Künefe with Cheese and Syrup

La storia di questo piatto

Künefe is a dessert of the Turkish table, a golden nest of fine kadayıf threads wrapped around soft melting cheese. It speaks of sweet shops and shared plates, where something warm is always set down between people.

Ingredienti

• 300 g Kadayif (fine shredded phyllo, tel kadayıf)
• 175 g Clarified butter (25 g of it to grease the pan)
• 250 g Künefe cheese or low-moisture pizza mozzarella, well drained
• 200 g Sugar
• 200 ml Water
• 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Chopped pistachios

Preparazione

1. Start with the syrup, which must be cold when the künefe comes out hot from the heat: this contrast is the true secret of the dessert. Put water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, add the lemon juice and let it simmer gently without stirring for 5-8 minutes: it should remain fluid and light, just slightly thicker than water. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely at room temperature, about 30 minutes: if you pour it hot over a hot dessert, it will soak in and make it soggy instead of glossy.
2. Take the kadayif and shred it well with your hands in a wide bowl, separating each strand without crushing it: it should remain light and airy. Melt the clarified butter over low heat until it becomes liquid and starts to smell of hazelnut; set aside about 25 g to grease the pan and pour the rest, still warm, over the kadayif, working with your hands until every strand is glossy and well coated. This step gives you the crispy golden crust you're looking for.
3. Drain the cheese well (if using mozzarella, slice it and pat it dry with kitchen paper until dry), otherwise during cooking it will release liquid and the bottom won't become crispy. Take a 24 cm round pan with a low rim, in copper or stainless steel (suitable for both stovetop and oven; better to avoid nonstick, which suffers under prolonged high temperatures), grease it with the reserved butter and spread half of the kadayif, pressing firmly on the bottom with the back of a spoon to form a small shell. Spread the cheese on top, sliced or crumbled, leaving a finger's width of margin from the edge: during cooking it will melt and spread on its own. Cover with the remaining kadayif and press the edges inward well, so the cheese doesn't escape while it cooks.
4. Choose a cooking method: about 15 minutes on the stovetop or 20-25 minutes in the oven. Stovetop: keep the flame medium-low and cook the side in contact with the pan for 8-10 minutes, until lifting an edge with a spatula reveals an amber golden color. Place a plate larger than the pan on top, flip with a confident motion and slide the künefe back into the pan: now the uncooked side is in contact with the bottom. Cook it for another 5-7 minutes, until this side is also amber golden. Finally place the serving plate over the pan and flip again: the side cooked first returns to the top, amber golden and crispy as the other. Oven: bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, until the surface is amber golden and you hear a slight crackling, a sign that the butter is caramelizing the strands. The crispy side is the one in contact with the pan: flip it onto the serving plate to have it on top.
5. As soon as it's ready, with the künefe still boiling hot on the serving plate, pour the cold syrup a little at a time over the entire surface: you'll hear a slight sizzle, a sign that the dessert is absorbing the syrup without becoming soggy. Stop when the surface is glossy: you don't need to use it all.
6. Let the künefe rest for 5 minutes before cutting it: this is the time the cheese needs to settle stringy but not runny, and the syrup needs to spread through every layer. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios for crunch and color, then serve hot in wedges. Taste a small portion, add a drizzle of syrup if needed and bring it to the table with pride.