Kunefe (Turkish Dessert)

"Kunefe is a Levantine cheese pastry soaked in sweet sugar-based syrup, typical of the regions belonging to the former Ottoman Empire." - Wikipedia.

All said, this is one of my favorite dishes and used to search for restaurant just to have this. It was a longtime dream to make it on my own and fortunately it came out really good.

Try it out... enjoi...

Ingredients:

1. Shredded Fillo Dough - 12 Oz. (Get a full box of 16 Oz. and use three fourth of it)

2. Unsalted Butter - 2 Sticks (8 Oz., Melted)

3. Semolina - 3 Tbsp.

4. Milk - 1/2 Cup

5. Mozzarella Cheese - 1 Cup (Shredded)

6. Ricotta Cheese - 12 Oz.

For Syrup:

7. Water - 1 Cup

8. Sugar - 2 Cup

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg. F.

2. Shred and break-up the Fillo dough strands into smaller separated pieces.

3. To a large mixing bowl, add the Fillo dough strands along with then melted butter. Mix well until the Fillo dough is fully drenched in butter.

4. Take a 7 inch round baking pan and spread evenly half of the butter drenched Fillo dough.

5. Heat a small sauce pan. Add milk into the pan and heat the milk.

6. Add semolina and bring it light boil (it will take hardly 1 min.).

7. Get the milk-semolina mix off the heat and add it to a mixing bowl along with ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Mix well with a whisk for 1 min.

8. Spread the cheese mix over the Fillo dough in the baking pan.

9. Add the second half of the butter drenched Fillo dough over the cheese mix.

10. Keep the pan in the oven for about 35-40 mins. or until the top of the Fillo dough is golden brown.

11. Meanwhile prepare the syrup in a sauce pan by boiling water and sugar together. Once the sugar is completely melted get the pan off the flame and let it cool.

12. Get the pan off the oven and let it cool for about 10 mins. Flip the Kunefe on a flat plate.

13. Pour the syrup over the kunefe, cut it into slices and serve warm.