Knafeh à La Crème Food

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.

KNAFEH à LA CRèME

Steps:

• To make the syrup: Boil the sugar, 1 1/4 cups water and lemon juice for 10 to 15 minutes, then add the orange-blossom water. Let it cool, then chill in the refrigerator.
• For the filling, mix the rice flour with enough of the cold milk to make a smooth paste. Bring the rest of the milk to a boil. Add the rice-flour paste to the boiling milk, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Leave on very low heat and continue to stir constantly until the mixture thickens, being careful not to let it burn. Add the sugar and orange-blossom water and stir well. Refrigerate until cool before adding the heavy cream and mixing well.
• Put the knafeh pastry in a large bowl. Pull out and separate the strands as much as possible with your fingers so they do not stick together. Pour the melted butter over it and work it in very thoroughly with your fingers, pulling out and separating the strands and turning them over so they do not stick together and are entirely coated with butter.
• Spread half the pastry at the bottom of a 12-inch pie pan. Spread the cream filling over it evenly and cover with the rest of the pastry. Press down and flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Then raise the temperature to 425 for about 15 minutes until the pastry colors slightly.
• Just before serving, run a sharp knife around the edges of the pie to loosen the sides and turn out onto a large serving dish. Pour the cold syrup all over the hot knafeh, and sprinkle the top with chopped pistachios. (You could also pour half the syrup before serving and pass the rest around for everyone to help themselves to more.)