Whether you call it Chnafeh, Knafeh, or Kunafa, we all know one thing is for certain: this dessert is the queen of all Palestinian desserts. This has been the most requested recipe and I wanted to be sure I perfected an amazing recipe that is simple, fool-proof, and extremely tasty! The shredded kataifi dough is buttered with ghee and beautifully dyed with an orange powder. It's topped with a mix of the salty Nabulsi cheese, the sweet Akawai cheese, and the creamy Kishta for the perfect ooey gooey cheese center. This cheesy pastry dessert is then baked to a perfect golden color and flipped on to a dish and doused in a sugar syrup. Top your knafeh with pistachios, rose buds, or with nothing at all for a sweet and salty dessert that you won't be able to stop thinking about!
Pour the warm sugar syrup on to the knafeh right away for a fresh taste. Keep the syrup warm so the cheese stays melted!
I feel like ground pistachios are a beautiful contrast to the orange-colored pastry dough. It makes for a beautiful presentation when you are serving to guests!
I have now experimented with knafeh multiple times for my family and friends and each time I took their criticism and applied it to the next time I made it. After I made this knafeh, my entire family was raving about it! Some even said it was the best knafeh they have had in a very long time (for someone from St. Louis that is a very big compliment)! Once everyone had their piece, I finally served myself and instantly I wanted another piece before even finishing mine. The cheeses all melted beautifully and with every bite, I got a little taste of the buttery pastry, the sweet and salty cheeses, and the delicate sugar syrup!
Growing up, I have heard this dessert pronounced many different ways. My dad's family pronounced it 'chnafeh' and my mom's family pronounced it 'knafeh'. So for me, there was no right or wrong way to say it, it was all about how to enjoy it! And I can definitely say, my family and I really enjoyed this recipe! It is a perfect dessert when the family comes together for dinner and every member, young or old, will come back for another piece!
Prep Time: 20 minutes Serves: 8-10 People
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 Box Kataifi Pastry Dough, defrosted
3 Tbsp. Ghee, melted
1 lb. Akawi Cheese, soaked for 5 hours
1 lb. Nablusi Cheese, soaked for 5 hours
1 can (6 oz.) Kishta, or Table Cream
1/4 cup Ghee
1/4 tsp. Orange Food Coloring Powder
Sugar Syrup (directions on my hareesa recipe)
Ground Pistachios, optional
*Below are the exact ingredients I used for the dough and cheese mix
INSTRUCTIONS:
Make your sugar syrup. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Begin by rinsing both the Akawi and Nablusi cheese that have been soaking in water for at least five hours. Soaking the cheese removes any excess salt from them. Once they are rinsed, place the cheeses into a food processor and grind them into a fine cheese crumble.
Add the crumbled cheese in a medium bowl with the kishta. Mix the ingredients together and set aside.
Remove the kataifi pastry dough from the packet and divide the long shreds into about 4 bunches. Add each bunch one at a time into a food processor and blend to shred the pastry even more into finer pieces. I blended each bunch for about 30 seconds. Place all of the shredded dough into a large bowl.
Pour in the three tablespoons of melted ghee into the bowl of shredded dough and coat all of the dough evenly. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the 1/4 cup of ghee and the orange food coloring.
In a round pan that has high edges (my pan is about 15 inches) spread the colored ghee all over the bottom.
Take 3/4 of the buttered pastry dough and cover the entire bottom of the pan, over the colored ghee. Be sure to create an even layer and press the dough into the ghee. You should have a crust-like base.
Take the cheese and spread it all over the kataifi dough, leaving a 1-2 inch border along all the sides. This is so that when the cheese melts it doesn't seep everywhere.
Press the cheese mix into the dough. Take the remaining dough and fill the border you created between the first kataifi layer and the cheese. Sprinkle some kataifi on top of the cheese as well to protect it from burning.
Bake the knafeh for 20 minutes, until the edges of the crust and the dough on top are golden and crispy.
Remove the knafeh from the oven and place a slightly larger flat serving dish on top of the pan. Carefully flip the knafeh pan onto the serving platter so that the bottom layer of dough is now on top. Remove the pan to reveal the knafeh.
Pour the pre-made syrup onto the hot knafeh and decorate it with ground pistachios.
Serve immediately.
Notes: Make this dessert ahead of time and leave out the baking steps. Refrigerate the unbaked knafeh and when you are ready stick it in the oven and proceed with the baking instructions.
To reheat the knafeh, bake in the oven at 400 for 5 minutes (recommended) or place it in the microwave for 45 seconds.
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