Knafeh with Cheese

La storia di questo piatto

Knafeh bil Jibneh è la voce più antica delle strade di Nablus e Damasco, un rito d'oro che attraversa generazioni come il suono del muezzin all'alba — appartiene al Levante come il cedro appartiene alla pietra.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo)
• 300 g Jibneh cheese (or fresh ricotta)
• 150 g Clarified butter
• 250 ml Acacia honey
• 2 tablespoons Orange blossom water
• 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
• 100 g Sugar
• 150 ml Water
• 50 g Coarsely chopped pistachio
• 1 pinch Salt

Preparazione

1. Place water with sugar over heat and bring it to a rolling boil, then pour in the orange blossom water and lemon juice. Let it simmer gently for 5 minutes, until the liquid becomes slightly thickened and fills the air with a floral fragrance, then remove from heat and let it cool completely: if you were to pour hot syrup over a warm dessert, it would become soggy and unpleasant, so steel yourself with patience.
2. Take the kataifi pastry and separate it gently with your fingers, delicately, as though you were unraveling threads of angel hair pasta, so that no lumps remain bunched together. Brush a round 28-centimeter baking pan thoroughly with the clarified butter, then spread half of the pastry across the bottom, pressing lightly with your hands to create an even, compact layer.
3. Scatter the jibneh cheese across the entire surface of the pastry, pressing slightly with the palm of your hand so it distributes evenly all the way to the edges. Cover with the remaining half of the kataifi pastry and drench it generously with the rest of the clarified butter: this is the secret to achieving that golden, crispy finish, so do not hold back.
4. Place it in an already-heated 180°C oven and let it bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the surface takes on a beautiful golden color and you catch a faint aroma of toasted butter. The moment you remove it from the oven, while it is still bubbling hot, immediately pour the cold syrup over the entire pastry: when that heat and cold meet and clash, they create the crispness that is the very soul of this dessert.
5. Chop the pistachios at the last moment, keeping them somewhat coarse rather than finely ground, and scatter them generously across the surface while it is still warm. Bring it to the table right away, without waiting: it is in that very first bite, when the crispy crust encounters the molten, stretchy cheese within, that this dessert truly shines.