Jawhara, pastilla au lait — Fez, Morocco

Jawhara belongs to the pastilla family of layered warqa pastry dishes, but it takes the savory pigeon-and-almond pie in a sweet direction rather than sharing its filling: warqa sheets are fried until crisp, then stacked with a milk cream instead of meat, making it a dessert rather than a main course despite the shared name and technique. This version is reported from Fez, where jawhara — “the jewel” — closes out festive meals. Discs cut from warqa or brik sheets are fried one by one until golden and brittle, since a dry, crisp texture is what the dessert depends on; any sogginess in the fried layers works against the dish. The cream is a simple milk custard, thickened with cornstarch and flavored with orange blossom water, cooked on the stove until it coats a spoon and then left to cool to a workable temperature. Toasted almonds, crushed and mixed with a little sugar and cinnamon, provide the third layer, adding crunch and a spiced note against the plain sweetness of the cream. Assembly is deliberately left until just before serving: the fried discs, cream and almond mixture are stacked in alternating layers only at the last moment, so the pastry has no time to soften and lose its crispness before it reaches the table. A final dusting of powdered sugar and a few more almonds finish the dish, which despite its rich appearance is reported to eat lighter than it looks, thanks to the thin, dry pastry layers.