Recipe: Atayif with Kashta (cream) recipes

Atayif (Katayef)
Source: Foodman/ eGullet


For Pancakes:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp rosewater
3 cups AP flour
1 tsp instant yeast
2.25 cups water
1/2 tsp lemon salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream Filling:
4 Tbsp corn starch
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp rosewater
1/2 tsp orange blossom water

Make the pancakes-
In a sauce pot combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice. Over medium heat, bring to a boil and let simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the rosewater. Let cool. Once cooled it should be pretty thick, thicker than molasses.
In a bowl mix the flour and yeast. Add the water and mix until you get a thick batter. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let the batter ferment at room temperature for and hour or until bubbly.
Add the thick syrup, lemon salt and baking soda to the batter. Mix thoroughly, cover and let sit for another thirty minutes. The batter is now ready to use, it should be thicker than a pancake batter but still loose enough to pour from a ladle. If it is too thick mix in a little water.
To cook the pancakes, heat a nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat, make sure it is not too hot. Mix the batter and cook by ladling no more than 3 tablespoons at a time on the hot pan. Cook only on one side, until the bottom is lightly browned, and the top is set but not dry. The pancake is cooked if many holes start forming on the top and the batter is no longer shiny. You do not want the top to be dry or the pancakes will not seal when you stuff them. Basically the top should remain sticky. I know this sounds confusing but after cooking a couple of those you'll know what I'm talking about.
Put the pancakes in a dish and cover with a towel. If you are not using right away, cover the pancakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Make the filling-
Whisk the first three ingredients together until smooth. Put in a pot and heat over medium heat, whisking often until the mixture boils and is thick. Stir in the rosewater and the orange blossom water. Let cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
You can sue this filling for any middle eastern dessert that requires cream filling (kashta).

Assembling and frying (or not)-
To stuff the pancakes, put about a teaspoon of the filling in the center and seal by pressing the edges of the pancake together. You should end up with a perfect half moon. If the edges are a little dry, wet them with a little water and they should seal fine.
The finished atayif can be served as is drizzled with syrup or pan fried. To pan fry them, just heat up 1 Tbps of butter per two Atayif and pan fry until both sides are golden and slightly crispy. Serve with syrup.

Cream Filling (kashta)
Yields about 2 cups

Kashta is one of two basic dessert fillings used in many Middle Eastern desserts, the other being a nut filling. It is normally made from the cream that floats on top of whole cream milk when simmered. I have never managed to make the real Kashta. In Lebanon one would buy already made Kashta from pastry shops or buy the canned clotted cream variety (which I am not too crazy about). This recipe gives excellent and tasty results every time and is the best substitute for the real thing.

2 cups Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
2 tsp Orange Blossom Water
2 Tbsp Sugar

In a saucepan, bring the cream to a gentle simmer. Meanwhile make a slurry with the corn starch and some of the cream. Add the slurry to the cream in the pan and bring to a boil. Add the orange blossom water and the sugar and keep stirring until you get a very thick spreadable mixture resembling cream cheese in texture.

Fragrant Syrup (Atr)
Yields about 1 cup

Pretty much ALL middle eastern desserts are doused with this fragrant syrup.

1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Rose Water
1/2 tsp Orange Blossom Water

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until it boils and all the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cool and store in a jar. It keeps for 2 weeks without refrigeration and for months refrigerated.

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Honeysuckle Fairy Cakes. (Katayef)
Source: Molly Daly Blog / Tuesday, April 10, 2007

My favorite Lebanese dessert is one most often made during Ramadan, Katayef. Sometimes spelled Atayif, among other things. I prefer "honeysuckle fairy cake". Anyway, these things are delicious. It's like mooshing a honeysuckle fairy into a pancake and eating it. It is bliss. I will paste the recipe here - I haven't made it myself yet, but this is the recipe I plan to test.

They're pancakes with a delcious cream filling, folded into a half-moon shape and then drizzled with sweet, rosewater/orange blossom water syrup. BLISS, I SAY.

For Pancakes:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp rosewater
3 cups AP flour
1 tsp instant yeast
2.25 cups water
1/2 tsp lemon salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream Filling:
4 Tbsp corn starch
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp rosewater
1/2 tsp orange blossom water

Make the pancakes-
In a sauce pot combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice. Over medium heat, bring to a boil and let simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the rosewater. Let cool. Once cooled it should be pretty thick, thicker than molasses.
In a bowl mix the flour and yeast. Add the water and mix until you get a thick batter. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let the batter ferment at room temperature for and hour or until bubbly.
Add the thick syrup, lemon salt and baking soda to the batter. Mix thoroughly, cover and let sit for another thirty minutes. The batter is now ready to use, it should be thicker than a pancake batter but still loose enough to pour from a ladle. If it is too thick mix in a little water.
To cook the pancakes, heat a nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat, make sure it is not too hot. Mix the batter and cook by ladling no more than 3 tablespoons at a time on the hot pan. Cook only on one side, until the bottom is lightly browned, and the top is set but not dry. The pancake is cooked if many holes start forming on the top and the batter is no longer shiny. You do not want the top to be dry or the pancakes will not seal when you stuff them. Basically the top should remain sticky. I know this sounds confusing but after cooking a couple of those you'll know what I'm talking about.
Put the pancakes in a dish and cover with a towel. If you are not using right away, cover the pancakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Make the filling-
Whisk the first three ingredients together until smooth. Put in a pot and heat over medium heat, whisking often until the mixture boils and is thick. Stir in the rosewater and the orange blossom water. Let cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
You can sue this filling for any middle eastern dessert that requires cream filling (kashta).

Assembling and frying (or not)-
To stuff the pancakes, put about a teaspoon of the filling in the center and seal by pressing the edges of the pancake together. You should end up with a perfect half moon. If the edges are a little dry, wet them with a little water and they should seal fine.
The finished atayif can be served as is drizzled with syrup or pan fried. To pan fry them, just heat up 1 Tbps of butter per two Atayif and pan fry until both sides are golden and slightly crispy. Serve with syrup.

Syrup recipe:
Yields about 1 cup

1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Rose Water
1/2 tsp Orange Blossom Water

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until it boils and all the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cool and store in a jar. It keeps for 2 weeks without refrigeration and for months refrigerated.