Levantine cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Mafroukeh (Semolina and Ashta)

Semolina toasted nutty in butter with sugar syrup, layered with cool ashta cream and generously topped with pistachios.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 300 g fine semolina
• 150 g butter
• 250 g sugar, for the syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• 600 ml whole milk
• 50 g cornstarch
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 80 g pistachios
• 2 tbsp pine nuts

Instructions

1. For the syrup, boil the sugar with 150 ml water and the lemon juice for 8 minutes, stir in the orange blossom water, and let the syrup cool to lukewarm.
2. For the ashta, heat 500 ml whole milk with the sugar, stir in the cornstarch mixed with the remaining cold milk, cook for 3 minutes into a thick cream, stir in the rose water, and chill.
3. Melt the butter in a wide pan, add the semolina, and toast over medium heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty and turns light golden.
4. Carefully pour in the lukewarm syrup – it will spatter briefly – and keep stirring until a glossy, dough-like mass forms that pulls away from the bottom of the pan.
5. Press two-thirds of the mixture into a shallow dish, spread the ashta over it, and dollop the remaining semolina mixture on top.
6. Chill for at least 1 hour, then sprinkle with chopped pistachios and briefly toasted pine nuts, and cut into squares.