Turkish cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Nightingale's Nest

Yufka rolled into nest-shaped rings around a walnut filling, baked golden brown and drenched hot in syrup.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 350 g yufka sheets (or phyllo dough)
• 200 g butter
• 200 g walnuts
• 50 g pistachios
• 400 g sugar
• 1/2 lemon

Instructions

1. For the syrup, simmer the sugar, 350 ml water and the juice of half a lemon for 12 min. until thin and syrupy, and let cool completely.
2. Finely chop the walnuts, finely chop the pistachios separately, melt the butter and preheat the oven to 170 °C.
3. Lay out a yufka sheet, brush thinly with butter and place a thin wooden dowel or rolling pin along the bottom edge; roll the sheet loosely around the dowel.
4. Push the roll together from both sides toward the middle on the dowel until it falls into tight pleats, then carefully slide it off and close into a ring.
5. Arrange the rings tightly in a buttered baking dish, fill the center of each nest with walnuts, drizzle generously with butter and bake for 35–40 min. until the pleats are deep golden brown and crisp.
6. Immediately pour the cold syrup over the hot nests, let soak for 1 hr. and sprinkle the centers with the pistachios before serving.