Kanafeh with Cream Filling
This recipe is madlouqa kanafeh filled with steamed ashta. The filling is based on milk cooked over steam until the ashta forms, then chilled. The kanafeh dough is made from flour, starch, warm water, oil, and salt, then formed in a skillet and assembled with ghee, diluted sugar syrup, and ashta, then garnished with Aleppo pistachios.
A kanafeh dessert made with pastry and a cooked cream filling.
Like a sweet cheese-free pastry dessert with syrup.
Cook the cream filling until it thickens and assemble the pastry while warm.
Ingredients
- 1.5 liters Fresh milk
- 1.5 liters Canned milk
- 1 carton Cooking cream
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 cup Starch
- 2¼ cups Warm water
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 1 Lemon slice
- 4 tbsp Melted animal ghee
- ½ cup Diluted sugar syrup (sheera)
- Aleppo pistachios, for garnish
- Water for steaming in a pot
- 200 grams for every kilogram of milk when using canned milk Full-fat cooking cream
Instructions
- In a pot over medium heat, warm the fresh milk until bubbles appear around the edges and it reaches 50–60°C, without boiling.
- Pour the hot milk into a baking tray.
- In a steamer pot, place the tray of milk over a pot of water over low heat for 2½ to 3 hours, until the ashta forms.
- Leave the ashta in the tray until cool, then refrigerate for 5 to 6 hours or until the following day.
- In a bowl, mix the flour with the starch and salt.
- In a bowl, add the warm water and vegetable oil to the flour, starch, and salt mixture, and mix well until no lumps remain.
- Strain the mixture into another bowl or through a sieve to ensure that any lumps are removed.
- Cover the bowl of mixture and leave it to rest for 15 minutes.
- In a small container, make three small holes in the lid and use a funnel to fill it with the mixture.
- In a non-aluminum skillet over medium heat, then lower heat, pour the mixture through the pierced lid in thin lines until dry.
- Wipe the skillet with a paper towel between batches as needed.
- Place the finished pieces on a tray lined with a cloth so they do not become soggy.
- In a pot, prepare diluted sugar syrup from 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and 1 lemon slice; bring it to a boil, then leave to cool.
- Crumble the kanafeh by hand after it has cooled.
- In a food processor or kibbeh machine, grind the kanafeh in two batches with the melted animal ghee until warm and evenly combined.
- In a skillet or pot over low heat, warm the ground kanafeh with the ghee, stirring until it remains soft.
- On the serving platter, spread a layer of kanafeh.
- On the serving platter, distribute the cold ashta over the kanafeh.
- On the serving platter, add ½ cup of diluted sugar syrup, then add the remainder as needed as mentioned in the instructions, until the softness is suitable.
- On the serving platter, garnish the top with Aleppo pistachios.