Greek Almond and Walnut Kataifi
These look nice and are delicious according to all who have tried them including DH who supposedly hates walnuts. I suggest looking at photos on Google if you have never seen these before trying to prepare them. Modified from a recipe on http://greekfood.about.com
READY IN: 1hr 25mins
SERVES: 18-24
YIELD: 18-24 Pastries
UNITS: US
INGREDIENTS
Nutrition- 1lb kataifi pastry, unfrozen per package instructions (may not be halal if contains lecithin, found in Greek and some Middle Eastern shops)
- 1
Filling
- 1
- 1cup almonds, coarsely ground (loz)
- 1⁄2cup white sugar
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄2teaspoon ground cloves
- 1large egg white, lightly beaten
- 1tablespoon water
Syrup
- 2
- 1 1⁄8cups water
- 1⁄2teaspoon lemon juice
- 1thin strip lemon peel
- 3
- 1tablespoon honey
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
- Prepare syrup:
- Heat the water in a saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Add the lemon juice, peel, and cloves, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the honey, remove from the heat, strain, and set aside to cool.
- Prepare filling:
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling and blend well with a wooden spoon.
- A word about kataïfi dough:
- This dough comes commercially packaged in a long strip, about 3 inches wide. To prepare it for this recipe, lay the long strip out on a clean work surface and divide it into 18-24 pieces, gently spreading the strands out a bit if they clump together. Each piece will be used to create an individual kataïfi roll. Keep unused dough covered with a piece of waxed paper and a damp towel on top of that to keep it from drying out.
- Brush a strip with melted butter.
- Place a tablespoon of the filling at one end of the strip and roll up into a cylinder, tucking in any stray pieces of dough. Take care to roll the pastry tightly so that the filling is securely enclosed.
- Place the rolls seam side down in a lightly buttered baking dish, close together but not squashed, and brush well with butter. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown and crispy looking.
- Remove from oven, pour cool syrup over the pastry and cover with a clean towel. Let cool about 3-4 hours as it absorbs the syrup.
- Enjoy!