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
Such is the genius of Lebanese pastry chefs.
You can make it with powdered milk, milk (whole or lowfat), half-and-half, or a combo of milk and whipping cream (which is usually my choice).
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups of milk (I prefer to use half-and-half) (1/2 milk and half whipping cream)
- 3 pieces of American-style white bread (like Wonder bread)
- 3 (generous) Tablespoons of cornstarch (30 g or 1.1 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water, 1 teaspoon of rose water
- 1 Tablespoon of sugar (optional: if you are serving the dessert with a syrup, don’t add sugar to ashta)
METHOD:
- Remove the crust from the bread and cut the bread in dice. Place the bread in a saucepan with the milk.
(at this point, you can let the bread soak in the milk all day in the fridge or a few hours)
- Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water.
- Heat the milk and bread stirring from time to time, add the sugar (if using) and when the mixture starts steaming, add the cornstarch mixture. Stir continuously for two minutes, until the mixture thickens; add the rose and orange blossom water and remove from the heat.
- Let it cool and store in the fridge a few hours before using to let it thicken completely. The “cream” (ashta) will keep a few days.
NOTE: All Lebanese creams and puddings are thickened with cornstarch (or wheat starch); sometimes, you will find that the cornstarch was not sufficient and the cream or pudding is not getting thick; it is OK to add more cornstarch, starting with one tablespoon, diluted in a bit of liquid to get it thicker, and it should then thicken within one minute.
70 Comments
I love ashta but had no idea how to re-create the wonder in the states. So excited to give this a try!
That is genius!
I will definitely give it a try to taste it. Is it ok if I use plain toast bread? Because in Greece we do not have wonder bread. It must taste uniquely.
une crème pour moi.
A bientôt.
I heard that Lebanese pastry chefs are great, now I know why!
Katerina, any type of white soft bread is OK, just remove the crust, and cut the bread on little pieces.
I am definitely making this – thanks for the recipe and the new cuisine
A very unique cream!
A great recipe to have on hand for those times you don’t have cream or don’t want to use cream. But a loaf of Wonder Bread would last me a year! I didn’t realize that one uses orange flower water and rosewater together. Is this common?
Wow, I learn so much from you! Never heard of this. The bread part is fascinating.
wow, I never knew this is how it was made. Thanks for sharing, will now look up a recipe that uses this so I can try it out!
I love ashta… yours look perfect
Yum! I can imagine the rose and orange flower water add such a fragrant and delicious touch to this wonderful cream! Great photos!
Mmm… I am sitting here drooling… Seriously, I would love to try this Labanese cream!
very interseting recipe actually
crème vraiment économique, est ce que on peut l’utiliser pour une tarte, bisou joumana
Radia, oui seulement tu dois y mettre suffisamment de maizena, c’est tout! Elle sera bien épaisse avec 3 cuillères, sinon ajoute un peu plus pour la quantité donnée. Bisous!
I can’t believe how much it looks like clotted cream without containing any cream at all! The white bread in this recipe is a really brilliant idea. I need to make this!
I see this on the menu a lot, but never it was bread based. Thanks for sharing!
Well…if I didn’t have a clue what Ashta was before…once again, Joumana has enlightened me.
Now, on another little note…for those who may be turned off by using cornstarch like I am…I discovered and experimented with a great substitute called ‘Arrowroot’ powder…easily found at natural food stores as well as some large grocery stores. The ratio is 1:1…no headaches of conversion ;o) I hope I didn’t over-step with my suggestion
Thanks for this very easy recipe…I might just integrate it with making some Italian based desserts.
Flavourful wishes, Claudia
Bonsoir,
belle créme bien faite!, bonne fête à toi et à bientôt.
bises
byba
Sarah: it is very common in Lebanese pastry to use both rose and orange blossom water; you will find it combined in puddings and all creams.
j’ai déjà essayé cette crème et je la trouve délicieuses comme tous
bonne soirée
Yummy cream. I’d love to put this on top of fruit salad. I suppose that will work as well?
Elra: You can use it on anything that requires cream.
Thanks for visiting and your kind comments! Your blog is very interesting and so is this cream. Pure cream is sometimes too rich for me so this would be great to try.
This is unlike any cream recipe I’ve ever seen! Very unique! I can’t wait to give it a try.
That looks very good! Interesting about the no cream, and bread in the recipe. I have to try it!
I am definitely going to make this as soon as my creme fraiche is gone. (Just made a batch for weekend company.) This is a recipe that sounds really delicious, and is the perfect place to use that white bread substitute (big grin). I always appreciate your teaching me about your cuisine… not only because it is delicious, but because I can take your ideas and use them so many places within my own pantry.
Big hug,
Valerie
Such a nice recipe, i would love to try this
yours is healthy “cream” … love the idea of it being light and low-fat
It sounds great, and creame fraiche is hard to find sometimes. the tabouleh gazpacho looks delicious, what a great idea.:-)
Oh elle est incroyable cette crème!je suis tres intriguée je dois dire surtout avec le pain de mie, finalement rien à voir avec une crème patissière, ni chantilly…juste une crème ingénieuse des chefs libanais qui ressemble a un pudding peut-être? Donc elle se consomme avec des fruits ou plutôt sur des toasts comme sur la photo?
Non en fait elle se consomme avec toutes les douceurs arabes; je vais en faire au fur et à mesure; mais on peut la manger comme on veut bien sûr! moi je l’aime comme ça entre deux biscuits!
I’m curious to try this! Thanks for sharing your recipe for Lebanese cream, it looks tasty and I’m sure delicious on many things, I’m thinking fresh fruit and cake.
wow- this is just so amazing i had no idea it was this easy! thanks for sharing xx
What a great idea! I would love to try this…a healthier version. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, that looks really interesting. I’d so like to taste.
Petra
this is extraordinarily unique and delightful! right off the top of my head, i can think of at least 20 uses for it.
Cream without cream – that’s great! Thanks for sharing!
superb joumana, i’ve never had this before. but it looks simple and fantastic and cream free substitute for cream! chilled ashta with frozen berries thats what i’ll be eating soon
Gosh…wouldn’t I love to try this!! I didn’t know the Lebanese had their own cream like that.
Cream without Cream… thats unique !
Have a nice day, Jou!
Oh my goodness, I think this is awesome! Had never thought of making it this way before. You’re so cool! Thanks so much for sharing. Have a wonderful day!
Cheers, Kristy
Ashta looks divine, Joumana! How about with fruit? Looks like a perfect match to me.
This looks amazing. What a creative way to produce a cream like quality without cream. I would really enjoy this as a pastry cream or just on my bread.
Some of the most enjoyable recipes are the simple ones, made from necessity and from those rare breed of cooks that can create wonders in the kitchen. Add Ashta cream into the pantheon of such recipes.
I am so glad I found your site. You are opening an entire world of cooking to me.
Intriguing recipe Joumana. I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate the concept into National Dairy Month which is in June…Let me see, make your own home made cream minus the cream…Ingenious! I’m wondering whether the yeast in the bread has anything to do with it “setting up” or is it simply the cornstarch? Whichever, it looks heavenly!!!
Thank you so much for sharing…
There are kind of dessert you think you need to avoid but not this. It is absolutely delicious, smooth, velvety. We always make some sort of ashta dessert for our several get together, and it its always a hit. It makes a great impact and everyone devours it.I never knew you need to add bread in the cream, Joumana does the bread melts, or stays lumpy in the cream. I tried the low fat version don’t work as well, you need a little richness from the fat.
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