Künefe

Hot Cheese Pastry in Syrup

Künefe is shredded pastry soaked in butter, packed round a layer of mild stretchy cheese, baked until crisp and golden and soaked in cool syrup. It must be eaten hot, while the cheese strings out. It is the dessert to order when it is cold outside.

The two recipes agree on about 225 to 250 g of kadayıf pastry, 125 to 145 g of butter and 250 to 300 g of fresh mozzarella, and a syrup of sugar and water with lemon, cooled before it goes over the hot pastry. One bakes for 35 to 40 minutes at 180°C; the other fries it in a pan for 10 minutes a side.

Ingredients

For the syrup

  • 225 g caster sugar
  • 120 ml water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

For the pastry

  • 225 g kadayıf (shredded pastry), thawed if frozen
  • 145 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 300 g fresh mozzarella, drained and sliced
  • 3 tbsp kaymak, clotted cream or mascarpone (optional)
  • 1 to 2 tbsp crushed pistachios, to finish (optional)

Method

  1. Make the syrup Dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat, bring to the boil, add the lemon juice and simmer for about 8 minutes until it coats a spoon. Cool completely.
  2. Prepare the pastry Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Brush a baking tin generously with some of the melted butter. Pull the pastry strands apart and cut into short lengths, then rub with the rest of the butter until every strand is coated.
  3. Layer Press half the pastry firmly into the tin. Cover with the mozzarella and the kaymak if using. Cover with the remaining pastry and press down hard.
  4. Bake Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden and crisp at the edges.
  5. Soak and serve Pour the cool syrup slowly over the hot pastry. Cut into portions and serve at once, while the cheese is still molten, with pistachios scattered on top.

Food safety

Hot syrup and hot pastry burn. Let the syrup cool before you pour it, and keep children away from the oven tray.

Pastry and syrup must be at different temperatures, or the pastry goes soft.

The traditional cheese is an unsalted, stretching Turkish cheese. Mozzarella is the recipes' stand-in.

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