pistachio + orange blossom halva: crystalized tahini fudge
For Middle Eastern Orthodox Christians, halva (or “halaweh,” in Arabic) signals lent. During lent, many people opt to give up meat + dairy for some-50 days (tbh, I’ve never been able to do the entire period), so halva is a staple, either to be spread on toast for breakfast or as a sweet pick-me-up throughout the day. But the type of halva I grew up around was always too crumbly and dry for me, so I was never a huge fan. And then I found Seed + Mill in Chelsea Market, and my thoughts changed entirely. I had a regular order going to my dorm back at Georgetown, and would eat halva literally every night (my faves are the cardamom & orange-chocolate flavors).
But like most things in my life, this was a habit that started to get too expensive (ugh), so I decided to make my own halva. This recipe is just tahini and sugar syrup - no flour or starch - so the result is more like a crystalized, creamy tahini-fudge studded with notes of orange blossom & nutty pistachios. Yeah, it’s pretty dreamy.
PISTACHIO + ORANGE BLOSSOM HALVA
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups tahini*
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup chopped pistachios
1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
pinch of salt
TOOLS
Candy thermometer
*tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds, and can be found in most grocery stores, speciality Mediterranean stores, and online
DIRECTIONS
Line a small loaf pan with parchment paper, opposite from the length of the pan, so the parchment hangs over the sides (this will help you easily pull the halva out from the pan!) Spray entire pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour tahini, salt, & 1/2 cup pistachios in a heat-proof bowl. Stir together. (if your tahini separates in the jar, be sure to stir it up before adding)
Place sugar, water & orange blossom water in a medium saucepan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil; you want the sugar to completely dissolve, until the water runs clear. Place thermometer in saucepan, keep on heat until thermometer reaches 240°F. Note: if you do not have a thermometer, you can tell when your syrup is done when the bubbles in the boil are uniform in size & rise and disappear at the same speed.
Working quickly, remove syrup from heat and stream slowly into bowl with tahini, mixing tahini constantly as you stream. Continue to mix tahini mixture until it begins to thicken & pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Pour tahini mixture into loaf pan. Top with remaining pistachios. Bang on the counter a few times to get all the air out.
Store in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Slice into cubes! Rectangles! Eat the whole block! Go wild, my friends.
Option to: add in any nut & flavoring combo you like (i.e., chocolate chips, walnuts, cinnamon, sea salt, etc.)
store: in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months, or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
diet: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free
eat it with: sprinkled onto pancakes or yogurt, thrown into cookie batter, dipped in chocolate. or nothing, that’s good too.
