Kanafe with Ricotta and Shredded Phyllo

Kanafe is a Middle Eastern dessert that is filled with cheese and and layered with shredded phyllo that is finished with an orange simple syrup.

One of the last places we visited before I moved, was this Persian restaurant in a, let's just say "up and coming" Middle Eastern area. The area wasn't that great. We made sure to lock the car doors and walk in a group and the restaurant entrance was behind the main street in the alley way. I could totally feel the tenseness but happily obliged when I saw groups of Middle Eastern families enjoying dinner and sipping tea. I knew dinner was gonna be awesome...always go where the locals are!

 

Girls dinner date tonight! Kabob platter, borek, muhammara...I'm in heaven!

A photo posted by Samantha (@ferrarokitchen) on Aug 19, 2015 at 7:47pm PDT

 

Everything from kofte to falafel, muhammara and of course hummus was presented family style. We ate, laughed and gossiped but  one of the lasting bites was kanafe~ I haven't had this since I was little and I almost forgot it existed! A close cousin to baklava, kanafe is a dessert made with shredded phyllo dough, which you can buy at Middle Eastern/Internal stores called "kataif". It is then layered with cheese (I used strained ricotta and mozzarella), topped with more shredded phyllo and then soaked in a gorgeous aromatic simple syrup. The sweet and slightly savoriness of the cheese is a perfect combination and is fabulous with a cup of tea!

Ingredients

• Shredded Phyllo
• Butter 
• Saffron Water 
• Mozzarella
• Ricotta Cheese
• Chopped Pistachios 

• Sugar
• Water
• Orange
• Lemon
• Cinnamon Stick
• Orange Blossom Water

Instructions

1. First, drain ricotta. This can be done a day ahead if time allows. Place ricotta in a sieve with cheesecloth and over a bowl to allow any excess liquid to drain out, making for a thicker cheese
2. Then, make the simple syrup. In a small pot, add all the simple syrup ingredients and stir together. ring to a gentle boil and allow to cool for about 10 minutes until sugar dissolves and gets a bit thicker like a syrup. Take off heat, remove the aromatics and allow to cool while making the rest of dish.
3. Take the shredded phyllo and pulse in food processor a bit (may have to do this in batches) so the phyllo breaks up a bit. Pour in about half of the melted butter (and optional saffron water) and continue with the rest f the shredded phyllo so butter coats all of the phylllo.
4. Then, take half of phyllo and press into a large buttered dish (I used my tart pan).
5. Add shredded mozzarella and drained ricotta and top with the other half of phyllo, carefully pressing it everything together.
6. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes until top is golden brown and firm. Once kanafe is done, remove from oven and slowly pour syrup over the top. Allow to sit for at last 10 minutes so syrup can soak in.
7. Garnish with chopped pistachios.

Great accompaniments to Kanafe

Kanafe with Ricotta and Shredded Phyllo

Samantha Ferraro

LittleFerraroKitchen.com

Kanafe is a Middle Eastern dessert that is filled with cheese and and layered with shredded phyllo that is finished with an orange simple syrup.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings 8

Calories 392 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1-16 oz package of kataif shredded phyllo
• ▢ 1 stick of unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon saffron water optional
• ▢ 8 oz shredded mozzarella
• ▢ 16 oz full fat ricotta cheese drained in colander for at least 30 minutes
• ▢ Chopped pistachios for garnish

Simple Syrup

• ▢ 2 cups sugar
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 2 large peels of orange zest
• ▢ 2 large peels of lemon zest
• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick
• ▢ 1 Tb orange blossom water

Instructions

 

• First, drain ricotta. This can be done a day ahead if time allows. Place ricotta in a sieve with cheesecloth and over a bowl to allow any excess liquid to drain out, making for a thicker cheese
• Then, make the simple syrup. In a small pot, add all the simple syrup ingredients and stir together. ring to a gentle boil and allow to cool for about 10 minutes until sugar dissolves and gets a bit thicker like a syrup. Take off heat, remove the aromatics and allow to cool while making the rest of dish.
• Take the shredded phyllo and pulse in food processor a bit (may have to do this in batches) so the phyllo breaks up a bit. Pour in about half of the melted butter (and optional saffron water) and continue with the rest f the shredded phyllo so butter coats all of the phylllo.
• Then, take half of phyllo and press into a large buttered dish (I used my tart pan).
• Add shredded mozzarella and drained ricotta and top with the other half of phyllo, carefully pressing it everything together.
• Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes until top is golden brown and firm. Once kanafe is done, remove from oven and slowly pour syrup over the top. Allow to sit for at last 10 minutes so syrup can soak in.
• Garnish with chopped pistachios.

Nutrition

Calories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 13gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 245mgPotassium: 96mgFiber: 1gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 462IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 274mgIron: 1mg

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