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Kunafah bil Kishta

Shredded phyllo dough filled with a decadent vanilla bean infused cream, soaked in a sweet simple syrup makes this a decadent dessert your whole family will enjoy.
Course Dessert
Cuisine egyptian, Middle Eastern

Ingredients
  

For the syrup:

  • 2 c sugar
  • 1.5 c water
  • 1/4 fresh squeezed lemon juice

For the cream filling:

  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1/4 c cold milk
  • 2 c heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean pod or 1 tbsp vanilla paste

For the pastry dough crust:

  • One box of kunafa shredded dough Prepare by removing the frozen dough from the freezer and thawing in the refrigerator 24 hours before cooking.
  • 3/4 cup clarified butter (unsalted butter is fine) soft, not melted
  • 3/4 cup melted ghee ( melted unsalted butter is fine)

Instructions
 

For the samnah (aka ghee) clarified butter:

  • This is easier if you make it in advance.
  • Melt the butter in a pot.
  • Once it boils, turn down the heat. Allow to cool. Scrape off the particles that come to the top and allow to cool until softened. Store in an airtight jar on the counter or in the pantry.

For the Syrup:

  • In a large pot, stir the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, and the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon juice and reduce to medium-low heat. Allow to simmer until sightly thickened. This step could be done well in advance or even a day prior.

For the cream filling:

  • Pour the heavy cream into a small pot and simmer on medium-low heat.
  • Slice open the vanilla bean, scrape all the beans out, and drop into the heavy cream. Add the empty pod into the cream. Allow to simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Remove the wooden pod.
  • Meanwhile, dissolve the corn starch in the cold milk.
  • Turn the heat down to low, and slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture into the cream. Be careful not to let the cream stick to the pot or scorch. Stir until thickened and remove from heat.

For the kunafa crust:

  • Loosen and fluff the kunafa dough in a large bowl. Chop the ling strands into shorter pieces with a sharp knife. If you will make this in a large flat pan, it is better to shop the shreds of dough into small pieces to press down by pulsing in a food processor briefly.
  • Massage the pastry dough with 1 cup of softened ghee or clarified butter. Rub all the dough until it is all well coated with butter and all loose.

Assembling the dessert:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F), and move the baking rack to the center.
  • Using half the dough, press it into the bottom of a circular pan. Press firmly so that the dough goes up the sides slightly, and there are not any openings or cracks. This will eventually be the top of the kunafa when you flip it, so make sure it is evenly spread.
  • Pour the vanilla cream all over the bottom layer.
  • Carefully place the remainder of the buttered kunafa dough over the cream, making sure all the cream is covered all the way to the edges, without pressing the cream to ooze out. Make sure you gently pat down any of the shreds down so they are not sticking up, or they will scorch in the oven.
  • Pour the melted butter evenly over the entire pan to soak it in butter.
  • Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden.
  • As soon as the kunafa is removed from the oven, pour the cooled syrup all over, evenly. You might not need all of it. After about 20 minutes, flip the kunafa onto a serving platter, leaving the pan over it for a minute. This is important to ensure the syrup goes to the bottom of pastry after flipping, so that is is not dry on the bottom.
  • Garnish with crushed pistachios
Keyword cream, dessert, knafeh, kunafah, vanilla