Othmaliye Traditional Middle Eastern Dessert Pastry Recipes

OTHMALIYE - TRADITIONAL MIDDLE EASTERN DESSERT PASTRY

Steps:

• Cover the bottom of a round 25cm baking tin with half the quantity of Othmaliye dough. Pour melted ghee over the dough and bake in a 200˚C preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until dough is golden.
• Remove from the oven and carefully take the crusted dough out and place it on a flat plate.
• In the same baking tin, cover the bottom with the rest of the dough and bake again in the oven in the same way. Remove and place on a separate flat plate.
• Add milk and semolina to a large saucepan, bring to boil, then simmer for 5-10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in NESTLÉ Cream and rosewater. Allow to cool at room temperature.
• Cover the first part of the baked dough with the cream mixture. Sprinkle crushed pistachio on top. Cover the cream with the second part of the baked dough.
• Sprinkle the syrup on top and allow to cool in the fridge for 2 hours. Slice and serve.

OM ALI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Place the pastry sheets in the baking dish and place the dish in the oven. Watch it closely. When the top layer turns crunchy and golden, remove it from the oven. Continue until all the sheets are cooked.
• Preheat the oven's broiler.
• In a bowl, combine walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, coconut and 1/4 cup sugar. Break cooked pastry into pieces and stir into nut mixture. Spread mixture evenly in 9x13-inch dish.
• Bring milk and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Pour over nut mixture.
• Beat the heavy cream with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread evenly over nut mixture in dish.
• Place dessert under oven broiler until top is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

BASBOUSA(بسبوسة)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Melt butter, allow to cool to room temperature.
• Combine sugar and buttermilk in a large bowl.
• Combine the semolina, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl.
• Add semolina mixture to buttermilk mixture, mix well, then add melted butter, and mix well.
• Spray an 11x7 inch pan with cooking spray, pour in the mixture; You may also use a 13x9 inch pan, and bake for 25 minutes instead of 30.
• Let sit for 20 minutes.
• Bake for 30 minutes, pour sugar syrup over it while still warm.
• This is usually served with tea or coffee.
• ------ Sugar Syrup ----------.
• Combine sugar, water and juice of half a lemon in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, mixture should thicken when it cools.

MIDDLE EASTERN NUT-FILLED MULTILAYERED PASTRY (BAKLAVA)

Steps:

• 1. To make the syrup: Stir the sugar, water, lemon juice, and if using, the corn syrup, cinnamon sticks, and/or cloves over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the mixture is slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes (it will register 225 degrees on a candy thermometer). Discard the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Let cool.
• 2. To make the filling: Combine all the filling ingredients.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-by-9-inch or 13-by-9-inch baking pan or 15-by-10-inch jelly roll pan.
• 4. Place a sheet of phyllo in the prepared pan and lightly brush with butter. Repeat with 7 more sheets. Spread with half of the filling. Top with 8 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Use any torn sheets in the middle layer. Spread with the remaining nut mixture and end with a top layer of 8 sheets, continuing to brush each with butter. Trim any overhanging edges.
• 5. Using a sharp knife, cut 6 equal lengthwise strips (about 1 3/4 inches wide) through the top layer of pastry. Make 1 1/2-inch-wide diagonal cuts across the strips to form diamond shapes.
• 6. Just before baking, lightly sprinkle the top of the pastry with cold water. This inhibits the pastry from curling. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 15 additional minutes.
• 7. Cut through the scored lines. Drizzle the cooled syrup slowly over the hot baklava and let cool for at least 4 hours. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. If the baklava dries out while being stored, drizzle with a little additional hot syrup.
• VARIATIONS
• Instead of brushing each layer of phyllo with butter, cut the unbaked baklava into diamonds all the way through, drizzle with 1 cup vegetable oil, and let stand for 10 minutes before baking.
• Persian Baklava:
• Using the almonds and cardamom in the filling: Omit the lemon juice and cinnamon from the syrup and add 1/4 cup rose water or 1 tablespoon orange blossom water after it has cooled.
• Paklava(Azerbaijani Baklava):
• For the filling, use 2 cups blanched almonds, 2 cups unsalted pistachios, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Crush 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads and let steep in 3 tablespoons of the melted butter for 15 minutes and use to brush the top sheet of phyllo.

MA'AMOUL (LEBANESE DATE STUFFED PASTRIES)

Steps:

• Combine the dates and 1/4 cup water in a jsmall pan over a gentle heat and cook until softened, then set aside to cool.
• Sift the flour into a bowl, and add the diced, chilled butter and rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Combine the orange-blossom water or rose water with the 2 tablespoons of water and sprinkle over the flour; then mix into the flour using a round-bladed knife. Cover the dough and rest for approximately 30 minutes.
• Take a spoonful of dough and shape into a round, make a hollow with your finger and spoon a little of the date stuffing into the hollow, then seal the opening and reshape into a round.
• Continue until the dough runs out.
• Place the pastries on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover loosely with foil and bake in a pre-heated moderate oven (180°C; 350°F) for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil about halfway through the cooking, but keep an eye on them to ensure that they do not brown.
• Remove and cool on wire racks until firm.
• When thoroughly cooled, roll in sifted icing sugar.