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SHIRINI LATIFEH شیرینی لطیفه

March 16, 2015 By Homa 12 Comments

Shirini Latifeh
If you have never had Tabrizi Latifeh, you’re in for a delightful surprise.  Tabriz is famous for this pastry that I will be sharing with your today.  In a few days spring will arrive with all of its beauty and glory.  Iranians as well as the people in many other countries such as Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, North Caucasus and some parts of Turkey are getting ready to welcome spring’s arrival and Nowruz, meaning New Day! Please click here for different time zones:  http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20150320T2245&msg=March+Equinox+2015
Ajil Chaharshanbeh Suri
This Tuesday evening, is the eve of last Wednesday (Chaharshanbeh) before Nowruz  and it is called Chaharshanbeh Suri which is a significant event in preparation for Nowruz.  Small bonfires will be built and while jumping over them the young and young at heart will sing merry songs to bid goodbye to the old year and embrace the warmth, energy and joy of the new year to come.  Ajil Chaharshanbeh which is an assortment of nuts and dried fruits will be passed around along with sweets and delicious food throughout the evening.
Shirini Latifeh
Nowruz celebration starts at the precise moment that spring arrives, Tahvil e Saal (the transformation of year). Families sit around a modest but colorful  table with sweets, nuts, fruits, flowers, candles, gold fish, colored eggs and sprouted seeds. This table, called Haftseen, represents the simple things in life that make it special and dear when we share it with loved ones, such as health, beauty, rebirth, spring, humanity, patience, love, prosperity, light, warmth and joy.  For a more detailed description of these ceremonies please refer to the Culture section of my blog:  Nowruz, Persian New Year Celebration.
Colored Eggs
Colored eggs on the Sofreh Haftseen represent fertility. They are prepared with the help of  young ones in the family a day before Nowruz.
Sabzeh Haftseen
Sabzeh (the sprouted seeds) at the Haftseen table represents rebirth and spring.  Sabzeh is kept for 12 days and then on the morning of the 13th day (Sizdeh Bedar), families take a festive picnic to the countryside, in the foothills or by the river and after spending a fun day outdoors, they throw the Sabzeh in the water for good luck and to symbolize the ultimate return to nature.
Shirini Latifeh
Special sweets and pastries are baked at this time of year to be enjoyed with family and friends who visit each other’s home with well wishes for the new year over 12 days following Nowruz.  Some of the popular desserts are:  Baklava Cake also the traditional Baklava that you may visit on this blog to get the recipes.
Shirini Latifeh

The pastry that I’m making today is called Latifeh, which means soft, delightful, heavenly, light, nostalgic!! Well, it really just means soft in translation, but in my opinion Latifeh is all that and more! It is a delicate, airy pastry with a vanilla and rose scented whipped cream. I always loved the Latifeh that a pastry shop in my hometown of Tabriz, called Noushin, used to make, but there is a town near Tabriz called Ardabil that is famous for their Latifeh, which is something truly special.  Reminiscing about the joy of biting into a pastry so light and amazing was my inspiration for making this recipe.

circles
pastry bag and plain nozzle

Draw eight 4-inch circles on the parchment paper then flip it over and line the baking sheet. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a #12 plain round piping tip with the batter (the batter is not very thick, so block the tip with your finger if it starts to come out while doing this)

piped out batter
baked pastry rounds

Pipe out spiral patterns starting from the center, in the size of the circles. Bake in preheated oven until light golden brown.  Peel away the parchment paper. The circles might stick together slightly as they bake, separate them carefully with the tip of a paring knife.

pastry rounds cooling
filling with cream

Gently fold the pastry rounds in half and allow to cool under the pastry cloth. Fill a clean pastry bag,fitted with a star or plain piping tip, with whipped cream and fill the pastry rounds and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

Shirini Latifeh
And enjoy your Latifeh with a glass of Persian tea!   Nowruz Mobarak (Happy Nowruz)!

 

 

 

