Name: Knafeh (Palestinian Sweet Cheese Pastry) (Standard)
Prep time: 24 min
Cook time: 36 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Palestinian
Ingredients: 1 pound Kataifi dough; 1 pound Low-moisture mozzarella cheese-shredded; 4 ounces Ricotta cheese; 1/2 cup Unsalted butter-clarified; 2 cups Granulated sugar; 1 cup Water; 1 tablespoon Lemon juice; 1 teaspoon Orange blossom water; 2 tablespoons Chopped pistachios

Recipe tier

A simplified version of Knafeh perfect for home cooks, using readily available ingredients like mozzarella cheese and store-bought kataifi dough.

Total 1h

Serves 8 servings

Steps 10

Ingredients 9

Soundtrack the cook

Soul kitchen · 83 minutes

Music paced for prep, cooking, plating, and the reset after dinner.

Prep 24m Cook 36m Plate 5m Reset 10m

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Kataifi Dough
1 pound 450 g Kataifi dough
Cheese Filling
1 pound 450 g Low-moisture mozzarella cheese-shredded
4 ounces 115 g Ricotta cheese
Clarified Butter
cup 120 mL Unsalted butter-clarified
Simple Syrup
2 cups 480 mL Granulated sugar
1 cup 240 mL Water
1 tablespoon 15 mL Lemon juice
1 teaspoon 5 mL Orange blossom water
Garnish
2 tablespoons 30 mL Chopped pistachios

Equipment

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Instructions

🎙️ Cook with voice coach

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Prepare Simple Syrup: Combine all Simple Syrup ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Prepare Kataifi Dough: Gently pull apart the kataifi dough and cut it into smaller strands. Toss with the clarified butter until well coated.
Assemble Knafeh: Press half of the buttered kataifi dough into the bottom of a greased 9-inch baking dish.
Spread Cheese Filling evenly over the kataifi dough.
Top with the remaining kataifi dough, pressing gently to compact it.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Immediately pour the cooled Simple Syrup evenly over the hot knafeh.
Let the knafeh soak up the syrup for at least 15 minutes.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm.