Kunefe (Turkish Cheese Pastry)

About This Recipe

Kunefe is a dramatic dessert built around contrast: crisp buttered kadayif pastry outside, molten unsalted cheese inside, fragrant syrup soaking through the layers, and pistachios scattered over the top. The key is control. The syrup must be cool when it meets the hot pastry so the crust stays crisp, the cheese must be mild and stretchy rather than salty, and the pastry must be pressed firmly into the pan so it browns evenly. Served minutes after cooking, kunefe stretches as it is cut, making it one of the most memorable desserts in Turkish and Levantine cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 350 gfresh kadayif shredded pastry
• 160 gbutter, melted
• 300 gunsalted kunefe cheese or low-moisture mozzarella
• 250 gsugar
• 220 mlwater
• 1 tsplemon juice
• 2 tbspground pistachios
• 1 tbspkaymak or clotted cream, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Make syrup

   Simmer sugar and water for 8 minutes. Add lemon juice, simmer 1 minute, then cool completely.

2. 2

   Butter the pastry

   Pull kadayif strands apart with your fingers. Toss thoroughly with melted butter until every strand is coated.

3. 3

   Layer the pan

   Press half the pastry into a buttered shallow pan. Add cheese evenly, leaving a small border, then cover with remaining pastry and press firmly.

4. 4

   Cook until crisp

   Cook over medium-low heat 8 to 10 minutes until the base is deep golden. Flip carefully onto a plate, slide back into the pan, and cook the second side.

   Medium-low heat gives the cheese time to melt before the pastry burns.

5. 5

   Syrup and garnish

   Pour cool syrup over hot kunefe. Rest 2 minutes, then top with pistachios and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Add a few drops of orange blossom water to the syrup.

• •

  Use a mix of mozzarella and unsalted dil peyniri for better stretch.

• •

  Serve with kaymak for a richer restaurant-style plate.

Storage

Kunefe is best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be reheated in a skillet, but the cheese stretch and crispness fade.

Frequently Asked Questions