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Turte cu julfă
Turte cu julfă: Moldavian Christmas Eve stack of pastry sheets with sweet hemp-seed cream and walnuts
On Christmas Eve (Ajunul Crăciunului), the last day of the Advent fast, old Moldavian households around Neamț and Suceava set out turte cu julfă: paper-thin baked sheets of dough stacked with a sweet cream of ground hemp seed and crushed walnuts. The sheets are said to stand for the swaddling clothes of the Christ child, and the whole cake is vegan so it can be eaten while the fast still holds. Soaked with syrup and left overnight, it softens into a dense, nutty, gently sweet slice. Buy food-grade hulled hemp seeds (hemp hearts), which are sold as a food and contain no intoxicating THC. A common mistake is cutting the cake straight away; it needs a night in the fridge to soften and hold together. Chef's tip: bake the sheets a day or two ahead and let them dry on a rack, as dry sheets soak up the syrup more evenly.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
Pastry sheets
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 cup lukewarm water
Julfă (hemp cream)
- 9 oz hulled hemp seeds
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 ½ oz walnutsfinely chopped
Syrup
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 cup lukewarm water into a firm dough and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
40 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Divide the dough into 10 balls and roll each on a floured surface into a very thin round about 25 cm across, thin enough to almost see the worktop through.
30 minStep 3: Bake the sheets one or two at a time on a dry baking tray for 4–5 minutes, until they are dry, crisp and lightly freckled with brown. Cool on a rack.
50 minStep 4: For the julfă, blend the 9 oz hulled hemp seeds with the 1 ¾ cups water in a blender for 2–3 minutes, until you have a smooth, pale green cream.
3 minStep 5: Pour the hemp cream into a pan with the 5 ½ oz sugar and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 8–10 minutes, until it thickens like custard and coats the spoon. Stir in the 1 tsp vanilla extract and leave to cool.
10 minStep 6: For the syrup, simmer the 1 ¼ cups water, 3 ½ oz sugar and 1 tsp lemon zest for 3 minutes until the sugar dissolves, then cool until just warm.
5 minStep 7: Lay one sheet on a large plate and brush or spoon over 2–3 tablespoons of syrup until it softens slightly. Spread with a thin layer of julfă and scatter with some of the 5 ½ oz walnuts.
3 minStep 8: Repeat with the remaining sheets, syrup, julfă and walnuts, finishing with a layer of julfă and walnuts on top.
15 minStep 9: Cover and chill overnight, or at least 8 hours, until the sheets are soft and the stack slices cleanly. Cut into wedges to serve.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does turte cu julfă take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 180 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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