Kadaif Recipes

KADAIF

Steps:

• Open package of shredded phyllo and spread apart onto a big pan. Let dry overnight, and flip over to let other side dry.
• Spread phyllo into 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour melted butter evenly over top.
• Preheat oven to 280 degrees. Bake for 2 hours, until golden. Remove from oven. Let cool.
• In a saucepan combine sugar, water, vanilla sugar, cold water, and lemon slices. Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in additional 1/2 cup cold water to cool down syrup. Remove lemon slices.
• When phyllo is cool, pour the cooled syrup on top. Sprinkle crushed walnuts on top and set aside for about 1 hour to allow syrup to soak in. Cut into squares and serve.

TORTA KATAIFI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Line the bottom of the springform pan with a layer of the kataifi. Bake until golden brown, 10 minutes. Then cool completely.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
• Place the pistachios, cinnamon and cloves in a food processor and process until the nuts are chunky and uniform in size. Do not over process. Reserve half of the nuts for a later use.
• Sprinkle the first half of the nuts over the baked pastry; spread most of the nuts towards the edges of the pan and fade to a light coating in the center of the pan. This will create a nice crust on the back of each piece when the dessert is cut and served.
• In a large mixing bowl mix together the ricotta, cream, sugar and vanilla with a large spoon. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or by hand with a whisk, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture with a spatula or rubber scraper. Pour the mixture into the pan over the nuts. Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top of the ricotta mixture similar to the first time, with most of the nuts on the outer edge and fade to lightly coat the center. Spread the remaining sheet of kataifi on top of the cake, covering the entire surface.
• Bake until golden brown and the cake is set, 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Cool the cake completely.
• Pour the hot Citrus Syrup over the cooled cake, then cut and serve.
• Place the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and orange zest in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mixture achieves a syrup consistency, 20 minutes.

KADAIFI (GREEK PASTRY WITH NUTS AND SYRUP)

Steps:

• Open pastry and spread out on a baking sheet.
• Air dry for 15 minutes.
• Combine nuts, orange juice, 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
• Preheat oven to 340°F.
• Lightly butter a baking pan.
• Separate pastry strands into 18-20, 10 to 12 inch rectangles (beauty is not an issue here).
• Place 1 tbsp nut filling at narrow end of rectangle.
• Roll up tightly.
• Arrange in a round (12-14 inch diameter) baking pan; do not crowd, have them JUST touching each other.
• (you can use a square/rectangular pan too, you just usually see them in round pans here) Pour melted butter evenly over the pieces and bake until golden, 35-40 minutes.
• For syrup: Cook 1 ½ cup sugar, water and lemon juice in saucepan over low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until sugar dissolves.
• Simmer for 15 minutes.
• Pour hot syrup over pastry and allow pastry to cool.
• This can be kept, covered, at room temperature for at least a week.