Watch how to make Knafeh
Ingredients
375g Antoniou Kataifi Pastry
125g unsalted butter, melted
2 x 125g balls fresh mozzarella, drained, coarsely chopped
200g firm mozzarella, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup crushed pistachios
2 tbsp dried edible rose petals
Rose syrup
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp rose water
Recipe Tips
Coating Kataifi in butter
To achieve an even golden brown Knafeh, ensure Kataifi is evenly coated with butter.
Plating & serving Knafeh
Have your serving plate, syrup & garnish ready to plate & decorate the Knafeh as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Compacting Kataifi Pastry
The more pressure you can apply to the bottom layer of Kataifi Pastry, the crispier your end result will be.
Method
For this Kataifi Pastry recipe, take your fresh Kataifi Pastry out of the fridge at least 2 hours before use to bring it up to room temperature in its packet.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease a 20cm round cake pan.
For the rose syrup
Stir sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and rosewater, allow to cool.
In a food processor, pulse Kataifi Pastry in batches until strands are 2cm in length. Place in a large mixing bowl and toss with butter to coat evenly. Spread 2/3 of the Kataifi Pastry into cake pan. Using the bottom of a glass, press Kataifi down firmly and evenly into the base.
Toss cheeses together and place in Kataifi case leaving a 2cm edge. Spread remaining Kataifi Pastry over the top, pressing down firmly.
Place in pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is evenly golden brown and butter is bubbling up the sides of the pan.
To serve
Remove from the oven and immediately invert the hot Knafeh onto a serving plate. Drizzle with ¾ of the cooled syrup which will soak into the Knafeh. Sprinkle with pistachios and rose petals.
Serve straight away in wedges with remaining syrup.