What are these delicacies The Algerian Baker is making?

Cafe Society
1

Oakland, California, where I work, has a wonderful Middle Eastern grocery/cafe called The Oasis. Fairly recently, they added a dessert counter which, according to local gossip, has a baker from Algeria. He is making all kinds of wonderful desserts I have never seen before, with wonderful exotic ingredients.

Although wikipedia has a pretty good section on desserts from around the world, I have not been able to find anything listed that is like the things I’ve gotten there.

I am aware that a given dessert might not be a formal dish with a proper name, as it’s just a simple combination of common ingredients.

That being said, I would like to know if these things have names:

  1. Is a layer of unsweetened shredded coconut, then a layer of ground pistachio, then more coconut, smothered in simple syrup and rosewater. Like baklava without the phyllo.

  2. Is similar to 1, but with a layer of flan-like stuff underneath.

  3. Is a cake with semolina, ground nuts and simple syrup.

It’s amazing how rosewater lingers on your lips with a trace of sugar.

I am going to get so fat now…

2

Try searching www.allrecipes.com

I also saw abook titled An Edible Mosaic, which is supposed to have Mid Eastern recipes… I have aton of cookbooks, and while I’ve found recipes using those ingredients, I haven’t seen one quite like the ones you described.

I’ll look around more, they sound nummy.

3

Google the word recipe followed by all the ingredients you can discern. That usually works for me. . .

4

Ah. Good advice. I have searched just specifically for “Algerian sweets,” which produced a titillating array of dangerous desserts different from the ones I’m seeking.

Ha ha, extra point to you guys for figuring out that recipes are what I want.