Kunefe: A Sweet Cheese Pastry made with Kadaifi
🕒 Cook Time: 45 minutes
🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 1 hour
👩🍳 Recipe by Ana Sortun
Description:
Indulge in the rich flavors of Kunefe, a delightful sweet cheese pastry crafted with care. This recipe, brought to you by Ana Sortun, promises a journey through the luscious landscapes of Southwest Asia and Europe. With a preparation time of just 15 minutes and a cook time of 45 minutes, this dessert is a perfect choice for those craving a taste of something exotic in under an hour.
Recipe Category: Dessert
Keywords: Cheese, Southwest Asia (Middle East), Asian, European, Less than 60 Minutes
Nutritional Information (per serving):
- Calories: 497.7
- Fat: 25.5g
- Saturated Fat: 13.7g
- Cholesterol: 64.7mg
- Sodium: 337.4mg
- Carbohydrates: 57.4g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Sugar: 40.4g
- Protein: 11.8g
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
| Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1/2 | Phyllo dough |
| 8 | Butter |
| 1 1/2 | Milk |
| 1/4 | Buffalo mozzarella |
| 12 | Ricotta cheese |
| 1/2 | Pistachios |
| 2 | Confectioners’ sugar |
| 1/8 | Fresh nutmeg |
| 3 | Water |
| 1 1/2 | Sugar |
| 1 | Lemon juice |
| 3-5 | Rose water |
Instructions:
-
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
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Prepare the Kadaifi: Place Kadaifi in a food processor and finely chop it up.
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Layer the Baking Dish: Add butter and milk to the chopped Kadaifi mixture. Line an 8-inch square heavy baking dish with half of this mixture.
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Prepare the Cheese Mixture: In a separate bowl, mix buffalo mozzarella and ricotta cheese with pistachios, sugar, and nutmeg until well combined.
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Assemble the Kunefe: Spread the cheese mixture onto the shredded phyllo dough in the baking dish. Top it with the remaining shredded pastry.
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Bake: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
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Prepare the Sugar Syrup: In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture is reduced by a third and becomes thick.
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Add Flavor: Stir in rose water to taste into the sugar syrup.
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Finish: When the Kunefe is done baking, remove it from the oven and ladle 2/3 of the hot syrup over it. Save the remaining syrup to pass while eating.
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Serve: Serve the Kunefe hot and enjoy the delightful fusion of sweet and savory flavors.
Indulge in this delightful Kunefe pastry, where every bite is a celebration of flavors from around the world. Perfect for any occasion, this dessert is sure to impress your family and friends. Enjoy the culinary journey!
