Monthly Archives: May 2010

Shredded phyllo with clotted cream (Ossmaliyeh bel Ashta)

This is a homestyle version of one of the most popular desserts served in traditional Lebanese restaurants and pastry shops in Beirut. It comes either in a large pie format or in individual servings. It is composed of a super crispy base of fried or oven-toasted shredded phyllo  dough, topped with unsweetened ashta or clotted [...]
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Lebanese cream (Ashta)

Ashta, our Lebanese cream is the foundation for all pastries; yet it does not contain cream. Sure, there was a time when ashta was pure cream. Nowadays, it is made with milk (frequently powdered milk in Lebanon), fresh American-style  toast and flavorings! The result: a clotted cream that tastes fresh and light, without any cream [...]
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Tabouleh Gazpacho

This is a recipe from Lebanese chef Marlene Mattar; I tweaked it a bit, for a good cause (my tomatoes were tasteless). Chef Marlene took a Lebanese classic, our tabbouleh salad and converted it to a gazpacho. The result? A soup that will reconcile you with the scorching heat of summer. A cooling beverage of [...]
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