Middle Eastern Dessert - Kataif?!
Middle Eastern Dessert - Kataif?
I have had a middle eastern dessert that was a blend of cheeses (i think) with shredded filo dough on top. The restaurant then baked it and put a drizzle of honey syrup and pistachios on top. Does this sound familiar to anyone & do you know the recipe for it?
Answers: I'm Greek and as far as I know Kataifi is Greek I also don't want to take sides but the Middle Eastern Dessert is called
Kunefe made with the Kataifi which is shredded phyllo dough
here goes the recipe
Kunefe (A Sweet Cheese Pastry made with Kadaifi)
1/2 package shredded phyllo dough, also called kadafi
8 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/4 lb fresh buffalo mozzarella, grated
12 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup ground pistachios
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3-5 drops rose water
Preheat oven to 375oF.
Place kadafi in a food processor and chop up finely.
Add butter and milk and line a 8 inch square heavy baking dish with half of this mixture.
Mix the cheeses with the pistachios, sugar& nutmeg and spread onto shredded filo.
Top with the remaining shredded pastry.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Make a sugar syrup by boiling water with sugar and lemon juice.
Cook until reduced by a third and it becomes nice and thick.
Stir in rose water to taste.
When kunefe comes out of the oven, ladle 2/3 of the hot syrup over it and save the rest to pass while eating.
Serve hot. I LOVE this stuff!! But the cheese filled dessert is known as KADAYIF (see link below).
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KAITAIFI RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of kataifi dough
1/2 pound of butter, melted
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For the filling:
1 cup of walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup of almonds, coarsely ground
1/2 cup of fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon of brandy (optional)
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For the syrup:
2 cups of sugar
1 1/4 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
thin strip of lemon peel
4 whole cloves
1 tablespoon of thin honey
PREPARATION:
Prepare the syrup: Heat the water in a saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the lemon juice, peel, and cloves, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the honey. Remove from the heat, strain, and set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling and blend well with a wooden spoon.
A word about kata?fi dough
This dough comes commercially packaged in a long strip, about 3 inches wide. To prepare it for this recipe, lay the long strip out on a clean work surface and divide it into 18-24 pieces, gently spreading the strands out a bit if they clump together. Each piece will be used to create an individual kata?fi roll. Keep unused dough covered with a piece of waxed paper and a damp towel on top of that to keep it from drying out.
Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
Brush a strip with melted butter. Place a tablespoon of the filling at one end of the strip and roll up into a cylinder, tucking in any stray pieces of dough. Take care to roll the pastry tightly so that the filling is securely enclosed. Place the rolls seam side down in a lightly buttered baking dish, close together but not squashed, and brush well with remaining butter. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown and crispy looking.
Remove from oven, pour cool syrup over the pastry and cover with a clean towel. Let cool about 3-4 hours as it absorbs the syrup.
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KADAYIF recipe:
http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/afric... Kedaife....as far as I know it is a greek dish. (However, anything Greek is disputed to also be Turkish as well, but I don't like taking sides! :) )