Zaban: A Persian Pastry

There's a Queen Elizabeth quality to Persian pastries: royal and all-mighty, yet modest and grandmotherly like.

Grandmotherly like in the sense of "comfort-care-warmth-joy."

Not grandmotherly like in the sense of "I-just-knit-47-wool-socks-and-cooked-okra-stew-because-yesterday-you-coughed-a-couple-times-and-I'm-afraid-you-could-be-getting-pneumonia."

Persian pastries are elegant without even trying. Garlands of raspberry jam drape over the chocolate-dipped end of heart-shaped shortbreads; pistachio sprinkled orbs of apricot preserves fit snug in the makeshift well of butter cookies. For the most part, Persian pastries are petite, a little smaller than your palm, and it always seems as if they spent countless hours in a hair-and-makeup chair, getting dolled up by a patisserie chef.

But there's a secret and I'm going to let you in on it.

Lean in close.

Real close.

Actually, not that close because you're reading this on a computer screen and I wouldn't want you to strain your eyesight. (Always strive for 20/20, people. Always strive for 20/20).

The secret is….ahem….Persian pastries are actually some of the simplest desserts to make.

Gasp.

Shock.

The crowd is aghast over this stunning revelation. Heads swivel, jaws drop. Hurried murmurs sound as people huddle together, trying to make sense of the chaos. A lone man in a tattered blue shawl lifts his face slowly towards the sky and whispers, "Is this true? Is this really true?"

Yes, man in tattered blue shawl, this is really true.

Consider the Persian pastry myth debunked. (Let's pretend there was a myth).

One of my favorite pastries, Zaban, has only 3 ingredients and has a 5 minute prep time.

Jaw drop, right?

Zaban is a puff pastry brushed with honey both before it goes into the oven and after it comes out.

In Farsi, Zaban means tongue. But rest assured, the title reflects nothing on the ingredients of the dessert. It is simply called Zaban because of it's long rectangular or oval shape, thus giving it the appearance of a tongue.

It's delicate and flaky and honey-sweet and buttery and crisp and I feel like a little kid whenever I bite into one.

 Zaban Recipe

Ingredients:
-1 package puff pastry 
-3 tbspn honey
-2 tbspn water
-sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
-Take out your puff pastry from the freezer and let it thaw out, around 30-40 minutes.
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Once thawed, unfold/roll out the puff pastry on a work surface. Make sure the longer edge of the dough is horizontal.
-In a small bowl, combine the honey and water and mix until thoroughly combined. (At the beginning, it may seem as if the honey and water are never going to come together, but they do! Happy mixing!)
-Brush the honey mixture over the dough.
- Cut the dough using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife. (If you're using a knife, dip it in flour beforehand). Divide into 3 equal sections. Then, cut each section in half vertically. Cut each half horizontally in thirds.
-Arrange the rectangles of puff pastry on your baking sheet.
-Go back and make a slit in the middle of each pastry.
-Sprinkle pastries with sugar.
-Bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes (until doubled in size).
-Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 18-23 minutes (until lightly golden browned).

-Once removed from oven, brush with more of honey mixture. (Brush a lot of the honey mixture on. If you find you run out, mix together more honey and water because the essence of this dessert is the ooey-gooey honey.)
-Enjoy once cooled! :)

If the recipe seems confusing, it's just the cutting part. Honestly, you can cut it into whatever shape your little heart desires. Totally simple and elegant.

Thanks for reading and happy baking! :)