International Recipes
Kadaifi
Ingredients
- 12 ounces walnuts or almonds, coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces granulated sugar
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for walnut filling or 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel for almond filling
- 1 pound thread-like Kadaifi pastry
- 6 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, for the top (optional)
- 1 pound caster sugar
- 3/4 pint water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 or 2 pieces lemon rind
Instructions
- Mix all the filling ingredients well, in a bowl.
- Brush a large baking dish with butter. Pull a small handful of pastry lightly and spread it flat on a wooden board. Place a large tablespoon of filling in one end of the pastry and roll the pastry tightly over it, making sure the filling is securely enclosed. The result should resemble a cylindrical fat parcel, about 4 inches long. Place these parcels in rows in the baking dish with space in between so the sides can brown.
- Melt butter, and pour 1 to 2 tablespoons over each piece of kadaifi.
- Bake in a preheated oven, 350 degrees F, for 30 minutes.
- Increase temperature to 425 degrees F and bake an additional 10 minutes. The pastries should have a crisp and pale golden appearance. Let them cool while making the syrup.
- Dissolve the sugar in water, add the lemon juice and rind, and boil gently for 8-10 minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly.
- Pour the hot syrup slowly over the cool kadaifi and let stand in the dish until the syrup is completely absorbed.
- Sprinkle a little cinnamon on each piece.