| Dough | Filling |
|---|---|
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| Topping |
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To make dough, place the first measure of flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the sugar, butter, almond extract, wine, egg yokes and salt. Work the ingredients together quickly. Then add the baking powder. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into rounds using a pastry cutter.
To make filling, whisk the egg yokes and sugar until pale. Then stir in the flour. Bring the milk to a boil with the salt and vanilla, and stir into the egg mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick. Let cool. Then cover with plastic wrap, touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Place spoonfuls of the filling on each round of pastry and fold in half to form a cresecent shape, pressing down on the edges to seal. Place on a greased and floured cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.
When cool, sprinkle with sugar.
Myth's Notes
I haven't found any Italian cookie or cake recipe that is similar to what was described by Leland. Indeed, I don't think this is an Italian recipe. It uses butter instead of olive oil. Although I haven't tried making this, there are several interesting features about it. In the folktale, Stella Diana, which I discuss in my notes about Seven Folktales, there is a reference to a life-sized cookie of Stella Diana, which has a creamy filling. Also interesting is the almond extract flavoring. Almonds were sacred to the moon.