Levantine cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Knafeh

Warm angel-hair dessert with melting cheese and orange-blossom syrup – the sweet queen of the Levant.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 400 g kadayif (shredded phyllo) dough
• 150 g butter
• 400 g mozzarella
• 200 g ricotta
• 200 g sugar
• 120 ml water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• 50 g pistachios (chopped)
• Orange food coloring (optional)

Instructions

1. For the syrup, simmer the sugar, water and lemon juice for 8 min, add the orange blossom water and let cool completely.
2. Pull the kadayif strands apart finely with your hands and mix thoroughly with the melted butter.
3. Coarsely grate the mozzarella, soak in water for 10 min (this removes the salt), squeeze out and mix with the ricotta.
4. Press half of the dough strands firmly into a buttered pan (26 cm), spread the cheese mixture on top, cover with the remaining strands and press down.
5. Bake at 180 °C top/bottom heat for 30–35 min until golden brown.
6. Immediately pour the cold syrup over the hot knafeh – it should sizzle.
7. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve warm, while the cheese still stretches into strings.