Atayef are the equivalent  of American pancakes; they contain no eggs; they are only cooked on one side; stuffed with either nuts or cream or cheese; served with a flavored  syrup.

Atayef  are considered a dessert, not a breakfast food; in Beirut, there are shops where people order these; you can get the clotted cream or ashta there and the syrup as well.

Atayef:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour (better if you use cake flour
• 1 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 Tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon of sugar

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl, sift the flour, sugar and baking powder; mix with a wire whisk.
2. Pour the milk in a bowl; gradually add the flour, sugar and baking powder mixture.
3. Mix with the wire whisk; the consistency should be a little thicker than a crêpe batter. If the batter is too thick, add a little milk. Do not let it rest.
4. Heat a crêpe or pancake nonstick skillet till very hot; grease it with a half teaspoon of oil or spray it;  place the equivalent of 1/4 cup of batter in the skillet to  form a circle. Let it cook for a few minutes on one side; when it has formed little bubbles and it looks dry, take it out onto a plate. Do not flip it.
5. As soon as all the atayefs are cooked, fill them with some ashta (cream) a bit of cherry coulis, pinching  on one end to form a spoon shape and place in a serving platter; serve right away or refrigerate for a few hours.

To make the ashta or cream: click here or substitute ricotta, sweetened with a tablespoon of sugar if you wish.

To make the cherry sauce:

1. I used a can of sour cherry jam, some fresh cherries deseeded and a tablespoon of starch (corn or wheat); bring to a simmer and stir until the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes; cool and serve.
2. Substitute: red currant jam with some fresh or frozen cherries.

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 cream and served with a small pitcher of syrup.

To buy shredded phyllo online, click here. I buy it in the frozen section of my neighborhood mid-eastern store.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2  pound of Kadaifi or shredded phyllo dough (1/2 package)
• 6 ounces of  clarified butter
• 1 batch of ashta (can substitute ricotta cheese)
• 1 batch of syrup or honey

METHOD:

1. Separated the strands of shredded phyllo with your fingers; dip them in the clarified butter until all the strands are moistened with butter. Form into the shape you want, either small nests or one large pie.
2. I used the dome molds but a mini-muffin pan could be used just as easily. Heat the oven to 375F and bake them till well browned all over.
3. Remove delicately from the molds and place on paper towels to get rid of the excess grease.
4. Place on a serving platter, place a dollop of ashta on top of each nest and a smidgeon of orange blossom jam (or nothing). Serve with a pitcher of syrup or honey on the side.

NOTE: This dessert benefits from being prepared in advance: the nests of shredded phyllo can be formed in muffin tins (ungreased) and then left to dry out in the open for a day or two; then dipped in melted butter, placed back in the pan, and baked in the oven till extra crisp and golden-brown.

The syrup can be prepared in advance and the ashta or cream as well (the day before).

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 (or milk and cream or half-and-half or powdered milk)
• 3 pieces of American-style white bread (like Wonder bread)
• 3 (generous) Tablespoons of cornstarch
• 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:

1. Remove the crust from the bread and cut the bread in dice. Place the bread in a saucepan with the milk (less 1/2 cup of milk)

(at this point, you can let the bread soak in the milk all day in the fridge or a few hours)

1. Take the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and stir in it the  cornstarch.
2. Heat the milk and bread stirring from time to time,  add the sugar (if using) and when the mixture starts steaming, add the cornstarch diluted in the 1/2 cup of  milk. Stir continuously for two minutes, until the mixture thickens; add the rose and orange blossom water and remove from the heat.

1. Let it cool and store covered in the fridge a few hours before using to let it thicken completely, or overnight. 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.

The next thing that a Lebanese  foodie would do upon arrival in Beirut is check out the neighborhood fruit stalls. Found some cherimoya (ashta in Arabic or anone in French) and had to taste the fruit Mark Twain called ” the most delicious fruit known to man”. Here again, I was not disappointed. Meltingly sweet, with a flesh so tender it dissolved in the mouth, a taste of the most heavenly pear you have ever experienced…I wish you could all have one! Grown about 30 miles near Beirut, in Nahr Ibrahim ( River of Abraham), it did not travel far. Nahr Ibrahim is also known by the river of the God Adonis (God of fertility). Legend has it that he died there in the Spring and the river got tainted red with his blood, hence the reddish hue of that river. Archeological sights abound near  there, going back to Phoenician times as well as Greeks, Romans and more. It is said to be the path of a  pilgrimage in antiquity when  people would partake in bacchanals near  the source of that river in Faqra, a few miles north.

