Ingredients
Serves 8
150g Antoniou Kataifi Pastry
60g butter
3 eggs
½ cup caster sugar
500g cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp rose water
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
50g whole pistachios, shelled
1 cup caster sugar
¼ cup water
To serve
15g crushed pistachios
Fresh figs
Method
For this Kataifi Pastry recipe, take your chilled Kataifi Pastry out of the fridge at least 2 hours before you begin, still in its packaging, to bring it up to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 180 deg C and brush a 20cm spring form baking tin with butter.
Place the butter in a large pan over a medium heat and whilst that is melting, place the Kataifi Pastry in a food processor and process until the Kataifi is broken into smaller pieces and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the Kataifi to the melted butter and toss to combine for one minute. Press this mixture over the base of the tin. Place it in the refrigerator whilst you make the filling.
Beat the eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until the mixture becomes pale and creamy (this should take ten minutes).
Add the cheese, rose water and pomegranate molasses and continue to beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy, approximately two minutes.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. (check the mixture at 40 minutes and go from there-feel the top to see if it’s cooked through).
Once cooked, turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with door ajar for one hour.
Refrigerate cheesecake for a few hours before serving with the pistachio praline.
To make the praline take 50 grams of the pistachios and lay on a baking sheet. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Bring to the boil. Once the mixture has boiled and becomes golden, remove and set aside until the bubbles have subsided.
Pour the toffee over the pistachios and set aside for ten minutes to set. Break into pieces.
Decorate cheesecake with pistachio praline, cut figs and crushed pistachios.