Atayyef/ Kattaey/ Qattaeif

I prefer calling this dessert Qattayef and honestly as much as I love to research the origin of many food that I cook am really not particular about this one cause some say Egypt, Syria, Lebanon..etc. The bottom line they are all the same and differ very little in the ingredients.

Right now all I know is I just love them and NO! I did not grow up eating these delicious pancakes filled with goodness and dripping with aromatic syrups. Of course residing in the UAE for 20 years there's no doubt that I was bound  stumble on them in the supermarkets , grocery stores and restaurants and friend's home etc. 

The supermarkets sold only the pancakes in small trays and I guess you have to decide on the filling wheres the restaurants sold them with various fillings of your choice.

So I was introduced to these light dessert by one of my good friend who invited me for a meal in a small yet very reputable restaurant in Al Rigga street, it had very beautiful and precise french decor.

I do not recall what I had for my main course but what lingered in my mind to this day was the Qattayef, I did not know what they were called then. I was served the mini ones and they were filled with ricotta cheese mixed with something else and what made a lasting impression was the aromatic orange blossom water both in the filling and the syrup, Naji Khoury I hope someday you will get to read this.

I have looked for the recipe for a while and I discovered that there are quite a number of recipes out there varying from the origin be it Lebanon, Egypt or Syria and of-course since I started with the Lebanese restaurant I obvious opted for that. 

My recipe for the pancakes is adapted from Dedemed.com but the cream is my own with her inspiration,  

Recipe yields 12-15

Ingredient

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1 tspn yeast
1 tspn baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar

Method

https://youtu.be/MzsCBSOYDSQ



Mix all the ingredients in one bowl, mix well and remove any lumps. Cover for 1/2 hour or so it and let it rise.

After it has double in volume , give it one stir.

Place a pan on low heat, pour a scoop of batter to make a small circle do not spread it.

Look out for the bubble the surface will appear shiny

Let it cook for about 4-5 mins until the surface is dry.

Remove from the pan and keep cooking the rest

Once you have finished, you will seal half side below and leave the top open 

Use a zip lock back or pastry back to fill in the pan cakes.

I have used pastry cream which was added with rose water and orange blossom water to give it a reall Middle astern touch.  

Pastry Cream / Custard

Cream Patisserie as know in French and Pastry cream  is the culinary term for Custard and also what American call as " Pudding" . This is a simple cream or custard if you wish is very delicious and has very light, velvety textures and in so many desserts. Personally I love it and I always have it in the fridge for a quick dessert, be it a fruit tart, eclairs, Mille feuille ( Yes ! that would be my next post) trifles and the list is endless.

During my 6 weeks of pastry and baking in Culinary Arts School, I remember this being the first recipe that I was so excited to learn and I was able to figure out so quickly on how I could work with this beautiful cream with various twist and flavors. I have experimented a lot with it and I have had some beautiful creations and some not so good stuff too. I love the idea of infusing the milk with different flavors such as lavender or cinnamon. 

Pastry cream is one of the basic recipe to many complicated and fancy desserts, the process is very simple. The important thing here is to make sure that your milk doesn't boil and also your tempering is in control otherwise your eggs are going to break ( I have never experienced that) though I know and have seen it happening. Once you master it you will be able to adjust the thickness to your liking.

Once the cream is cooked, make sure that you drop it down to 45F within 1 hour and 1/2 . It is also important to store the cream in the fridge all the times as it is very sensitive in nature due to the use of egg yolks. It can be stored in the fridge upto 5 days ( I doubt though ;) coz its very delicious, if you have children like I do. 

Recipe:

1 1/2 Cups whole milk
1 Whole egg
4 Egg yolks
1/2 Cup sugar
2 Tbs corn starch
Vanilla bean or extract or any other of your liking
3 Tbls butter


Method:




1. Use a heavy sauce to bring the milk to a boil ( do not boil)

2. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and sugar and then whip to light and fluffy (ribbon
    stage)

3. Pour ( slowly) the hot milk into the egg mixture and stir

4. Once the milk is finished, pour all the mixture back into the sauce pan

5. Place the sauce pan on low heat and stir



6. Keep stirring till it thickens


7. Remove from the heat, add butter and stir till the butter has completely melted

8. Strain thru a mesh to get a smooth cream

9. Pour it into a ziplock bag or a shallow pan to allow it cool faster

10. Place it in ice water bath and then in the fridge till whenever you are ready to use.

Mango and Ginger Curd

Mango is my favorite fruit since childhood. When I was schooling in India I ate mango everything in every form during mango season and I think they have about 400+ varieties grown from different states. Its no surprise when I learned how to make lemon curd I thought of trying the same recipe with mango as as well. Oh boy !! its what I call " experiment gone right" I love fruity flavors in my desserts and besides they look so attractive! 

