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"Matthew's presence transports me back to the Cairo kitchen, where I am tasting the ful that Ahmet, the cook, prepared and helping Grandmaman Marguerite mix dough while she sings songs to me in Arabic. Her family pride was profoundly linked to the kitchen, so when I attempted to make sambousek once for my friends and did not follow her recipe for this cheese-filled golden dough faithfully, she was outraged. "This recipe is at least hundreds of years old. You do not change it!" she shouted. I see her standing at the stove, a diminutive woman usually dressed in black. Her thick, curly, henna-dyed hair was pulled upward in a large chignon; there was always a lock of hair escaping that she would try, again and again and without success, to push back into her chignon. My daughter Marianne, who looks like her, has the same gesture of trying to push a lock of curly dark hair behind her ear. I smile as I watch the curl fall down in front of her eyes."

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Memories of a Lost Egypt : A Memoir with Recipes

Authors: COLETTE ROSSANT

Date: March 1999

ISBN: 0609601504

Publisher: Clarkson Potter

Hardcover

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Semit
Recipe from: Memories of a Lost Egypt
by COLETTE ROSSANT
Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com

Semits are soft pretzels with a crispy crust covered with sesame seeds. They are pile high in baskets and sold in the streets of Cairo.

Heat 1 1/4 cups milk in a saucepan, but do not boil it. Add 3/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons each lard and butter, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 tablespoons salt. Mix well and cool until the mixture is tepid.
Dissolve 3/4 ounce dried yeast in 1/2 cup water with a pinch of sugar. Wait until the yeast is frothy, then pour it into a bowl, with the milk mixture. Add 7 cups of flour, mixing gently with a wooden spoon until you have a soft dough that detaches itself from the sides of the bowl. Form into a ball, wrap in foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Knead the dough on a floured board until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a ring about 4 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Dip into an egg beaten with 2-3 tablespoons water, then dip into a bowl filled with 2 cups sesame seeds.
Oil a baking sheet. Place the rings on the sheet, cover lightly, and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until they double in size.
Bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

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