Knafi Lebanese Pastry Recipes

KNAFEH (MIDDLE EASTERN PASTRY DESSERT) RECIPE

Steps:

• Add the water, rose water, orange blossom water, sugar, and lemon juice to a pot. Stir well.
• Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar has dissolved completely.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
• Spread the phyllo dough apart using your fingers. Place dough in a large bowl.
• Melt butter. Add coloring to the butter and mix.
• Pour butter over the phyllo and mix with your hands tearing the phyllo. Saturate the topping in butter. (Use gloves to make sure you don't dye your fingers!)
• Cover the bottom of the tray with the phyllo dough topping (minus a handful to place on top).
• Drain the cheese and squeeze out as much water as you can. Press the cheese into the tray on top of the dough. Add the last handful and spread thinly over the top.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (the cheese will have melted).
• Remove from the oven and flip tray into a slightly larger tray/plate.
• Pour sugar syrup over knafeh. Sprinkle with crushed pistachio nuts.
• Serve immediately.

KASHTA

Steps:

• Pour table cream into large pot on stove top.
• Use blender to chop bread into fine tiny crumbs.
• Sprinkle bread into cream and bring to slow boil at medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Mix corn starch and milk, then add to boiling cream while stirring constantly.
• The cream will thicken and you may add the orange blossom water and rose water.
• Remove from heat and let cool uncovered.
• This filling is used in many Arabic desserts.

KANAFA

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Use a food processor to finely chop the frozen, shredded phyllo dough. The strands should be about the size of a grain of rice. Pour the dough into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup sugar.
• Place the butter in a large liquid measuring cup or bowl with a spout. Heat the butter in a microwave until completely melted, and let it sit for several minutes until a thick white foam has formed on top. Clarify the butter by using a spoon to skim off the foam.
• Carefully pour the butter into the bowl of phyllo dough. Avoid pouring in the white milk solids at the bottom of the clarified butter. Use your hands to mix the butter and dough together. Make sure that the butter is absorbed by taking handfuls of the dough and rubbing it between your palms.
• Evenly spread the buttered phyllo dough into a 9x13-inch pan and firmly press it into the bottom and edges. Spread the cheese mixture onto the dough, avoiding the edges of the pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is slightly golden and the edges of dough are brown and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes.
• While the kanafa is baking, prepare the syrup. Combine the water and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the lemon juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. (Do not let the mixture turn golden and caramelize.) Remove from heat and add the rose water; set aside.
• Remove the kanafa from the oven. Place a large platter or baking sheet over the baking dish. Using oven mitts, carefully invert the baking dish onto the platter so the phyllo is on top. Pour the syrup over the kanafa. Cut into pieces and serve while hot.

KNAFI (LEBANESE PASTRY)

Steps:

• First, defrost the phyllo dough. Do this by shredding the phyllo in a bowl continuously till completely defrosted. While you are doing the shredding, start adding the butter(this is done so the dough does not stick together).
• When this process is complete and the dough is shredded thoroughly, separate the dough into two equal portions.
• In a well buttered 9x13-inch pan, spread out the dough thoroughly, but do not compress. Once the dough is spread evenly, start preparing the Ricotta cheese. Make patties, similar to hamburger patties, but with the cheese.
• Lay the cheese patties onto the prepared dough in the pan.
• Once the layer of Ricotta cheese is completely covering the dough, lay the second half of the dough unto the cheese so that it is evenly distributed.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F Once preheated, place the pan in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes. What you need to look for, is that the dough browns.
• Once this occurs, you will need a larger pan in which you will flip the Knafe so the the bottom is on top.
• Then bake again till the browning occurs on the adjacent side. Once browned on both sides, the Knafe is finished.
• The last step is to top the Knafe with the pine nuts and the sweet syrup and enjoy!
• Sweet Syrup:.
• In a pot, combine 3 cups of sugar with 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix and heat over stove till boiling process. Once boiling add a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and boil for a few minutes more for thickening process. Let cool and use over Knafe once done baking.