The mango curd in my opinion it is very versatile it can be used for any kind of dessert such as a filling for eclairs, cakes, cupcakes. You can incorporate it in your butter cream or just pipe it, and if you think of mango mouse go for it and last but not the least you can just get a big spoon and scoop it right into your mouth! Its that delicious.

I must add that the fresh ginger really enhances the delectable mango flavors. The plan was to use raw mangoes with fresh ginger but this combination worked just fine.

For this recipe if you don't have a fancy broiler , don't sweat it. Making your own mango curd doesn't have to be so hard. 

You will need few ingredients and a heavy sauce pan ( if you don't have the double broiler). Please make sure your curd thickens well if you don't have the thermometer. You want the curd to get to 170F, this temperature determines that the egg yolks are cooked and safe from any contamination.

After the curd is cooked it is very important to bring down the temperature to 45F within an hour or so, and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. The curd requires very delicate handling, it is very important to avoid the danger zones ( 45F-139F) this where the bacteria multiplies. We want to have beautiful and tasty desserts and not disrupt anyone's health!

Yields: about 2 cups curd

Ingredients:

5 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

3/4 cups mango pulp or fresh mango juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup butter (1 butter stick) cut into cubes

1 tspn (or more) grated fresh ginger

1 tspn ginger powder

Method:

1. Place a heavy sauce pan over medium low heat.

2. Add all the ingredient except butter

3. Stir for about 3 mins and then increase the heat to medium high and stir for about 10 

    mins or so until it thickens or reach 170F (if you are using the thermometer) 

4. Turn the heat off or remove the pan from the heat

5. Add the butter cubes and stir until all the butter is melted

6. Place the pan back on the heat and stir for about 2 mins

7. Remove from the heat and strain thru a sieve

8. Pour it in a zip lock bag or use a shallow container and cover the surface with plastic 

    wrap to avoid any formation of film.

9. Place the curd in ice bath and let the temperature drop down to about 45F within an hour

    or so ( if you are not sure you can you can keep the ice bath in the fridge)  until you are

    ready to use it.

* The curd can be refrigerated up to 5 days and if you are using it as filling for any cakes and desserts it will be safe for 3 days only. 

Light and Fluffy Cream Cheese Buttercream/Icing

This Cream Cheese Buttercream is what I call the ultimate indulgence to you red velvet cake, carrot cake , any sponge cake with fruits and you will know what I am talking about once you give it try.

I have been looking for a perfect cream Cheese icing for quite sometime, I have done so many recipes they were either too sweet or the cream cheese was way too much that the cake would slide off between the layers. I have not had it too light coz the sugar always managed to held it together and that's the sugar part I cannot stand as far as my palate is concerned.

What am sharing with you is going to balance all those elements, its very light and it holds well without having too much sugar. The ratio of butter and cream cheese is every important in this recipe. Its very easy to work with , it spreads well and holds well for piping rosettes that was what I wanted to do but unfortunately I did not get a good picture of the cake the other that I made. 

Please ensure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, and the heavy whipping cream cold.

Method:

In a large mixing bowl of hand electric mixer or stand mixer; place the powdered sugar and the soft butter cut in small cubes. 

Use the whip attachment mix and combine the two until you get the crumb texture

Add the cream cheese, whip on slow speed for about 2 minutes( Add Vanilla)  and increase the speed and let it whip for about 3 minutes until its light and fluffy. 

Decrease the speed and add the heavy whipping cream , increase the speed and whip for about 2 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Cups confectionery sugar

1 Cup soft butter ( 2 sticks)

3 packets cream cheese ( 8 oz per packet)

1/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream

Vanilla