Kaab el Ghazal — Gazelle Horns with Almond and Orange Blossom
Delicate crescent-shaped pastry encasing a dense almond paste, perfumed with orange blossom and cinnamon, baked pale then dipped in orange blossom water. Melting, sweet, deeply fragrant.
Delicate crescent-shaped pastry encasing a dense almond paste, perfumed with orange blossom and cinnamon, baked pale then dipped in orange blossom water. Melting, sweet, deeply fragrant.
In Casablanca, you don't bring out gazelle horns for just anything — it's the pastry for days that count. The almond paste must smell of orange blossom to your fingertips, and the dough around it, thin, thin, so it shapes the curve without breaking. You bake them just pale, not golden at all, then a bath of orange blossom water while still warm. When a work was completed, we always celebrated — and to celebrate, you need something from childhood.
- •Blanched almonds — a good measure, ground (heart of the filling)
- •Sugar — in measured parts (sweetness)
- •Orange blossom water — generously (signature fragrance)
- •Cinnamon — a pinch (warm spice)
- •Flour — for the thin dough (wrapper)
- •Butter — a little (dough suppleness)
Kaab el Ghazal — Gazelle Horns with Almond and Orange Blossom
Delicate crescent-shaped pastry encasing a dense almond paste, perfumed with orange blossom and cinnamon, baked pale then dipped in orange blossom water. Melting, sweet, deeply fragrant.
Why this dish? Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon was born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1935 — the same day as Christo. Gazelle horns, thin crescents filled with almond paste scented with orange blossom, are the quintessential Moroccan special-occasion pastry. To celebrate the completion of a work — always celebrated with champagne and emotion by the duo — this sweetness roots the celebration in Jeanne-Claude's Moroccan childhood.
In Casablanca, you don't bring out gazelle horns for just anything — it's the pastry for days that count. The almond paste must smell of orange blossom to your fingertips, and the dough around it, thin, thin, so it shapes the curve without breaking. You bake them just pale, not golden at all, then a bath of orange blossom water while still warm. When a work was completed, we always celebrated — and to celebrate, you need something from childhood.
Ingredients (period version)
- Blanched almonds — a good measure, ground (heart of the filling)
- Sugar — in measured parts (sweetness)
- Orange blossom water — generously (signature fragrance)
- Cinnamon — a pinch (warm spice)
- Flour — for the thin dough (wrapper)
- Butter — a little (dough suppleness)
Ingredients
- Almond flour — 250 g (heart of the filling)
- Powdered sugar — 100 g (sweetness)
- Orange blossom water — 3-4 tbsp (+ a bowl for dipping) (signature fragrance)
- Ground cinnamon — 1/2 tsp (warm spice)
- Flour — 250 g (thin wrapper)
- Melted butter — 40 g (dough suppleness)
- Water — ≈ 100 ml (dough hydration)
Method
- Mix almond flour, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp orange blossom water into a malleable paste; form thin logs.
- Knead flour, butter, water, and a spoonful of orange blossom water into a soft dough; rest 30 min.
- Roll the dough very thin, place almond logs on it, fold over and seal, pressing out air, cut into crescents.
- Curve each piece into a horn shape, lightly prick the top.
- Bake at 170 °C for 12-15 min: they should stay pale, barely blond.
- Upon removal, briefly dip in orange blossom water, then if desired roll in powdered sugar.
How it was made : Kaab el ghazal ("gazelle's ankles") is a ceremonial pastry from Morocco, served at weddings and religious festivals, hand-shaped by the women of the family. Orange blossom water was home-distilled in spring from the flowers of the bitter orange tree.
The contemporary twist : Arrange the horns in a long sinuous row on a board, like the curve of a draped fabric — a subtle reference to the duo's grand fabric installations.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude · Charactorium