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A mouthwatering Greek Ekmek Kataifi recipe for the lovers of the
Greek cuisine! Ekmek kataifi is an all-weather Greek dessert made with
layers of kataifi dough baked until crispy and golden, bathed in lemon
scented syrup, topped with creamy thick custard and whipped cream and
garnished with cinnamon and pistachios…Yummy! This is a very easy to
follow Ekmek Kataifi recipe for you to recreate this traditional sweet
delight from scratch. (See also the preparation shots below.)
This easy to follow ekmek kataifi recipe never fails to impress and
is always a crowd pleaser. The essence of this traditional Ekmek kataifi
recipe can be summarised in three key stages:
preparing the syrupy kataifi base,
preparing the creamy custard and
preparing the airy whipped cream.
Each stage will require using quite a few pots and pans, but i think
you will agree that the end result is well worth the mess!
Ekmek kataifi recipe – Tips for the perfect creamy custard and whipped cream
The creamy custard is the most essential part for a traditional Greek
Ekmek Kataifi recipe and probably the trickiest part too. To achieve
the perfect texture the key is to
constantly whisk the milk while it is boiling,
so that it doesn’t get lumpy. The perfect custard for your ekmek kataifi should be smooth and creamy. Prepare
the
custard over medium-low heat
in order to prevent it from burning and sticking on the bottom of the
pan, but be cautious not to undercook it. Give it a taste while
stirring. Its ready when you can’t taste the flour and its texture is
thick.
To prepare the whipped cream for this traditional ekmek to perfection,
chill a clean bowl along with the whisk attachment from a stand mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes and make sure that your
whipping cream is very cold. Be careful not to over beat the cream or else it will become like butter.
Ekmek kataifi recipe – Prepare the base
It is very important to
defrost the kataifi dough overnight. The secret is to let it
defrost in the fridge
and not at room temperature as this will prevent it from getting soaked
with melting ice water. When it comes to buttering, don’t be thrifty!
Drizzle with enough butter to help the dough bake and get a golden brown
colour. Plus butter adds plenty of extra yummy flavour! Kataifi dough
is actually shredded phyllo dough and dries out very quickly, so it’s
best to
keep exposure to the air at a minimum. Work the
dough gently with your hands on a large surface or over the sink, so
that you don’t end up with a kitchen filled with scattered shredded
dough, drizzle with butter and straight to the oven!
The key for the most flavorful homemade Ekmek Kataifi is to use
good quality fresh butter
for buttering. The authentic Greek ekmek kataifi recipe calls for
‘galaktos’ butter made from cow’s milk, which really gives a unique
flavour and amazing smell! The base for the ekmek kataifi should be
crispy and moist at the same time. To achieve that it is important that
you
bake the dough very well until its crispy and
nicely golden, or else it will become mushy when pouring the cream over
it. Ladling with the syrup is the final “gotcha” to this dish. Make sure
that
the syrup is lukewarm and your ekmek kataifi is cold.
Always ladle the syrup over the cold pasty really slowly, enabling each
ladle to be absorbed, so that the syrup is spread our evenly through
the dough.
And the final step… Even though it will be really difficult to
follow, you should wait for the ekmek kataifi to cool in the fridge for
at least 2 hours for a before serving! So go ahead, give this
traditional Ekmek Kataifi recipe a try and indulge yourself to this
little sin! And don’t forget to share this recipe with your friends and
family using the social sharing buttons above and at the end of this
recipe!
Base ingredients
- 250g kataifi dough (9 oz.)
- 50g butter, melted (2 oz.)
- 80-100g pistachios, chopped (3.5 oz.)
For the syrup
- 200g sugar (7 oz.)
- 200g water (4/5 of a cup)
- lemon peel from half a lemon
- 1 cinammon stick
For the custard
- 750g whole milk, cold (3 cups)
- 150g sugar (5.5 0z.)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 75g corn starch (2.6 oz.)
- 4-5 egg yolks (depending on the size of the eggs)
- 75g butter (2.6 oz.)
- a pinch of powdered mastic (optional)
For the whipped cream
- 500g cold heavy whipping cream (2 cups)
- 60g icing sugar (2 oz.)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- To prepare this traditional Ekmek kataifi recipe start by making the
base. Preheat the oven to 170C and unroll the kataifi dough from the
plastic sleeve. Work the kataifi dough with your hands, tearing apart
the shreds and spreading the strands out a bit if they clump together,
in order to get fluffy. For this ekmek kataifi recipe you will need a
25cm square non-sticking baking dish. Butter the bottom of the baking
dish and spread the kataifi dough to form the base of the ekmek kataifi.
Pour over the melted butter and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes,
until crispy and nicely coloured.
- In the meantime prepare the custard for the ekmek kataifi (steps
2-4). Add in a large bowl the egg yolks with half the sugar (100g) and
whisk until fluffy. Add 3-4 tbsps of the milk and the corn starch and
whisk again until the corn starch has dissolved. Set aside.
- Pour the rest of the milk in a large non-sticking pan and add the
sugar and the vanilla extract. Place the pan over high heat and bring to
the boil. As soon as the milk comes to the boil, remove from the heat
and ladle gradually 1/3 of the milk into the egg mixture, whilst
whisking. Place the pan (with the remaining milk) again on the stove and
turn the heat down to medium. Add the egg mixture into the pan with the
remaining warm milk. Whisk continuously, until the mixture has
thickened and is smooth and creamy. Remove the pan from the stove, add
the butter and stir.
- Pour the custard in a large tray, cover with some plastic wrap (the
plastic wrarp should be touching the custard, so that it doesn’t form a
crust) and let it cool, while you prepare the rest of the ekmek kataifi
recipe.
- Turn the kataifi out of the oven and let it cool down completely.
- Prepare the syrup for the ekmek kataifi. Add all the ingredients for
the syrup into a small pot and bring to the boil. Simmer the syrup of 3
minutes (without stirring), until slightly thickened and remove from
the stove. Leave the syrup aside to cool down for a while, until
lukewarm. Ladle slowly the lukewarm syrup over the cold baked pastry,
enabling each ladle to be absorbed. Set aside to cool down for a while.
- Prepare the whipped cream and assemble the ekmek kataifi. Top the
kataifi base with the custard and even out using a spatula. Put the cold
heavy cream into a mixer’s bowl, add the icing sugar and whisk on high
speed until medium peaks form, about 1 minute. Top the ekmek kataifi
with the whipped cream and even out. Sprinkle with the chopped
pistachios and a pinch of cinnamon.
- Store the ekmek kataifi in the fridge and serve cold. Enjoy!
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