When the fruit yields to gentle pressure, it is ready. Tear a piece gently and suck the white flesh, which will instantly melt in your mouth and release a black seed; then reflect on the wonder of God’s creations as you sigh in marveled contentment.

Translated into English, this dessert is called: Bread of the Sultan’s palace or seraglio. The sultan referred to is the Turkish one, from the Ottoman period and the seraglio is a reference to the harem’s quarters. I am told that this dish is Lebanese which makes sense considering Lebanon was under Ottoman rule for four hundred years.  When you taste this dish, you will understand why the name is so fitting. The bread is doused and cooked in a caramel syrup until it is totally imbibed in syrup, the clotted cream or ashta sits majestically on top of the bread and one bite will make you wish you lived in the Sultan’s palace  among  the cadines (wives of the Sultan) or kalfas ( ladies in waiting)

Incidentally, I read a book called De la Part de la princesse morte, by Kenizé Mourad (tran. From the departed princess), that had a lasting impression on me. It is a true story written by the daughter of an Ottoman princess and recounts the last years of the Empire, the exile of the imperial family to Beirut and the marriage of the princess to an Indian Maharajah and her subsequent escape to Paris. A fascinating story that I read several times until this past summer when it really hit a personal note; I became friends with one of my dad’s nieces whose mother had been Turkish. This niece revealed to me that her grandmother had been the cousin of this Ottoman princess (whose book the story is about) and that she had in her possession a trunk full of letters, diaries and mementos from the Ottoman family!

This dessert is simple to make and although rich it has neither  eggs nor butter; the components can be assembled at different times and the dish prepared a few minutes before serving. It is usually prepared and served for a party in a large platter but I wanted to tailor it to individual servings instead.

I consulted Anissa Helou’s book Lebanese Cuisine for the recipe, but adapted the quantities; and for good measure, I also consulted Nada Saleh Seductive Flavours of the Levant, who uses a  slightly  different technique.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 round loaf white bread or 20  slices sandwich bread, crusts cut off (use the bread crumbs if you are making individual servings, it is easier to manage)
• 9 ounces sugar (1 1/4 cups)
• 4 ounces water
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water
• 1 tablespoon of rose water
• 2 cups of ashta (recipe follows) OR ricotta cheese (whole-milk or light version)
• 1 cup or more of pistachios

METHOD:

Preparing the bread:

1. If you are using a whole bread, you will cut off the crust on all sides and place the bread in a pan that fits its size. The thickness of the bread should be about one inch (2 1/2 cms) If you are using sandwich bread, use a food processor (or your hands) to obtain small pieces or medium-sized crumbs and place in the dish of your choice.
2. Place the sugar, water and fresh lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil and let it boil for about 15 minutes stirring,  until the caramel takes on a pretty golden-brown color.
3. Right before the caramel takes on that color, boil around one cup of water in a teakettle nearby. When the sugar is the color you want, place the saucepan in the sink, and while holding your face safely away from the pan, start adding very slowly the boiling water. Be very careful to avoid getting burned.
4. If using a whole bread, place the bread in the pan and cook it in the caramel until the caramel is absorbed. If using breadcrumbs, place them over the caramel and let the breadcrumbs absorb the caramel and cool, cooking them if necessary over low-medium heat, or in the oven till absorbed.

Preparing the clotted cream:

Homemade clotted cream or ashta:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups half-and-half or a mixture of milk and whipping cream
• 2 slices of sandwich bread
• 2 heaping  tablespoons of  cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons orange blossom water and 2 teaspoons rose water

METHOD:

1. Cut off the crusts of the bread and cut in small dice or pieces.
2. Place the half-and-half and the bread on medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
3. After about 10 minutes, the bread will have dissolved into crumbs and started melding into the cream. Continue stirring until it is steaming. At this point, add the cornstarch and water mixture and stirring constantly let the mixture thicken for one or two minutes. Add the flavored waters and stir about 30 seconds more.
4. Cool the ashta.

Fast and easy method using ricotta cheese :

METHOD:

1. Add to the ricotta cheese the orange blossom water and the rose water, beating slightly with a fork. Use as you would the clotted cream. Use 2 cups of ricotta cheese.

FINAL ASSEMBLY OF THE DISH:

1. Place the caramel-soaked bread (or crumbs) in the dish or ramequins that you selected, tapping gently to even out the top surface.
2. Cover the bread with a generous layer of cream or ricotta cheese. Place in the fridge for thirty minutes or so.
3. Cover the top creamy layer with finely chopped pistachios. Do not substitute any other nuts, if you want to stick to the traditional dessert.
4. Serve.

