Khunafah- an Arabian sweet

Khunafah is a Middle Eastern sweet cheese or cream dessert, topped with pistachios and drizzled with sugar syrup. It varies from region to region in the kinds of cheese or cream used. In Lebanon it is often eaten for breakfast sandwiched in a sesame seed bun.

 Ingredients

Kunafa dough - 1 package (1/2 Kg)
Butter (unsalted) - 225 gm (melted)
Fresh cream or thick cream - 400 ml
Milk - 1 cup
Corn flour - ¼ cup
All purpose flour (Maida) - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 5 tbs
Rose water - 2 tsp

Sugar Syrup

Ingredients

Water - 1 ½ cup
Sugar - 2 ½ cup
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Rose water - 1 ½ to 2 tsp

 Method

Combine all the above ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce the flame and heat it for few minutes.

Method

Shred the Kunafa dough in a deep bowl or crush it in a food processor.Keep this shredded kunafa dough in a deep bowl and add melted butter to it and mix it with hand till well combined. Keep it aside.
In a sauce pan, take fresh cream and milk mixed with corn flour and all purpose flour and mix well without lumps. Add sugar and rose water to it and bring it to boil stirring continuously.
Reduce the flame and cook for another five minutes till it becomes thick stirring continuously. Remove from flame.
Take a round cake pan, grease it with little butter and half of the prepared Kunafa dough to it and press evenly with your hand.
Pour the prepared cream mixture over the Kunafa base and spread evenly.Put the remaining Kunafa dough over it and spread evenly and press lightly.

Pre heat the oven to 200 degree and bake it for about 45-55 minutes (till it turns golden color). Take it out from the oven immediately pour the sugar syrup all over and leave it for about 30 minutes.
Run a sharp knife around the walls of the pan to remove the Kunafa easily from the pan. Invert this Kunafa upside down to a serving plate. Cut it to desired shape and garnish with chopped pistachios.