Knafeh Custard Pastry
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
For pastry
- 300g/10.6ozs. kataifi pastry or cornflakes
- 125g/4ozs. melted browned butter plus 2 tablespoons for brushing tin
- Pinch salt
For custard filling
- 500ml/17flozs. full cream milk
- 150ml/5flozs. cream
- 100g/3.5ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 30g/1oz. semolina flour
- 30g/1oz. cornflour/fine cornstarch
- 100g/3.5ozs. mozzarella cheese
- 200g/7ozs. mozzarella cheese to top
For syrup
- 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs sugar
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs. water
- 1/2 orange, sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To serve
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios and rose petals to decorate
Step 1 - First prepare the pastry. Preheat oven to 150C/300F. Grind up the kataifi pastry or cornflakes in a food processor in 2 or 3 lots until it resembles fine crumbs. Thermomix directions: process kataifi at speed 9 for 30 seconds in 2-3 lots.
Step 2 - Melt the browned butter and mix with the kataifi crumbs and spread out onto a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until crunchy. Note: if you are using cornflakes you do not need to bake them, just combine with melted butter.
Step 3 - Make the custard. Whisk the milk, cream, sugar, and two flours and then increase heat to medium and stir until thick. Thermomix directions: process the milk, cream, sugar and two flours on speed 5 for 15 seconds. Then set to 7 minutes, 90C and speed 3. Then add the first 100g/3.5oz. lot of mozzarella cheese to the custard and stir through until the cheese melts.
Step 4 - Preheat oven to 210C/410F. Brush a 24cm/9.4inch x 1 inch deep round dish with butter. Layer half of the kataifi or cornflake crumbs on the bottom of the dish. Then spoon over the custard. Then add a layer the second 200g/7oz lot of mozzarella on top. Then sprinkle the rest of the buttered crumbs on top gently smoothing it over (the custard should be thick enough so that the pastry doesn't sink too much). Bake for 20 minutes.
Step 5 - While the knafeh is baking make the syrup. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and melt the sugar on medium heat. Add the orange slices, cinnamon stick, cloves and vanilla. Turn the heat to medium high and simmer with the lid off until slightly reduced but not too thick-around 7-8 minutes will do (10 minutes will make it too thick and syrupy).
Step 6 - Pour the syrup on top of the knafeh when out of the oven and top with pistachios and rose petals and serve while warm out of the oven. Knafeh is always best served straight away.