Tiriccas – also known as tiricche, tiliccas, and caschette – are delicious sweets found all around the island of Sardinia. They have different names and shapes depending on the town or region, but they all comprise puff pastry that encases a filling of crushed almonds and powdered sugar.
Sardinian Almond and Honey Tiriccas
Photo: Riccardo Lettieri, Styling: Beatrice Prada
Recipe: Joëlle Néderlants
Skill Level: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes + 30 minutes resting
Ingredients for about 20 pastries
For the dough
1½ cups re-milled durum wheat semolina
2 oz. lard
salt
For the stuffing
¾ cup honey
7 oz. peeled almonds
¾ oz. re-milled durum wheat semolina
grated zest of 1⁄2 orange
grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon
ground cinnamon
Make the dough
Mix the semolina with the lard and ½ cup warm water, adding a pinch of salt. Work the dough, then collect it in a ball, cover, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough into a 1 mm thick sheet. Cut it into strips 1 -1½ ″ wide and 5-6 ″ in length with a notched wheel.
Make the stuffing
Blend the almonds with the citrus peel and a pinch of cinnamon. Place them in a saucepan with honey and ¼ cup water. Cook over low heat, until the mixture begins to thicken, detaching itself a little from the edges of the pan. Add the semolina and mix until creamy but firm.
Preheat the oven to 340°F. Let the mixture cool, then work it, creating small cylindrical strips (diameter 1⁄2 cm) about 4 - 5″ long. Place each cylinder of filling on a strip of dough, folding the edges of the latter over the cylinder and forming them into your preferred shape (snail, snake, heart, etc).
Arrange the tiriccas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them in a static oven for around 12-15 minutes.