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Recipe Detail Page
Kataifi with Walnuts & Wildflower Honey Syrup
Spring 2016
Kataifi dough is available frozen in the pastry aisle of some large grocers and is a mainstay of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food shops. If you’ve never worked with it before it’s worth assuring you that your first go won’t look perfect, but it will be perfectly delicious. Like phyllo, kataifi should be thawed overnight in the refrigerator.
Serves 10
1½ cups (375 mL) water
1½ cups (375 mL) plus 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar, divided
¾ cup (175 mL) wildflower honey
1 strip orange peel, 3 inches (8 cm) long
1 strip lemon peel, 3 inches (8 cm) long
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
1½ cups (375 mL) finely chopped walnuts
¼ tsp (1 mL) ground cloves
1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 pkg (454 g) kataifi, thawed and still in package
¾ cup (175 mL) unsalted butter, melted (1 stick plus 4 tbsp/60 mL)
Vanilla ice cream to serve
1 Combine water, 1½ cups (375 mL) sugar and honey in a medium pot over medium heat; stir to dissolve sugar. Add both peels, cinnamon sticks and lemon juice; bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Remove syrup from heat and cool to room temperature.
2 In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar, walnuts, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle 3 tbsp (45 mL) cooled syrup over and mix to combine.
3 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
4 Remove kataifi from box; while still in plastic sleeve, massage dough to loosen as best you can. Remove plastic and separate strands lengthwise in 20 equal portions, covering with a lightly damp kitchen towel as you go.
5 Brush bottom of a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking dish with some of the butter. Working with one piece of the dough at a time, spread out a strip roughly 2 inches (5 cm) wide; brush liberally with butter. Place 1 generous tbsp (15 mL-plus) of the walnut mixture on end closest to you and roll into a snug cylinder, tucking in stray pieces and filling as you go. Place in baking dish and repeat with remaining dough and filling, arranging rolls in dish equidistant from each other. Drizzle any remaining butter (if any) overtop and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden.
6 Remove solids from syrup and discard. Pour room-temperature syrup over hot kataifi, cover dish loosely with parchment and allow to rest until rolls have absorbed most of the syrup and are room temperature, 5 to 6 hours. Serve 2 rolls per person along with a spoonful of ice cream.
Serves 10
