Brik pastry is of Tunisian origin. It is found in Tropical and North African grocery stores. It is an elastic dough made from semolina boiled in water. It can often be replaced by two layers of phyllo dough. With phyllo, the toothpicks are useless, since once buttered, it becomes sticky.
Clarified butter is the translucent portion of butter that was heated up without letting it brown. To get it, carefully skim melted butter with a spoon and only keep the yellow translucent layer that lies just below the milk residue, without also taking the whey which is at the bottom. It can be kept in a jar in the refrigerator. Clarified butter will keep for a long time since it is free of the elements that spoil. It has the advantage of not burning at high temperatures and is ideal for pan-frying potatoes.
