EKMEK KATAIFI

Ekmek Kataifi is a beautiful dessert with delicious layers of kataifi pastry, vanilla custard, and whipped cream!

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I had Ekmek Kataifi for the first time while on a trip to Crete, Greece. We went to the famous Koukouvaya Café that overlooks the whole city of Chania in Crete.

Ekmek Kataifi is so impressive to serve that people will think that you picked it up at a fancy dessert shop. It has beautiful layers of syrup-soaked kataifi pastry, vanilla custard, and decorative whipped cream.

In Greece, they sometimes serve Ekmek Kataifi with ice cream instead of custard, but I prefer vanilla custard. It’s so delicious with the vanilla pastry, and it allows you to make the entire dessert a day ahead of serving.

What is kataifi pastry made of?

Kataifi pastry is made of flour, cornstarch, oil, water, and salt. The ingredients are combined to create a thin batter, then poured through fine spouts onto heated metal plates. This process creates vermicelli-style strands of shredded phyllo.

Look for kataifi pastry in the freezer section of your grocery store near the phyllo dough. If you can’t find it at your grocery store, try the Mediterranean or Middle Eastern specialty store.

Thaw your kataifi pastry in the refrigerator overnight, then bring it to room temperature on your counter an hour before you’re ready to use it.

Syrup for the Kataifi pastry

• Sugar
• Water
• Vanilla extract

I always like to start by making the syrup because you need it to be completely cool when you pull your kataifi from the oven. Pouring cool syrup over hot kataifi will allow the syrup to absorb correctly and keep your kataifi from becoming soggy.

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir well until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then, remove from heat and add in the vanilla extract. Mix to combine and set aside to cool completely.

For the Pastry Cream/Custard:

• Whole milk
• Corn starch
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Egg yolks
• Heavy whipping cream
• Pure vanilla extract

To prepare the pastry cream, combine the milk, salt, and 1 cup of granulated sugar in a saucepan. Whisk it together and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Combine the egg yolks, remaining sugar, and heavy cream in a separate mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add a small amount of the steaming hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking to temper the eggs. Then, add the tempered eggs to the saucepan and cook over medium heat while whisking constantly.

Once the mixture begins to boil, it will thicken. Remove it from the heat, whisk in the vanilla extract, and set aside. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap so that a skin does not form on top. The pastry cream can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated.

Take the prepared pastry cream out of the refrigerator and beat it until smooth. Sometimes pastry cream becomes thick and lumpy when refrigerated. Adding a couple of tablespoons of whipped cream and whisking it smooths it back out.

The Whipped Cream!

• Heavy whipping cream 
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Pure vanilla extract

So many people are intimidated by the thought of making their own whipped cream, but it’s actually pretty easy. With just 3 ingredients and a mixer, it comes together quickly and easily.

In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the whisk attachment, add the heavy cream, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk them together until the cream thickens, and you see a stiff peak form when the whisk is removed from the whipped cream. Do not mix past this point to avoid making butter! 😉

The best Greek dessert

• Soft, moist kataifi
• Creamy vanilla custard
• Airy whipped cream kissed with cinnamon
• You can make Ekmek Kataifi up to 2 days ahead of time!

How to make Ekmek Kataifi

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C
2. Prepare the syrup by bringing all of the ingredients to a boil, then removing from the heat to cool.
3. Take the kataifi dough out of its packaging. It should be at room temperature. Pull apart the strands as much as possible. Detangling as you go so that they are not clumped together. Place the detangled strands into a baking pan. You can bake this in a half sheet pan or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
4. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top, toss the kataifi to get coated in the butter and bake until slightly golden. About 15-20 minutes. The longer the kataifi is baked, the crispier it will get.
5. Pour the cooled syrup over the kataifi dough as soon as it comes out of the oven. The kataifi should be piping hot, and the syrup should be cool.
6. Set aside for about 30-40 minutes so that the pastry can absorb the syrup. Dust a very generous amount of ground cinnamon over it. This can be done a few days before assembling. Once cooled, it stays fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
7. Layer the pastry cream evenly over the kataifi.
8. Fill a pastry bag with whipped cream and pipe rosettes or stars over the pastry cream.
9. Garnish with a dusting of ground cinnamon.

Serving

Make some coffee to go with this sweet treat, and your guests will get the whole experience of this sweet treat. You can garnish your Ekmek Kataifi with a few sliced almonds, salted ground pistachios, or ground walnuts for added texture. Depending on how fancy your party is, you can easily scoop out servings with a large spoon or serve squares of Ekmek Kataifi. Either way, it will be a success!

More Kataifi Recipes:

• Kataifi Nests: The Perfect Greek Make-Ahead Dessert
• KATAIFI: SHREDDED PHYLLO WITH NUTS & HONEY SYRUP
• Kataifi Shrimp Greek Appetizers

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Ekmek Kataifi

Yield: 12

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Ingredients

• 1 pound kataifi dough, defrosted and at room temperature
• ½ pound unsalted butter, melted
• Ground cinnamon

For the syrup:

• 4 cups sugar
• 2 and 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Garnish:

• sliced almonds, salted ground pistachios, or ground walnuts

For the Pastry Cream/Custard:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 8 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream 
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C
2. Take the kataifi dough out of its packaging. It should be at room temperature. Pull apart the strands as much as possible. Detangling as you go so that they are not clumped together. Place the detangled strands into a baking pan. You can bake this in a half sheet pan or a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
3. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top, toss the kataifi to get coated in the butter and bake until slightly golden. About 15-20 minutes. The longer the kataifi is baked, the crispier it will get.
4. While the kataifi is baking prepare the syrup.
5. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix well so that the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla ectract. Mix well and set aside to cool completely.
6. Pour the cooled syrup over the kataifi dough as soon as it comes out of the oven. The kataifi should be piping hot and the syrup should be cool.
7. Set aside for about 30-40 minutes so that the pastry can absorb the syrup. Dust a very generous amount of ground cinnamon over it. This can be done a few days before assembling. Once cooled, it stays fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
8. Prepare the Pastry Cream: Combine the milk, salt, and 1 cup of the granulated sugar in a saucepan. Whisk it together and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Combine the egg yolks, cornstarch, remaining sugar, and heavy cream in a mixing bowl and whisk it together until smooth. Add some of the steaming hot milk to the egg mixture and whisk it to temper the eggs. Add the mixture to the saucepan and cook it over medium heat while whisking it comstantly. Once the mixture begins to boil it will thicken. Remove it from the heta and add the vanilla extract. Whisk together and set aside. Cover the pastry cream with sone plastic wrap so that a skin does not form on top. The pastry cream can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated.
9. Take the prepared pastry cream out of the refrigerator and beat it until smooth. Sometimes pastry cream becomes thick and lumpy when refrigerated. Adding a couple tablespoons of whipped cream and whisking it smoothes it back out.
10. Layer the pastry cream evenly over the kataifi.
11. In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the whisk attachment, add the heavy cream, confectioner's sugar,a nd vanilla extract. Whisk them together until the cream thickens.
12. Fill a pastry bag with whipped cream and pipe rosettes or stars over the pastry cream.
13. Garnish with sliced almonds and a dusting of ground cinnamon.
14. Enjoy!

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