Palestinian Cuisine
Kunafe ingredients:
- 700 g akkawi cheese (or substitute 500 g ricotta).
- 200 g mozzarella (if using ricotta, use 400 g mozzarella).
- 1 package (500 g) frozen kunafe pastry (thawed one hour on the
counter).
- 1½ cups butter to make slightly more than 1 cup clarified butter,
melted and hot.
- 4 tbsp sugar.
- 3 tbsp orange blossom water.
- 4 to 8 drops orange food coloring, powder, paste or drops.
- 3 cups rose-scented simple syrup.
- ½ cup ground pistachio, to garnish.
Sugar syrup ingredients:
- 3 cups sugar.
- 2½ cups cold water.
- 1 tsp lemon juice.
- 2 tbsp orange blossom water or rose water.
Sugar syrup directions:
- Dissolve sugar in water in heavy pan over medium heat, stirring
occasionally.
- Bring to boil, add lemon juice and boil over medium-low heat for
12 minutes.
- Once syrup has begun to boil, do not stir again, as this makes the syrup cloudy.
- Once syrup has begun to boil, do not stir again, as this makes the syrup cloudy.
- Add orange blossom water (or rose water), boil 30 seconds longer.
When cool, the consistency should be similar to thin honey.
- Cool and store in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator
for several weeks.
Kunafe directions:
- The day before, slice the akkawi and mozzarella cheese into thick
slabs. In a plastic container, cover it with water to soak overnight in the
refrigerator to desalt the cheese. Change the water several times the first
day.
- Prepare the rose-scented simple syrup so it’s completely chilled
before the kunafe comes out of the oven.
- About one hour before cooking, remove the kunafe pastry from the
freezer to thaw on the counter. Make the clarified butter.
- Prepare the pan; a 30 cm (12 inch) round pan or a 15-inch
deep-dish pizza pan.
- Spread 4 tbsp of the clarified butter in the pan.
- Spread 4 tbsp of the clarified butter in the pan.
- Add the orange coloring a little at a time.
- Using a pastry brush, spread the butter and the coloring evenly
all over the pan and up the sides.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (190° C).
- Remove the kunafe pastry from package and cut into four sections.
- In a food processor, gently grind one quarter of the thawed
pastry at a time with a few pulses keeping it coarse.
- Place pastry in a large bowl and gradually pour the remaining hot
clarified butter over top. Use the full amount of butter or the pastry will be
dry or stick to the pan.
- Using your fingers, mix in the butter to evenly coat the strands
of pastry.
- Drain the desalted cheese and pat dry with a dish towel.
- Grate cheeses into a large bowl. If using ricotta, no need to
grate.
- Sprinkle the sugar and orange blossom water over the cheeses and
gently mix together.
- Layer the pastry. For the bottom layer, sprinkle handfuls of the
buttered pastry and press into the prepared pan going slightly up the sides.
Use approximately half the pastry mixture or a bit more to completely cover the
pan. This will be the top when the pastry is flipped.
- Add the cheese filling, spreading the cheese evenly and pressing
to cover completely.
- Cover with the remaining layer of pastry, evening it out and
pressing gently.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until pastry
becomes crisp and slightly golden.
- Remove pastry from oven and give it a gentle shake. The kunafe
will separate from the sides of the pan. If not, separate with a butter knife.
- Invert the hot kunafe onto a serving platter. The orange pastry
should be slightly crisp.
- Pour the cold simple syrup over the hot pastry until the kunafe
is saturated and glistening.
- Reserve the remaining syrup to serve in a small pitcher on the
side.
- Cut the kunafe into squares or diamonds, 2 inch x 2 inch or
larger.
- Garnish with pistachio nuts and serve while still hot.
- Leftovers can be stored for up to four days in the refrigerator
and warmed up in the oven or microwave.