Andalusian food has great Moorish influences, as this dish can attest. Sesame seeds are commonly used both on Moorish cuisine and deserts, and here they make an appearance in what seemed to be an interesting tapa. Supposedly, cheese puffs like these used to be served at elaborate Moorish banquets in Seville.

They seemed very promising - the combination of cheese with sesame seeds seemed logical -, but we were all disappointed. The puffs ended up being rather bland, a little bit too hard and just not worth eating. We threw away the leftovers.

---

Buñuelos de Queso y Sésamo

Ingredients

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. salt

Ground pepper to taste

2 eggs, separated

1 cup grated Fontina cheese

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil for frying

Sesame seeds for coating.

Lightly toast sesame seeds by baking on a 350F oven for about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir in cheeses, egg yolks, toasted sesame seeds. Stir in flour mixture.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Drop cheese mixture onto the sheet by the rounded spoonful. Firm until firm, about 1/2 hour.

Roll cheese balls on sesame seeds. Pour 1 inch of olive oil into a frying pan, and fry cheese puffs until golden. Drain and serve.

Adapted from Delicioso