Cheese Kunafa

By yasalamcooking

Ingredients

• for the syrup:
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs orange blossom water or rose water
• cheese filling:
• 1 pound mozzarella
• 1/2 pound ricotta
• 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs orange blossom water or rose water
• (blend all this together in a processor)
• pastry:
• 1 pound of defrosted kataifi
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• pistachios to garnish

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Make your syrup first. Add ingredients and stir on low heat until syrup is thick! Allow to cool then place in fridge.
Place your kataifi in a large bowl with your butter, mix and untangle the strings. You will use a 11-12 inch pie pan. Place half of the pastry in the bottom of the pan. Then add cheese filling, pressing down with hand, add remaining of pastry strings. Bake in a 325 f over for 45 mins.
After pastry has baked I always place the pan on the stove eye for a few seconds to make my top brown and not pale. With a butter knife go around kunafa, place plate on top and flip. Now you decorate with your nuts. I grind mine in a processor. You can get creative now. I add the sugar syrup before and after. But I sit most of it on the table and let people decide how much they want.