Anna Sultana's Figolli recipe / Traditional Maltese Easter Sweet with Royal Icing and Almond Filling with and without eggs

On Saturday I posted the recipe for Carmela Soprano's Easter Sweet Bread.

The picture of the Sweet Bread in Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos cookbook inspired me to write a post last year about the Easter Breads of my youth.  

That post was recently included in Dust & Fire, Writing & Art by Women 2011, which was published by the Women's Studies Department of Bemidji State University.   

The Italian Sweet Bread was a major part of my family's Easter Dinner.

Well, the Sicilian part of the family.

When we moved from Corona to College Point, Ma returned to following our Maltese traditions.

For our Easters, she made a Figolli.

As I explained last year, a Figolli is harder to make than an Italian Easter Sweet Bread.

But, it is prettier.

It's more a dessert than a bread.

And it is traditional.

A little weird, but traditional.

That's just our way.

                     

                      Figolli

Makes 2 Figolli

grease 2 large baking sheets         

preheat oven to 350º           

bake 15 min., until golden brown 

Color for Easter, in advance

2 eggs

----

In a large mixer bowl, rub together

1 kilo flour

400 g butter

Add

400 g sugar

1 teaspoon almond or lemon extract

2 eggs

water or milk to make a soft dough

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface.

Knead about 3 minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a bowl.

Cover and let it rest about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough.

Roll out 1 cm thick and cut the figolli pairs.

Remember: you will be making a sandwich of each pair. 

Bake 15 minutes or until golden

Remove from pans

Cool completely on a rack

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ALMOND FILLING:

Mix together

200 g ground almonds

100 g confectioners' sugar

100 g sugar

1 teaspoon almond or lemon extract

Add, to make a firm mixture 

2 egg yolks

Knead thoroughly

====

ROYAL ICING:

400 g confectioners' sugar

warm water to make a firm icing

Color different portions of the icing different colors

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Take a pair of Figolli, cover the top of one with  

a layer of jam

a layer of almond filling

And put the other identical shape on top

Decorate the Figolli with piped royal icing 

and a decorated egg.

Want to cut down on the eggs?

No problem.

Use this

ALMOND FILLING WITHOUT EGGS:

Mix together in a medium pot

200 g sugar

1/2 Cup water

Bring to a boil

Add

1 teaspoon almond or lemon extract

When mixture 'threads' add

400 g ground almonds

Stir well and remove from heat

Let cool

Now about that mermaid...

That was Ma's traditional shape.

That was the shape of the cutter she used.

I don't know if the shape meant anything special to her.

Maybe she bought the cutter on sale.

Sometimes things become traditional after they've been used a few years.

It's too late to ask her now.

The Figolli can be cut in any holiday shape - a lamb, a basket, a cross.

Just cut a large enough shape to hold the icing and the egg.

And about the egg...

Like I said on Saturday, sometimes kids are turned off by hard cooked eggs.

Green rings and all.

No problem.

You can use a chocolate egg.

Or a few small foil-covered chocolate eggs.

This is a dessert for Easter.

Make something with ingredients the family likes.

Wishing you a Happy Easter!!