Sweets are abundant during Ramadan (at least in my in-laws’ family).  Date and walnut-filled cookies called Ma’moul are traditional, but pretty much any and every type of sweets abound.  I remember my sister-in-law making Atayif (pancake-like sweets that are stuffed with nuts, cream, or cheese) almost every night during Ramadan (she was so good at it – they were seriously addictive!). 

Last year I made Date Bar Cookies; I was hoping to master the art of Ma’moul before this Ramadan, but sadly this still hasn’t happened yet so I won’t be sharing that recipe with you.  However, Mike asked for cream-filled pastries called Warbat bil Ashta, which are relatively easy to make and incredibly delicious. 

Mike didn’t have a recipe for Warbat (and surprisingly I couldn’t find a good recipe for it on the internet), but he described the pastries to me so I could use trial and error to come up with the method.  In the final version (which, believe me, was after a few failed attempts) I wrapped the pastries the same way I would if I were making samosas or sambousek with phyllo dough.  Finally success!  Mike said the end result looked and tasted exactly as he remembered it back in Syria.

(I’ll admit, the only reason I’m familiar with the method for making samosas and/or sambousek out of phyllo dough is because when I was a kid, in school during class our preferred method of passing notes was through the use of what we called “paper footballs”, which could easily fly unnoticed across a classroom.)

Paper Football Made out of a Dollar Bill (Image Source)

I didn’t have a recipe for the cream filling (ashta) either, but I remembered Joumana making it not too long ago on her beautiful blog, Taste of Beirut.  Thank you, Joumana, for sharing your lovely recipe, and for saving me the trouble of trial and error in making ashta!

Ashta

Arabic Cream-Filled Pastries (Warbat bil Ashta)

(Yield:  About 24 pastries)

Cream Filling (Ashta) (see below)

Sugar Syrup (see below)

1 lb phyllo dough (13 by 13-inch sheets)

1/2 c ghee (clarified butter), melted (plus a little more to brush on top if necessary)

2 TB pistachios, very finely chopped (for garnish)

Cream Filling (Ashta) (Yields about 2 c) (Adopted slightly from Taste of Beirut):

2 c milk

2 oz (about 2 slices) American-style white bread, crusts removed and cubed

3 TB tsp cornstarch

1 tsp rose water

1 tsp orange blossom water

Sugar Syrup:

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c water

1/2 tsp rose water

1/2 tsp orange blossom water

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Baking sheets

Silpat liners or parchment paper

Pastry brush

For the Cream Filling:  In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the bread and 1 c milk, making sure that the bread is completely immersed in the milk.  Transfer the saucepan to the fridge so the bread can soak for 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours).  After the bread has soaked, in a separate bowl, stir together the cornstarch with the remaining cup of milk.  Cook the soaked bread/milk mixture on medium heat until it simmers (stirring frequently with a whisk).  Whisk in the cornstarch slurry, bring the mixture up to a boil, then boil for 1 minute.  Turn off the heat and add the rose water and orange blossom water.  Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled to let the cream fully thicken.

For the Sugar Syrup:  Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring it up to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer until thickened slightly (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in the rose water, orange blossom water, and lemon juice; set aside to cool. 

To Make the Pastries:  If you’re using frozen phyllo dough, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.  Preheat the oven to 350F and line your baking sheets with silpat liners or parchment paper.  Have the melted ghee and pastry brush ready, along with the ashta and a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon.  Unwrap the phyllo and arrange it in a stack in front of you. 

Using the pastry brush, brush melted ghee on the top half of the phyllo sheet that’s on the top of the stack; fold the sheet in half, bringing the unbuttered side on top of the buttered side.  On the sheet that you just folded over, brush ghee across the top half of it (the long way).  Fold the sheet in half again, bringing the unbuttered side on top of the buttered side.  You will be left with a long, thin rectangle, about 13 inches wide and 3 1/4 inches tall.

Place 1 TB of ashta on the left corner of one end of the rectangle.  Flip the right corner up over the ashta on the left corner, then continue to fold it over onto itself from one side to another.  You will be left with a little triangle.  Brush the top with ghee and place it on the prepared baking sheet.  Continue this way until all the dough is made (you will get about 24 pastries).

Bake the pastries until golden and crispy, about 18-20 minutes (rotating the baking sheets once halfway through).  (Be sure not to overcook, since this will cause the ashta to ooze out.)  When you take them out of the oven, drizzle each of the hot pastries with about 1-2 tsp of the cooled Sugar Syrup and sprinkle the pistachios on top.  (You will probably have a little leftover Sugar Syrup – you can use this to sweeten beverages such as tea or coffee, or to drizzle over grilled stone fruit.)