Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

Karen Mintzias

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

-------------------------------KATAIFI CRUST-------------------------------
500 g Kataifi (shredded pastry) 3/4 c Unsalted butter; melted

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

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 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.

From: "The Complete Middle East Cookbook" by Tess Mallos ISBN: 1 86302 069
1

Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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