Umm Ali/Oum Ali ( Dessert)

Umm Ali ( Mother of Ali) is a heavenly Egyptian dessert made of pastries , particularly croissants, puff pastry or philo pastry and layered with varieties of nuts, soaked in milk and baked. Umm Ali is very much compared to the bread pudding , it has some similarities but to me the taste so much different. After I did the video I decided to research the story behind this beautiful dessert , I found a few versions and frankly very interesting and now I am not sure which one is better the story behind it or the dessert.

I have selected the most common which goes as follows:

"As the legend goes, Umm Ali was the first wife the sultan Ezz El Din Aybek, whose rule began in 1250.  When the sultan died it was expected that the throne would pass onto the first wife’s first son – Ali.  However, the second wife also wanted her son to be the sultan. So Umm Ali arranged to pave the way to the throne for her son, Ali in a rather unique way.  She bribed wife number two’s handmaids and got them to beat her to death with slippers while she was having a bath!

It is said that Umm Ali then made this dessert to celebrate her victory and her son, Ali’s ascension to the throne".

Now you may be wondering why the mother of Ali is not known by her actual name, in many Arab and African countries the women with children are addressed as UMM in Arabic and Mama in Kiswahili which means "Mother" along with the name of their first child irrespective of the gender. This is a form of respect and its also convenient for women (mothers) to be addressed in public even amongst their own family and friends. It's also easy when you are not sure how to address an acquaintance without offending them in any way. It is very very common in many families ; my father addresses me as "mama Alisha" and some of my friends prefer "Umm Alisha" which means the the same in two different languages.

During my stay in UAE and around the Middle East I had never tried Umm Ali, although it was served as dessert in each and every restaurant and almost every Arab home....you may wonder why!!! Because , when I was served Umm Ali the first time I asked what it was and the answer was "its just a bread pudding" and so I never bothered and I did not see why it was such a big deal!!! . Its not that I did not like bread pudding, its just that I preferred to try something more exotic , fancy or something totally new , unique etc.

My perception of Umm Ali changed when I visited Egypt. Being a guest , my host took the liberty of ordering everything on the menu for me to try the Egyptian fine cuisine and of course it goes without saying" Umm Ali" was very much there. I tried every dish and when I got to the dessert I almost hesitated because there was only one choice so I went ahead and tried it....Boy I was glad I did it!!

And you know I had to ask for recipe!!,( No..not from the restaurant)  For years I tried to prepare Umm Ali with various nuts and dried fruits and I have come up with my own combination that I enjoy and love. Do not be afraid to experiment and you can start with mine ;)

For this dessert, make sure the croissants are crunchy , it is advisable to use stale or a day old croissants which is very difficult for me ( every time I buy or bake they disappear the same day!) make sure they are toasted as well as the nuts to prevent them becoming too soft, you want them crunchy.

Make sure the heavy whipping cream is cold and the bowl and whisk are cold as well.If you are using vanilla extract, you can combine it with the hot milk 

Ingredients:

4 large Croissants ( preferably a day old)
2 1/4 Cups Milk
3 Tbls granulated Sugar
1 1/2 Heavy whipping cream ( 2/3 Tbl sugar optional)
2 Cups mixed chopped nuts
1/2 Cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes
1 tspn rose water, 1 tspn orange blossom water or vanilla
2/3 Tbls Powdered sugar


Method: 

Preheat oven to 350F

Toasted the Croissants for about 10 min ( if you are using fresh)

Bring the milk to a boil, add sugar and ( Vanilla ) . Stir to ensure sugar is completely dissolved.

Whip the heavy whipping cream to thick and fluffy ( like clouds) , do not over whip 


Layering

Cut 2 croissants into medium size pieces and place them in  a medium size baking dish or 9" round cake pan. Layer 1/2 the quantity of the mixed chopped nuts and coconut shreds if you are using them.

Add another layer of the croissants pieces and layer the rest of the nuts. Sprinkle some rose/orange blossom water .

Pour the milk over the croissants , make sure they are well soaked ( add more if you need to) 

Spread a thick layer of whipped cream, dust some powdered sugar

Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown.

Serve hot/warm add some chopped nuts if you wish or even better with Ice cream!