Knafeh

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Cover the kataifi pastry in the clarified butter and then place on the baking paper in a large ring, about 8 cm (3¼ in) in diameter. Bake them for 20 minutes or until golden, then remove from the oven and set aside. Spread the pistachio nuts on a baking tray and add them to the oven for about 6 – you want to give them a slight colour and bring them back to life, but be careful not to burn them.

For the cheese mixture, in a saucepan over a medium–high heat add the milk, cream, 15 g (½ oz) of the sugar, and eggs and whisk. Really watch it, as it can catch on the bottom of the pan and burn! Carefully add the cheese in slowly so it emulsifies. Once it has thickened slightly, strain it through a fine strainer and place in the fridge to cool down.

To make the sugar syrup, combine the remaining sugar with the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of water and the rosewater in a saucepan over a high heat and boil it until it coats the back of a spoon, then remove from the heat and allow it to cool.

Place a large spoonful of the cheese mixture in the middle of each plate. Dip a spoon into hot water and push it into the curd to create a well. Break the pastry in shards over the dish, then pour in the sugar syrup and sprinkle over the pistachio nuts and serve. It’s meant to be semi-sweet and savoury.