5.0 from 2 reviews
SHIRINI LATIFEH
 
Print
Temp: Preheat oven to 425⁰F
Bake time: 6-8 minutes
Yield: 8 Pastries
You will need: A 12-inch pastry bag fitted with Wilton #12 plain nozzle flute to pipe the batter.
You will also need a star tip, Wilton 2F for piping the whipped cream to fill the pastries, but the #12 plain round would be fine for this purpose as well.
Author: Homa
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Persian/Azeri
Ingredients
  • FOR PASTRY ROUNDS
  • ¼ cup +2 TBSP flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ⅛ tsp vanilla powder, or ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 eggs, separated + 1 extra egg yolk
  • ¼ cup +2 TBSP sugar, divided
  • 3 TBSP (1 ½ ounces) unsalted butter, melted
  • WHIPPED CREAM FILLING
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 4 TBSP granulated sugar
  • ⅛ tsp vanilla powder (or ½ tsp vanilla extract)
  • 1 TBSP rose water
  • GARNISH
  • 3 TBSP chopped unsalted pistachios
  • Powder sugar for dusting the pastries
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F, center rack.
  2. Line a large baking sheet (11 x 17 x 1) with parchment paper. Draw eight 4-inch circles on the paper (I used a 4-inch lid) and turn it over so the pencil side does not touch the pastries.
  3. Lightly grease the paper with butter-flavor Crisco. Set aside.
  4. Sift the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
  5. Using the whisk attachment of your mixer beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add half the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  6. In a heat proof medium bowl (large enough to fit over a 2 ½-Qt saucepan without touching the water) add 5 egg yolks, vanilla, and the remaining sugar. Set aside.
  7. Add an inch of water to the bottom of the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat and place the bowl containing the egg yolk mixture over the saucepan.
  8. Beat the egg yolks with a hand-held mixer until thick and creamy.
  9. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a microwave in 10-second increments. Do not let it get too hot.
  10. With a spatula fold the sifted flour mix and the melted butter into the thickened egg yolk mixture.
  11. Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture only until combined. Do not beat the batter.
  12. Spoon the batter into the pastry bag with plain #12 round tip. Pipe batter onto the prepared parchment paper. Starting in the center of the circle pipe batter out in spiral pattern. Smooth out the surface with the back of a spoon.
  13. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the pastry rounds are light golden brown.
  14. Meanwhile wash and dry the bowl and the whisk attachment and chill in the refrigerator. Also wash and dry the pastry bag and the piping tip.
  15. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and invert the parchment paper with pastry rounds onto a pastry cloth.
  16. Sprinkle or spray the paper with cold water and gently peel it away from the pastries.
  17. Fold the pastry rounds in half, cover with the pastry cloth and cool completely (about 10 minutes).
  18. Place 1 ½ cups heavy cream in the chilled mixer bowl. Add 4 tablespoons sugar. Use the whisk attachment to whip on medium speed until the cream thickens. Add the vanilla and 1 TBSP rosewater. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
  19. Fill a clean pastry bag fitted with a star or plain tip tube with the whipped cream. Gently lift the top flap of each pastry, fill it with whipped cream and sprinkle with finely chopped pistachio and close the flap. Place the filled pastries on the serving platter and dust lightly with powder sugar. The pastries may be served immediately or chilled in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
  20. The recipe for the pastry rounds was adapted from a book by Annette Wolter & Christian Teubner
3.4.3174

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Filed Under: Azeri food, Cakes & Pastries, Desserts, Latifeh, Persian Desserts, Recipe, Shirini Latifeh, Sweets Tagged With: Azeri/Persian recipe, holiday desserts, Norooz, Nowruz, pistachio, Tabriz, weddings, whipped cream desserts

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Comments

  1. Fae's Twist & Tango says

    March 16, 2015 at 1:47 am

    Oh my goodness! These latifehs are gorgeous! One of the liatifes in the 7th photo is winking at me. Happy Nowruz and thank you for treating us to this decadent celebration.

    Reply
    • Persian Mama says

      March 17, 2015 at 3:09 pm

      Dear Fae, thank you for being so kind. That latifeh in the 7th row is reserved for you, come and get it when you can 😉 Happy Nowruz to you and your family as well!

      Reply
  2. tannaz says

    March 16, 2015 at 10:24 am

    What a gorgeous pastry! A little like cannoli, a little like a taco, but mostly something completely different from both of those. I bet they taste as delicious as they look.

    Reply
    • Persian Mama says

      March 16, 2015 at 9:40 pm

      Tannaz jan thank you! If you have ever had Latifeh, you’re going to be able to bite into one of these and reminisce and if you have never had one well, you just have to try them and see for yourself!

      Reply
  3. The Unmanly Chef says

    March 17, 2015 at 5:21 am

    Wow! These look incredible. Your pastry skills are so impressive. This looks absolutely delicious.

    Reply
    • Persian Mama says

      March 17, 2015 at 8:39 am

      Thanks so much for your kind words. What an amazing year is ahead of you! Have a mobarak Nowruz and an incredible new year!

      Reply
  4. Afsaneh says

    March 18, 2015 at 8:03 am

    OMG, this is SO gorgeous and inspirational. Have a wonderful New Year Homa jan!

    Reply
    • Persian Mama says

      March 18, 2015 at 8:28 am

      Afsaneh jan thank you, that is so nice to hear. I likewise wish you an awesome New Year! Nowruz Mobarak!

      Reply
  5. Naz says

    April 2, 2015 at 11:35 am

    Soft, delightful,heavenly, light, nostalgic indeed! These look and sound gorgeous. My goodness, my mouth is watering. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m not sure my baking skills can handle these but I want to try. Happy New Year!

    Reply
    • Persian Mama says

      April 2, 2015 at 1:33 pm

      Dear Naz, thank you for the nice comment and happy new year to you too! I love sharing recipes like this because I know how people will enjoy it either tasting it for the first time or will be reminded of the Latifeh that they used to have in Iran. I hope you try the recipe and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have.

      Reply
  6. David says

    April 15, 2017 at 4:13 am

    Made these last night for dessert – they were delicious and light – my wife had one and I had three they were that good! Only thing I noticed was that there is no mention of the vanilla in the method for the pastry round – so I added this to the egg yolks. Will definitely be making these again and again.

    Reply
    • Homa says

      April 15, 2017 at 9:30 am

      Hi David, thank you so much for letting me know; I’m delighed that you and your wife love this pastry as much as we do! I’m glad you pointed out the vanilla, I will fix it right now 🙂 Thanks again and have a wonderful weekend.

      Reply

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