As with all high school students right now, my daughter misses her friends so much, and there is only so much void that Zoom can fill. At the same time she has been doubling down on her studies, and all work and no play can make for a very dull existence. Hence I stepped in and forced her to take a break with me. I didn’t have to coax her too much, because chocolate was involved! We turned a mundane afternoon into an exciting one, with a lesson on Halawa (also known as Halva) while designing these chocolate treats to give away to friends and family:
So for those uninitiated, what is Halva or Halawa? Halawa in Arabic means “sweet” – an apt name since this is a sweet sesame confection with a flaky and light texture, almost like a sesame fudge. Arabs invented halva in the 7th century, and it has been enjoyed ever since as a dessert or even for breakfast. As a matter of fact if you go to any Arab country, halva is an ubiquitous addition to the hotel breakfast buffets.
What’s great is halva has more nutritional benefits than the average treat, as it is high in calcium, up to 20% protein, and contains vitamins B, E and anti-oxidants. People in the Arab world eat sesami tahini and halva to boost immunity and improve digestion.
Now, would you believe to make these gorgeous truffles I only used two ingredients? I used ready-made halva by Cortas: : https://amzn.to/2IwWxtb This halva is of superior quality, with a mildy sweet sesame flavor and delicate melt in your mouth texture. As for the chocolate, I used Ghiradelli brand, as I am a San Francisco native and I like to support locally produced chocolate. My favorite melting chips: https://amzn.to/39WUhXe
To hang out with us during this special afternoon in chocolate making, click on the video below:
