Ingredients
Makes 6
For the Kataifi nests
375g Antoniou Fillo Pastry Kataifi
125g butter, melted
¼ cup pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
For the syrup
1 cup of sugar
1 cup water
3 saffron threads
1 cinnamon quill
3 cloves
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the ricotta
2 cups ricotta cheese, drained
1/3 cup icing sugar
Zest of 1 orange
To decorate
6 Glace cherries
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
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 degrees Celsius.
You will need 6 x 12.5cm non stick pie tins for this recipe.
To make the syrup
Place all the syrup ingredients into a saucepan over a medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has slightly thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, remove the cinnamon quill and cloves.
To make the ricotta filing
Place the ricotta, icing sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the Kataifi nests
Measure out 6 bunches of Kataifi, each one weighing approximately 60g. Twirl the Kataifi into the shape of a nest and place it inside a pie tin. Repeat with remaining Kataifi and pie tins. Brush each nest generously with butter and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and immediately ladle 5 tablespoons of the syrup over each nest. Once cooled, top each nest with 2-3 dollops of the whipped ricotta and decorate with chopped pistachios and a glace cherry.
