Bisteeya

Moroccan “Napoleon”

Preparation info
  • Serves

    10

    • Difficulty

      Complex

    • Ready in

      45 min

Appears in
Healthy Jewish Cooking

By Steven Raichlen

Published 2000

  • About

Bisteeya is one of the High Holies of Moroccan confectionary—a napoleonlike cake made by layering warka (a Moroccan dough similar to filo) with almonds, sugar, and an exquisitely creamy custard perfumed with orange-flower water. Like all good Moroccan desserts, it shatters into a million buttery flakes when you take a bite. To trim the fat, I make the custard with skim milk and use a mixture of butter and oil for brushing the pastry. Because it contains milk and butter, you’d serve this sho