The only skill in flour halva is toasting the flour properly. Under-toasted flour leaves a taste of raw dough and over-toasted flour turns bitter. The right moment is when the colour reaches that of a hazelnut shell and the smell changes. That takes twenty-five minutes and cannot be shortened.
Ingredients
For the helva
For the syrup
For the top
Method
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Make the syrup
Bring the milk, water and sugar to the boil in a separate pan and keep it hot.
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Toast the pine nuts
Melt the butter in a pan and colour the pine nuts for 3 minutes.
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Toast the flour
Add the flour and toast over a low heat for 25 minutes, stirring constantly. The colour should reach hazelnut shell.
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Add the syrup
Turn off the heat and pour in the hot syrup a little at a time, stirring. It will steam, so take care.
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Cook
Turn the heat back on and stir for 4 minutes, until the mixture thickens and releases its butter.
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Rest
Put the lid on and leave for 15 minutes, then portion with a spoon. Scatter with cinnamon.
Tips
- Do not shorten the twenty-five minutes of toasting; all the flavour of the halva is in there.
- The syrup must be hot. Cold syrup meeting hot flour makes the halva lumpy.
- The resting step is what makes the halva grainy; skip it and it stays sticky.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.