I found out about this event a few days ago. Sounded very interesting especially since Turkey was the first country mentioned and I am going to visit Istanbul for the first time in December!

Prior to this dish, you would have mentioned pumpkin dessert to me, and frankly you would not have gotten a very enthusiastic response. NOT ANYMORE.  I guarantee that you will swoon (like I did) when you taste this! I am now going to have to serve it at Thanksgiving dinner, and that’s all there is to it! This dessert encapsulates all that one is looking for in a pumpkin pie, sweetness, richness, smoothness, the wonderful taste of a mellow fruit, with none of the unnecessary additions, such as a crust or eggs or extra spices. Pure flavor. Deep pleasure.

All that is required is roasting a few slices of pumpkin, caramelizing them with some sugar and placing a dollop of thick cream or kaimak on top!

Recipe is from Seductive Flavours of the Levant by Nada Saleh. She brought this recipe back with her from Turkey. I have always been awed by the legacies of the Ottomans who ruled our region for 400 years and had heard stories from my grandmother about al-atraak, as she called them. Not very happy stories I am afraid, but at least in the culinary realm, there is so much that we can be thankful for as  we learned a lot from their extraordinary culture.

I have adapted this recipe  by roasting the pumpkin slices instead of cooking them on the stove and using brown sugar.

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will serve 4

4 (or more) pieces of pumpkin, peeled and placed side by side in a pan

brown sugar (or white sugar) as needed (depends on how many slices of pumpkin you use), about 1 1/2 cup

cream: can be kaimak, or mascarpone, or homemade ashta or heavy whipping cream, whipped

METHOD:

1. Cut the pumpkin, starting at the top, and cut in smallish slices (about 5X7 inches)
2. Peel the pumpkin slices (I was feeling lazy and I left them un-peeled, OK, you just peel them later!
3. Place the pumpkin slices  in a pan large enough so that they can all fit in one layer
4. Cover the pumpkin slices very generously with sugar, cover the pan and let it sit overnight.
5. Heat the oven to 350F and roast the pumpkin slices, basting them with the sugar syrup every so often.
6. Bake until the pumpkin slices are thoroughly cooked and soft, about 45 minutes for 4 large pieces.
7. Turn the broiler on and let the pumpkin slices broil and caramelize for a couple of minutes.
8. Remove from the oven. Serve warm with a dollop of kaimak, or whipped cream or mascarpone cheese.

NOTE:

Kaimak is a thick cream that can be found in ethnic or middle-eastern stores. A good substitute can be mascarpone cheese.

This is the title of a famous song (with Chris de Burgh and Elissa Lebanese night ) but it is also the name of a famous dessert in Beirut.  My cousin had been urging me to try it…  ”you have got to go with me to El-Ajami and order their layalee lubnan, it is to die for!” So, off we went one day and of course it was de-li-cious!!!!   The muhallabiyeh was silky-smooth, the ashta on top was fluffy and creamy, the sliced bananas tasty and soft , the almonds crunchy…a dessert made in heaven.

So, I had to try to make it at home.

I made it in 2 stages. I made the muhallabiyeh one day, then the following day I made the ashta and the atter. The garnishing can be done at the last minute with variations based on what you have in your pantry. I like bananas and I like pomegranate seeds for the tartness and the color contrast. Some people like to add preserved dates and pistachios. I think it is a big winner as far as desserts go because it is loved by everyone and  can be made with lowfat milk and cream without damaging the flavor.

INGREDIENTS: Quantity to serve 4 to 6 people. It can be halved or doubled.

• 4 cups of milk
• 4 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 ounces of water to make a paste
• 4 Tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of rose water and 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water

METHOD:

• Place the milk and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat and stir until it starts steaming.
• Add the cornstarch  paste and keep stirring until the mixture thickens.
• Add the flavoring and stir some more.
• Remove from the heat and pour through a sieve into a large serving bowl or individual bowls.
• Let it cool then refrigerate.

TO MAKE ASHTA AND SYRUP:

From Lebanese Cuisine by Anissa Helou, adapted.

To make Ashta:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 slices of American white toast bread
• 2 cups of half-and-half (light cream)
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch diluted in a bit of  light cream or milk

METHOD:

• Place the bread on a cutting board and cut the crusts off. Cut the remaining bread in small cubes.
• Pour the half-and-half in a heavy-bottom saucepan and add the bread cubes. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes or so, until the bread cubes have completely dissolved into the cream, stirring as much as possible and watching the heat to prevent the cream from burning at the bottom. When the mixture starts steaming, add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Turn off the heat, pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool. It will thicken and form a thin crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few days until needed.

