Kunāfah consists of two crunchy layers of shredded and buttered kataifi or knefe dough, filled with a luscious cheese cream that's often flavored with orange zest and cardamom, then drenched in a sugar syrup infused with lemon juice and orange blossom water.
Turkish künefe is traditionally made with Hatay, Urfa, or Antep cheese. It is usually topped with pistachios and is best served warm. Elegant and amazingly simple to make, this dessert is nothing short of what cheese-filled pastry dreams are made of.
This traditional Turkish dairy product is thought to have origins among the Turkic people of Central Asia. A bit later, it has spread across the Middle East, the Balkans,... Read more
Written by the famous, Egyptian-born cookbook author Claudia Roden, this recipe was adapted from her The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, one of the many she wrote on the subject. In this variant, the filling is made with heavy cream, milk, sugar, and rice flour. Claudia Roden suggests using only half of the prepared sugar syrup for drizzling the kunāfah and serving the other half to the guests who like their kunāfah extra juicy.
The following recipe shows how to make the kunāfah with ricotta cheese. Also, this recipe calls for more cheese than usual, and the sweetness can be adjusted to taste by using the amount of syrup to your liking. If you cannot find special kunāfah dough, substitute it with kataifi pastry, available in most oriental food stores.
In this variant, the filling is made from a combination of pistachios, walnuts or almonds, which can be combined to taste. We advise not to keep the kunāfah in the fridge because the pastry will go from juicy to soggy.
Written by the famous, Egyptian-born cookbook author Claudia Roden, this recipe was adapted from her The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, one of the many she wrote on the subject. In this variant, the filling is made with heavy cream, milk, sugar, and rice flour. Claudia Roden suggests using only half of the prepared sugar syrup for drizzling the kunāfah and serving the other half to the guests who like their kunāfah extra juicy.