Walnut and Pistachio Kataifi

Golden pastry nests, crispy on the outside and tender at the core. The scent of cinnamon and cloves blends with the crunch of walnuts and pistachios under a glossy honey syrup.

• Prep time: 30 min
• Cook time: 45 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 927
• Protein: 14 g
• Carbs: 103 g
• Fat: 50 g

Ingredients

• 125 g Minimum butter sweet ( melted )
• 200 g White sugar
• 150 ml Mineral water
• 100 g Walnut kernel ( crushed )
• 50 g Roasted salted pistachio ( chopped )
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 0.5 tsp Cinnamon ground
• 1 piece Clove
• 0.5 piece Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. ( sliced )
• 250 g Kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo) ( shredded )

Instructions

1. Syrup preparation

   In a saucepan, combine mineral water, white sugar, cloves, and sliced lemon. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid lightly coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the honey off the heat and let it cool completely.

2. Filling preparation

   Coarsely chop the walnuts and pistachios with a knife to maintain texture. Mix the nuts with the cinnamon in a bowl. The scent of the spices should be prominent.

3. Pastry preparation

   Melt the butter. Gently unravel the kataifi pastry strands in a large bowl to aerate the fibers. Drizzle with melted butter and mix by hand so every strand is well-coated and glossy.

4. Shaping the nests

   Take a small lock of buttered pastry. Place a spoonful of filling at one end and roll tightly to form a small cylinder. Arrange the nests tightly against each other in a baking dish.

5. Baking

   Bake at 160°C for about 45 minutes. The browning should be slow: the nests must become uniformly golden and amber, indicating they are crispy all the way to the center.

6. Soaking

   Straight out of the oven, immediately pour the cold syrup over the hot pastries. The sizzling sound from the thermal shock ensures the syrup penetrates without making the pastry soggy. Let rest for at least 6 hours before serving.

Chef's tips

• Never work with kataifi pastry if it's still frozen, it will break. Let it reach room temperature inside its packaging.
• The secret to crunchiness lies in the contrast: ice-cold syrup over an oven-hot cake.

Storage

Store at room temperature in an uncovered dish to maintain crunchiness. Keeps for 1 week.