Education of all kinds of sweets and desserts on Yalda night requires mastery of fat balance, control of sourness of natural pomegranate juice and maintaining the crispiness of tart and biscuit bases in the vicinity of fruit liquids. The preparation of Yalda items such as saffron nut basluq, watermelon design butter cookies and pomegranate mousses reaches the quality of a showcase when the exact ratio of gelatin to fruit puree and the working temperature with wheat starch are applied with laboratory precision. The implementation of these recipes based on standard workshop techniques prevents the texture of the dessert from falling, spreading fat and crushing the sweets when served for a long time at the Shabbat Cheleh party.
The experience of continuous teaching in the confectionery courses of Nilufar Cooking School has proven that the biggest challenge for students on Yalda night is the change in the taste of desserts due to the acidity of pomegranate and also the loosening of the bases of traditional sweets. Modern and traditional confectionery are both based on precise chemical formulas; For example, if the balance between fruit acid and pectin is not established in gelatin desserts, the layers will be deposited. In the continuation of this specialized topic, we will examine the details of the process of cooking and preparing popular Yalda items, from the most basic points to the common mistakes of home confectioners.
Analysis of specialized raw materials for Yalda sweets
The final quality of any candy depends on the purity of its raw material. In educational workshops, before turning on the oven, physical testing of materials is done to ensure the stability of the structure.
Quality control of starch and kernels
Gal wheat starch is the main base of authentic sweets such as Basluq and Yaldai Muscat. Leftover or unprocessed starch causes a sour smell and cloudiness of the starch gel after cooling. Walnuts and pistachios should not be overheated during preparation. Because the premature release of oil from the seeds makes the dough greasy and disintegrates in the oven.
Management of extracts and acidity of pomegranate juice
Using fresh pomegranate juice instead of industrial flavors requires pH correction. Due to the high percentage of acid, natural pomegranate juice weakens the protein bonds of cream and the tissue-forming function of gelatin. In compositions such as mousse or pomegranate mirror sauce, controlled boiling of pomegranate juice with sugar is necessary to stabilize the concentration and adjust the acid.
Teaching traditional Yalda night sweets with a lasting formula
Dry and traditional sweets are the constant basis of Iranian catering dishes. The main art is to achieve high shelf life without loss of butter quality and gluten dryness.
Baslouq, traditional bazaar walnut
To prepare bazaar basluq without commercial stabilizers, flower starch must first be dissolved in cold water and passed through a silk filter. Baslouq cooking requires a gentle heat technique and constant stirring in thick containers so that the starch reaches the so-called glassy stage. The addition of liquid glucose in the last third of cooking gives the standard gloss and elasticity to the texture. Adding animal butter at the final stage creates a protective layer around the starch granules and prevents the product from becoming rubbery after two days. Finally, the warm texture is rolled in fatty coconut powder and decorated with half a walnut kernel.
Watermelon design cookie and dry pie
Yalda design Korean cookies are designed based on French sable dough. The most important secret in baking these items is to prevent the dough from over-kneading after adding the jelly food colors. Over-kneading will activate the gluten of the flour and make the biscuit heavy, cloudy and deformed during baking. Using heat-resistant chocolate chips to simulate seeds and resting the dough for 4 hours in the refrigerator before molding creates clean and angular cutting lines.
Teaching modern Yalda desserts with sustainable layering
Modern desserts have a special attraction for the Yalda table due to the visual harmony of red, white and green colors; However, stabilizing the separation of layers requires precise timing in confectionery work.
Layered Pomegranate Cheesecake with Crispy Crust
The biggest drawback of Yalda cheesecakes is the return of moisture from the cheese mixture to the biscuit crust. To maintain the crispness of sable or crushed biscuit, it is necessary to combine it with high-quality melted butter and firmly press it in a belt mold. The middle layer is formed with low-salt cream cheese, pastry cream and gelatine. The top layer, which is the natural jelly of pomegranate seeds, should be added only when the cheese layer has completely set and the temperature of the pomegranate jelly has reached room temperature. The entry of the warm liquid layer on the creamy layer destroys the sharp form and the lined slices of the cheesecake.
Pomegranate seed velvet mousse for one person
Shatti mouses are the first choice for modern and hygienic catering. Making white ganache as the base of the mousse and combining it with pureed pomegranate puree gives a velvety and aerated texture. Pasteurized egg yolks are cooked with hot syrup to create a stable bubble structure, and with the addition of whipped cream and staged cooling, a silky consistency is created without settling.
Confectionary techniques to prevent the quality of desserts and sweets from falling
In the workshop production of Niloufer cooking school, it has been repeatedly observed that the difference between a professional work and an amateur lies in the control of movement and temperature shocks.
Management of sweating and formation of water droplets on jellies
The phenomenon known as syneresis or sweating of the dessert surface is caused by the refrigerator temperature not matching with the ambient temperature or using too much sugar in the jelly layer. Dessert molds should be placed directly without a closed lid and in the uniform cold flow of a domestic or industrial refrigerator so that the water drops do not dull the shiny structure of the jelly.
Preventing the drying and staleness of chiffon and rollet bases
Watermelon design rolls, which are prepared with the velvet roll method, dry quickly when exposed to ambient air flow due to the low fat ratio. Cooling the roll bread immediately after it comes out of the oven in a moist towel for confectioners traps the moisture in the sponge texture and prevents the bread from breaking while rolling with cream cheese filling.