Ricotta Cheese Kunafa
A deeply golden shredded-pastry kunafa with creamy ricotta and ashta filling, finished with cinnamon-cardamom syrup, pistachios, and rose petals.
This approachable kunafa builds contrast deliberately: tightly packed, ghee-coated kataifi turns audibly crisp around a thin ricotta-ashta center, while cooled syrup sweetens the hot crust without erasing its texture.
Instructions
- 1
Combine the 2 cups sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and set it over high heat. Avoid stirring as it heats unless needed to dissolve the sugar; once it reaches a boil, stop stirring completely.
- 2
Bring to a rolling boil, immediately lower the heat to medium-low, and add the cinnamon stick and smashed cardamom pods if using. Simmer gently for exactly 10 minutes; the syrup should resemble hot maple syrup and will thicken further as it cools.
10 min
- 3
Remove the syrup from the heat, transfer it to a heatproof measuring jug, and cool to room temperature. Remove the spices for a subtle aroma or leave them in for a stronger one.
- 4
Stir together the ricotta, ashta, optional tablespoon of sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Set the filling aside.
- 5
Set an oven rack in the lower-middle position and preheat to 390°F (200°C). Generously grease a 12-inch (30 cm) round cake pan with ghee or butter.
- 6
Over a large bowl, cut or tear the semi-frozen kunafa pastry into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. If it was frozen for cutting, let it return to room temperature before adding the fat.
- 7
Pour the melted ghee evenly over the pastry and rub or toss thoroughly with your hands until every strand is coated.
- 8
Press two-thirds of the pastry firmly over the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan, creating a wall that contains the filling. Compact it as tightly as possible with the flat bottom of a cup.
- 9
Spoon the ricotta filling over the packed pastry and spread it gently into an even layer without crossing the raised pastry edge.
- 10
Scatter the remaining third of the pastry over the filling and press it only lightly to make the top neat and level.
- 11
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top and sides are deep golden brown. Ease a knife against the side to check its color; deeper browning produces a crisper crust.
45 min
- 12
Remove the kunafa from the oven and immediately pour the cooled scented syrup over it in circles, working from the edge toward the center so the entire surface is covered.
- 13
Rest for 5-10 minutes so the syrup soaks in, then invert onto a serving platter. Garnish with pistachios and dried rose petals if desired, cut into wedges, and serve hot or warm.
10 min
Ago's Notes
- Use creamy ricotta with large, soft curds rather than a gritty or mealy variety. The ashta can be replaced with clotted cream, mascarpone, or 2 tablespoons whipping cream.
- Ghee produces the crispest crust; butter makes it softer and chewier. For clarified butter, slowly melt 340 g (1 1/4 cups) butter, rest 10 minutes, skim, and pour off 227 g (1 cup) clear butterfat without the milk solids.
- A 35 cm pan makes a thinner kunafa; alternatively divide the mixture between two 23 cm pans or four 15 cm pans.
- For make-ahead preparation, assemble but do not bake, wrap the pan twice in plastic and once in foil, and freeze. Thaw before baking normally.
- Fresh kunafa pastry is easiest to cut after about 1 hour in the freezer; bring it back to room temperature before mixing with ghee. This optional chilling time is not included in the duration.
- Kunafa is best warm on the day it is baked. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat them in the oven or microwave.
Serve while the syrup-soaked crust is still crisp and the ricotta layer is warm and creamy.
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