Need help with Egyptian theme

Using lots of "Aztec Gold" luster dust on something or other comes to mind. There's a desert looking palm tree silicone mold in the Arabian Nights series from Hawthorne Hill. Though it is rather small. If I think of anything else, I will let you know.

 

Cookies: "Gazelle Horns" -- nut-flour shortbreads in crescent shape

Pastries made with phyllo -- Athenaeus posted some great baklava recipes somewhere here.

Cakes made with semolina and yogurt, garnished with nuts, and cut into diamonds.

Fruits and nuts: Plumped-up dried apricots, sandwiched with whipped cream and rolled in chopped pistachios; Dates: plain, stuffed with whole almonds, or with ground nuts mixed with sugar and orange-flower- or rose-water; Figs, fresh or dried.

In The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, Claudia Roden has some cakes, pastries, and sweetmeats that fit the theme, and would hold well on a presentation table. Also, Tess Mallos's The Complete Middle East Cookbook has lots of sweets from all over the region (that's cheating a little, but only a little.

Hope this helps. If you want any specific recipes, let me know.

 

What's your thought on Claudia Roden's book Suzanne?

 

Off the top of my head, that's a hard topic! I'm not sure that most people would understand or greatly appreciate the pastries of the region (unless your serving gourmets). You'd have to ask....at least I would before I went too far into genuine pastries of the region.
Otherwise I think I'd buy pyramid shaped molds, you can get silicone ones (that flex) for baking all types of mini pastries and probably pyramid shaped candy molds and make some items in them. Hand shaping into traingles isn't alot of fun but technically you could shape any tart filling up into one...
Then I'd use something like boards cut to shape covered in contact paper as my trays and stack then up into a couple pyramids (like they do cupcake trees) and place my mini pastries on that. Probably find some cool ribbon to tack to the edges. Maybe some sort of fabric to drap on the table....I guess I'd have to look up what's the right style. But I think I would relie heavily on my table set up pulling my theme off more then my pastries.

 

anna
pyramid, seven layer frangiapan and ganache filling. if interested pm. will have to explain weighting the cakes and cutting for pyramid.
J
are you looking for shapes to go with the theme or foods?