If you’re a coffee lover or you know someone who is, be sure to enter my giveaway! (Remember, you can add new entries each day by leaving me a comment on this post telling me one of your favorite types of coffee. And you don’t need to have a blog to enter. ;) )
I’m a firm believer that everyone should have their favorite cake on their birthday. I remember going through several “favorite cake” phases…as a kid it was always chocolate on chocolate; my mom would make a big chocolate sheet cake (easy for cutting and passing out to kiddies) with chocolate frosting decorated with pretty flowers.
I also remember different birthdays when German chocolate cake, ice cream cake, raspberry cheesecake, peanut butter pie, red velvet cake, and brownie swirl cheesecake were my celebratory indulgences of choice. On the other hand, I know people who have a favorite standby that is the same every year…as far back as I can remember my mom’s favorite has been carrot cake (pretty soon I’ll be sharing my carrot cake recipe with you – it took about 5 years to make perfect!). Mike is the same way…his favorite standby is knafeh (also known as kunafa or kunafeh).
Mike first introduced me to knafeh when we were on our honeymoon in Amman. One night we both had a sweet tooth and of course being a total chocolate lover I was thinking of something chocolaty. Mike took me to a local bakery and ordered knafeh for us, insisting that I would not be disappointed. I was skeptical at first (since there is no chocolate in knafeh ;) ), but he was right…it was love at first bite. Since then, after much trial and error, I came up with a recipe that I think rivals that first incredible knafeh we ate that night. Knafeh is Mike’s favorite birthday sweet, so this post is for him. (Happy birthday, baby.)
I’m sending this recipe to the lovely Joanne of Eats Well With Others for the Regional Recipes roundup of Middle Eastern dishes!
About the Knafeh: Knafeh has top and bottom layers of kataifi dough and an inner layer of cheese…after baking, the whole thing is doused with simple syrup. Kataifi is very finely shredded phyllo dough (once the dough is cooked it has a texture similar to shredded wheat)…but I strongly recommend buying kataifi instead of trying to shred your own phyllo dough (believe me, I’ve tried…that was one batch of knafeh I’ll never get back). I buy my kataifi at a local Arabic store, but it’s also available online. The cheese used in knafeh can vary. I’ve had it with a cheese that’s similar to ricotta and also with a more stringy cheese called halloumi (for which fresh mozzarella is an excellent substitute)…both Mike and I prefer it with a stringier, melted cheese.
Knafeh
(Yield: 9 by 13-inch pan of knafeh)
Sugar syrup (see below)
1 lb (16 oz) ricotta, halloumi, or fresh mozzarella (I used fresh mozzarella)
8 oz kataifi (shredded phyllo dough)
8 TB (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c shelled pistachios, chopped (for garnish)
Sugar syrup:
1 1/4 c sugar
1 1/4 c water
1/3 c honey
1 tsp orange food coloring or a pinch of saffron (optional; this gives the knafeh its distinctive color)
2 tsp rose water (optional)
9- by 13- by 2-inch casserole dish
To make sugar syrup: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, sugar, food coloring or saffron, and honey. Bring it to a boil (stirring occasionally), then turn down the heat and let it simmer until it gets a syrupy consistency (about 15 minutes). Turn off the heat and stir in the rose water (if using); let the syrup cool while you prepare the knafeh. Remove the saffron threads.
Prepare the kataifi: Preheat oven to 450F. Use your fingers to gently separate the strands of kataifi, then use your hands to gently combine the melted butter and kataifi. Transfer the buttered kataifi to a large baking sheet (if you only have 9X13-inch baking sheets you can use two sheets and divide the kataifi between them); bake for about 10-12 minutes until the dough is golden and crispy, making sure to stir dough every 2-3 minutes so that the edges do not burn.
Make the knafeh: Preheat oven to 425F. If you’re using halloumi or fresh mozzarella cheese, cut it into thin slices. Spread slightly more than half of the kataifi in the bottom of the 9X13X2-inch casserole dish. Arrange the cheese on top of the kataifi, then evenly sprinkle the remaining kataifi on top of the cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and immediately (and gently) pour the syrup on top (be careful because the cheese will probably bubble up). Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top. Allow to cool about 5 minutes, then cut it up and serve (to me, it tastes best served when it’s hot and fresh out of the oven).
Cheese platter, clockwise from the top:
Our Lovely Waitress, Marilyne
French Onion Soup Topped with 
