**Kunafah-Künafeh-Kunafa**

                                        (click on the pictures for a larger Image)

Spell it any way it remains the ultra delicious divine crispy creamy juicy Dessert : )

 

The interesting thing is that this dessert belongs to Morocco, Arabia, Turkey, Greek and Asia.

Whomever you ask they say “It’s ours” :D

Well at the moment it’s mines as I have a tray full lying in front of me :D

Last week as I was on a window shopping tour with my friend Susanne, we bought these for our tea way back home. My friend is simply in love with this dessert, as she mentioned having a Family gathering this week, I thought to surprise her with this.

 

Kunafeh is made with the shredded Phyllo/Filo dough pastry, I bought the pastry from my Turkish shop, it can be made at home but not at my home :)

It is very similar to the Vermicelli we usually buy for our sweet Sheer but the dough is different and won’t stay crispy when poured with the sugar syrup.

 

I have made a step by step collage to show how and what I did.

It is a time consuming fun, the fine pastry threads will spread all over so keep your broom handy. If you buy the pastry packet it needs to be pulled apart,each thread each bit.

I started doing it but then gave up and used a big knife and scissors to cut and then processed it in the machine to make it finer.

 

 (Click on the Picture for a larger Image) 

So here’s the step by step:

1. Open the 500g pack and open the threads of the shredded dough in a broad tray, use a knife if you find is easier like me

2. The dough must be in really small pieces

3. Drizzle the 100g melted butter all over and mix well

4. The fluffy dough will decrease in volume as it absorbs the butter Divide the dough in two halves

5. Sprinkle ½ tsp orange color on half of the dough threads

6. Mix the color well, as the beauty of this dessert is this shiny colored top

7. Process the second half of the dough till it is fine and broken

8. See the difference, the white one is fine and the orange one is as is.

9. Now press the white fine dough on a baking sheet, press with palms so the dough sets well

 

The fine dough should sit firm on the bottom as we have to do the filling on it

There are many ways of making it, many just fill in the cream, the most popular is the one with cheese, and some fill in semolina with cheese to give it a heavy filling.

I made it the way it is most common, with cheese and I used some cheese spread Philadelphia too.

 

(Click on the Picture for a larger Image)  

So here we go the second part step by step.

1. Crumble 400g Mozzarella, and mix 200g of Philadelphia with drops of milk

2. Drop the cream cheese all over the dough carefully and spread with a spoon

3. Now sprinkle the crumbled cheese all over and cover up all the space

4. Sprinkle coarse crushed 150 g Almonds over the cheese

5. Now cover the whole with the rest second half pastry dough and don’t press it too firm, this part should stay fluffy

6. I sprinkled some more Almonds on the top

7. Sprinkle 50 g crushed Pistachios’ and bake in a preheated oven on 180°C around 20 minutes till the top seems nice crispy brown

Now I forgot to take a picture of the last step and that was pouring the sugar syrup :(

But that’s easy, I had made the syrup first of all as this should be cold

**So take 2 cups of sugar and 1 ½ cup water, juice of 1 lemon and 2-3 tbs honey

Boil this till it gets a bit thicker, set it aside to cool**

8. Now as you take out the tray, pour this syrup slowly from right to left and vise versa

Just do it slowly so you don’t miss any corner but be careful if you feel the pieces seem wet then stop, as then it may become soggy

 

And now some of my favorite shots, I am so in love with these crispy fine threads *:*

Your Tasty Kunafeh is ready, give it a time of 2 hours at least till the pieces absorb the syrup then you can cut it and have it with a cup of hot tea like I did :D