To make the atter (syrup):

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of rose water and 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water

METHOD:

• Place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring from time to time. Boil for 5 minutes then add the flavoring and boil 30 seconds longer.
• Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool. It can  be kept in a jar and refrigerated for a few weeks, to use as needed.

ASSEMBLY:

• If you want to unmold the pudding, use a nonstick mold and run some icy water on it ( it worked for me )
• Unmold the pudding onto a serving dish by pressing a towel moistened with very hot water on the back of it.
• Place a few tablespoons of ashta on top of the muhallabiyeh.
• Slice a banana and place the slices around the cream.
• Sprinkle almonds or pistachios or pomegranate seeds on top of the bananas.
• Drizzle some syrup  or honey over the pudding or serve on the side.

Talk about an easy and delicious dessert! I had it in Beirut at a fancy restaurant and my friend Hoda vowed to try to  make it at home.  So, a few days later she invited me to come over to her place in Mosaiytbeh in West Beirut. She assembled it in a few minutes and then called her neighbor Marion and her daughter who was in town from London to come over. We inhaled at least five each! t is creamy, tangy, light and you can even say, good for you! It is the kind of dessert I would serve to children of any age without hesitation. What could be better than eating some apricots and a little cream?

Quantity will serve 6 people. Recipe is adapted from Seductive Flavors of the Levant by Nada Saleh

OK, here’s the ingredients:

1 lb dried apricots

12 oz granulated sugar

1 pint of water

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of orange blossom water (optional) or rose water or both

1/2 lb of cream (more on that later, it could be store-bought kaimak or ricotta or homemade ashta)

4 Tablespoons of finely ground pistachios

METHOD:

1. Soak the apricots overnight in hot water to soften them.
2. Heat the water and sugar and stir to dissolve. Let it simmer for a while (about 10-15 minutes) then add the drained apricots and lemon juice  and cook until the syrup has  thickened. Add the flavorings if using and simmer a few seconds then turn off the heat.
3. Transfer the apricots to a serving platter and cool.

To assemble, split the apricots and fill each with about one tablespoon of cream. Drizzle some syrup over the fruit and sprinkle the ground pistachios. Sahteyn!

TO MAKE ASHTA: Refer to the post on Ashta

This recipe is from Anissa Helou’s Mediterranean Street Food

Simmer a pint of half-and-half with 2 slices of white bread (crusts removed), torn into tiny pieces. Stir the mixture on medium heat for about 10 minutes and then cool. The texture and taste is very close to the original ashta.

Nothing equals the sheer ecstasy in savoring a full cream ashta. I had the absolute best ashta of my life in Baghdad in the early seventies , at the home of Dr El-Khalidi who ordered it and had it served for us with fresh eggs in the morning. In those days in Irak they had fresh water buffaloes and amazing ashta..  I don’t think there are any more buffaloes around and we have to make do. There is a  method of preparing ashta which is time consuming and involves heating milk or cream and removing the top layer every so often.   Lebanese cooking professionals devised a foolproof method that takes minutes and uses everyday ingredients. Powdered milk and some cornstarch and a couple slices of American-style white bread and the usual flavorings of rose water and orange blossom water and it is done!

So, this is the basic recipe that is used for all the sweets such as katayef, osmallyyah, layalee lubnan,etc.

This recipe is taken from Ma’edat Marlene by Marlene Mattar. The same recipe can also be found in Anissa Helou’s book Lebanese cuisine, with a slight variation: she uses half and half instead of powdered milk, which gives it a wonderful silky texture.

INGREDIENTS: To make about 1 cup or 4 servings

2 slices of American-style white bread

1 pint of half-and-half or 1/2 milk and 1/2 cream

1 heaping Tablespoon   of cornstarch, diluted in a bit of water

1 Tablespoon of sugar (optional)

1 teaspoon of orange blossom water

1 teaspoon of rose water (optional)

METHOD:

• Start by cutting the edges off the bread. Cut the soft white part in dices.
• Pour the half-and-half or milk and cream mixture (or whole milk) in a heavy-bottomed saucepan; add the diced bread and let it soak in the milk mixture for as long as possible, a day if you can.
• Heat the milk and bread mixture, add the sugar if using; dilute the cornstarch in water; stir the milk mixture continuously until it starts to steam; add the cornstarch and keep stirring until the mixture thickens, making sure it does not burn (adjust the heat).
• Add the flavoring if using, stir a few seconds more and remove from the heat. Pour into a bowl, let it cool and then cover with plastic and store in the fridge overnight to give the cream a chance to thicken. Serve with syrup.