Recipe: Kataifi B'Ashta or Ashtha

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KATAIFI B'ASHTA

CUSTARD FILLING:

4 c Milk
3/4 c Cornflour
4 Eggs; beaten
1 pn Salt
1/2 c Sugar
1 ts Vanilla essence
1/4 ts Rose essence

KATAIFI CRUST:

500 g Kataifi (shredded pastry)
3/4 c Unsalted butter;

SYRUP:

2 c Sugar
1 1/2 c Water
1 Thin strip lemon rind
1 Piece of cinnamon bark
3 ts Lemon juice

Oven temperature: 190 C (375 F) Cooking
time: 1 hour Combine milk and cornflour in a
heavy pan. Blend in beaten eggs and add salt
and sugar. Place over medium heat and stir
constantly until thickened and bubbling.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and rose
essence and cover top of custard with
buttered paper to prevent a skin forming.
Place kataifi in a large bowl and gently
separate strands with fingers. Grease a 20 x
28 cm (8 x 11 inch) oven dish with some of
the butter. Put half the kataifi in the
base, pressing it down to make it compact.
Drizzle 1/4 cup butterr evenly over it. Pour
custard filling over kataifi, spreading it
evenly. Top with remaining kataifi. Spread
evenly and pat down gently. Pour remaining
melted butter evenly over top. Bake in a
moderately hot oven for 45 minutes until
golden brown. Remove from oven and leave
until cool. Dissolve sugar in water over
medium heat, add lemon rind and cinnamon
bark and bring to the boil. Add lemon juice
and boil over medium heat for 15 minutes,
skimming when necessary. Do not stir once
syrup is boiling. Strain hot syrup over
cooled pastry. Leave until cold and cut into
diamond shapes to serve. Note: The previous
recipe is the traditional way in which this
dessert is made. As the custard and syrup
soften the kataifi, many good cooks use the
following method for a crisp finish: Prepare
the syrup as directed above and leave until
cool. Place the kataifi in a bowl and loosen
stands. Pour on 1/2 cup melted, unsalted
butter and mix with fingers to coat strands.
Spread kataifi in two buttered 20 x 28 cm (8
x 11 inch) straight-sided oven dishes and
press down to make it compact. Bake in a
moderately hot oven for 20-25 minutes until
golden - take care that it does not become
too brown. Remove from the oven and pour
cooled syrup evenly over hot kataifi in each
dish. Cover each dish with a tea towel so
that kataifi softens slightly, otherwise it
will be difficult to cut. Make custard as
directed in previous recipe and pour while
hot onto kataifi in one dish. Invert other
dish of kataifi on top of the custard. Leave
uncovered until cool, then cut into diamond
shapes to serve.
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Konafa Ashta:

Shell:

1 pound Shredded Fillo Dough pastry
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

Cream Filling:

4 tablespoons cream of rice (or finely ground rice)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cups milk
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream

Syrup:

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon rose water, or orange blossom

Prepare the cream filling by mixing the cream of rice, sugar and 1/2 cup milk to form a smooth paste.

Bring the 2 cups milk to a boil, then add the rice paste to the boiling milk slowly with continuous stirring.

Let simmer with continuous stirring until very thick. Ensure that it does not lump or stick to the bottom of the pan.

Allow the milk mixture to cool, then add the heavy cream.
Mix well.

Prepare the syrup by stirring the sugar, water and lemon juice over medium heat until thick to the point that it coats the metal spoon.

Add rose water and cook with stirring for a few more minutes until well mixed.

Remove from heat and cool slightly in the refrigerator.

To prepare the Konafa, pull out and separate half Konafa pastry strands.

Pour half of the melted butter over the konafa pastry. Work the pastry to ensure that each strand is coated with the butter.

Spread the pastry on the bottom of a 9x9x2 inches oven dish.

Pour cream filling on the pastry.

Cover the cream filling with the rest of the pastry strands using the same method described above.

Bake in an oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, or until slightly golden in color.

Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cold syrup over the hot Konafa.

Serve hot or cold,