cookies are marvellous. They are delicious and for me ideal to prepare and serve at any season! Especially in spring. Because the perfume of flowers in the dough brings you freshness and incredible taste!

But before entering to the details of the recipe what are those cookies?

In fact rousquilles is a traditional catalan cookie found in franco-spanish culture. Rosquillas in spanish, coming originally from the word rosqua tha means crown. Nevertheless the south of Spain has a named doughnut rosquilla looking like a normal doughnut but is not related to the catalan recipe.

More specifically this cookie has two main characteristics. A thick dough of 2-3 cms forming a crown, perfumed with flowers, or fruits or as originally stated with spices like the anise. The second characteristic is its frosting with italian meringue base, fully covering its surface.

For me the texture and the taste of this cookie is a little bit different from the usual sablé biscuits that I can find or bake in France. I have recently found a recipe where the dough is perfumed with orange blossom liquid and the result is so delicate!

Here is the recipe that I have discovered in many personal blogs in France and I have been tempted to try it. In all these blogs it has been mentioned that it constitutes the traditional catalan recipe. So all I have to do soon is pass by the South of France and just... explore the origin of it. But for now let's find out the recipe. An easy recipe.

Preparation 10' for the mixture and 20' for the italian meringue

Baking 15'

Ingredients

For the cookie

150 sifted all purposes flour

45 gr powder sugar

45 gr of butter

15 gr honey

2 tbs of milk

1tsp of baking powder

1 egg yolk

1 tbs of orange blossom. Alternatively replace the orange blossom with two to three drops of anise liquor

For the italian meringue frosting

1 egg white

70 gr of powder sugar

35 ml of water

2 tsps of lemon juice

For the cookies

Preheat the over to 180C degrees.

Cut up the butter into small cubes. Mix it together with the flour, baking powder and icing sugar. Crumble the mixture using your finger tips. Add the egg yolk, honey, milk and orange flower water. Cream the mixture until you obtain a smooth, but firm dough. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to obtain a pancake shape about 2cm thick. Cut up using a 7-8 cm diameter pastry cutter. Remove the centre with a 3 cm diameter pastry cutter. Place the rings on a baking tray covered with baking paper and leave to bake in the middle of the oven at 180°C for about 15 minutes. They must be only very lightly golden.

While they are baking, prepare the icing: Beat the egg whites until very firm and heat the icing sugar with a little water. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of your syrup, until 120°C or until it forms a little ball when dropped in cold water (120°C). Add the syrup and the lemon juice to the egg whites and beat thoroughly. The egg whites must stay firm and white. Once out of the oven and still hot cover each rousquille with the icing using a brush. Place them on a rack and dry them in the oven set at 50°C, leaving the door open. Alternatively let them overnight in room temperature in a room without humidity. The rousquilles keep well in an airtight box.

I personally had pasteurized eggs left. So I made the frosting the same way described except the lemon addition.
Further to this I made double dose of them. They are perfectly made.
I have used all purposes flour T55 which is ideal for the wished result.
As you realize I have used a cutter from a heart in order to provide an original idea for Valentine's day! I found it lovely!