Lebanese Knafeh

Name: Lebanese Knafeh
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: 400g kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo), thawed; 200g unsalted butter, melted; 400g akkawi or mozzarella cheese, soaked and grated; 200g ricotta; Crushed pistachios, to garnish; 1.5 cups sugar; 1 cup water; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp orange blossom water; 1 tsp rose water

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Knafeh is not just dessert - it is an event. Crisp golden pastry over a layer of soft, molten cheese, drenched in a rose or orange blossom syrup and served warm. In Lebanon it is eaten for breakfast, tucked into a sesame bread roll. This is the version for the table, cut into wedges and shared while the arguments break out over who gets the crispiest corner.

DessertCheeseSyrupCelebration

Ingredients

For the knafeh

●400g kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo), thawed
●200g unsalted butter, melted
●400g akkawi or mozzarella cheese, soaked and grated
●200g ricotta
●Crushed pistachios, to garnish

For the syrup

●1.5 cups sugar
●1 cup water
●1 tbsp lemon juice
●1 tbsp orange blossom water
●1 tsp rose water

Method

1
Make the syrup first: boil the sugar and water until dissolved, add lemon juice, and simmer 8 minutes. Stir in the blossom and rose waters, then cool completely. Syrup must be cold when it hits the hot knafeh.
2
Pull the kataifi pastry apart and chop finely. Toss thoroughly with the melted butter until every strand is coated.
3
Press half the buttered pastry firmly into a baking dish. Spread the grated cheese and ricotta over the top, then cover with the remaining pastry, pressing down firmly.
4
Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes, until deep golden and crisp.
5
Immediately pour the cold syrup evenly over the hot knafeh - it will sizzle.
6
Flip onto a serving plate, scatter with crushed pistachios, and serve warm.

Teta's Tips

✦Cold syrup on hot pastry keeps the knafeh crisp. Warm syrup makes it soggy.
✦Soak akkawi cheese in water for a few hours, changing the water, to remove the salt.
✦Serve immediately - knafeh is at its glorious best straight from the oven.

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From the cookbook