Description

Sweet and incredibly delicious, our cheese Knafeh (ka-nee-fah) is a family favorite. Made with shredded phyllo dough, ricotta, and mozzarella to create a fascinating dessert swimming in orange-blossom syrup and crushed pistachios

Ingredients

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For the crust

1/2 pack Kataifi (about 8oz), thawed in the refrigerator (see note 1)

6 tbsp butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

For the Filling:

2 cups Natural and Kosher Whole Milk Ricotta ( see note 2)

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup Natural and Kosher shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Natural and Kosher shredded muenster cheese

For the Syrup

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 or 2 tsp orange blossom water ( to taste) (see note 3)

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

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Instructions

To make the Knafeh crust:

Place the kataifi threads in the food processor and pulse until they're broken into approximately 1" long pieces. Place them in a large bowl and pour the melted butter over it. Mix well to coat

To Make the filling:

Place the ricotta and sugar in the food processor and process for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy

To assemble the Knafeh

Preheat the oven to 375F. Generously grease a 9.5" round cake pan with melted butter
Coat the bottom of the pan with half of the buttered kataifi shreds, and press down using a glass
Spread the ricotta and sugar mixture and add the shredded cheeses on top. Place the rest of the buttered kataifi shreds on top, and gently press down. Bake for 40 minutes.
While the Knafeh is baking, prepare the orange blossom syrup. Combine the sugar and water, orange blossom and lemon juice in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside
Pour the orange blossom syrup on the Knafeh as soon as it comes out of the oven (you can also leave it aside for each person to pour their own. Serve warm (see note 4)

Notes

Kataifi is shredded filo dough than can be found online or in Middle Eastern and Greek specialty stores. As with phyllo dough, kataifi should the thawed in the refrigerator. Refreeze unused Kataifi.
We found Natural and Kosher's ricotta cheese to be specially smooth and creamy and it taste amazing!
If you cannot find or don't have orange blossom water, simply don't add it to the Kanafeh. It will still be delicious
To reheat the Knafeh, place it in a 250F oven for about 10 minutes or until warm inside
To make ahead: Knafeh can be made 2-3 days ahead and then baked. It can also be frozen unbaked, thawed and baked.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 319
Sugar: 17
Sodium: 240
Fat: 17
Saturated Fat: 10
Unsaturated Fat: 6
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 31
Fiber: .4
Protein: 10
Cholesterol: 52