Skip to main content
Dessert

Melfoof

A sweet almond pastry made with filo dough and flavored with cardamom and rose or orange blossom water.

Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Almond and rose are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,465 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Melfoof

Oven350°F
Time10 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Grind the almonds and mix with all ingredients until moist.

  2. Cut the filo into three parts and cover with a damp towel.

Shape

  1. Take one piece of filo and fold it about two inches from the bottom up, then insert a pencil into the fold.

  2. Put one tablespoon of the almond mixture in and roll.

  3. Push the two sides to the middle and slide the pencil out.

Bake

  1. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10 minutes, until light golden in color.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

118Calories
2 gProtein
1 gFat
28 gCarbs

Counts 3 of 6 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 3 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Almond1 almond (1.2g)7
Rosenot in our table0
Waternot in our table0
Pastrynot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Almond + rosetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,465 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,679 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

  3. Sugar + rosetop 25% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,584 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Almonds
Form the bulk of the filling, giving the pastry a moist, nutty center.
Sugar
Sweetens the almond filling and helps it hold together.
Filo pastry
Forms thin, crisp layers that brown and set in the oven.
Rose water or orange blossom water
Adds a floral aroma that defines the dish's flavor.
Ground cardamom
Adds a warm, aromatic spice note to the almond filling.

The step that matters

Keep the filo covered with a damp towel while shaping. Filo sheets dry out and crack within minutes when exposed to air. Keeping them covered and slightly damp keeps them pliable, so the rolls fold without tearing and the layers bake up crisp rather than brittle.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like