Description

This oriental cheese shredded noodle dish is an absolute highlight! I especially like to make it when I have guests. The combination of crispy dough strands, creamy cheese and sweet syrup is simply irresistible. Instead of the traditional Dil Peyniri, I use mozzarella, which works great. The pistachios provide the perfect crunch. It tastes best warm, straight from the oven. A tip: Prepare the syrup in advance, it will be faster!

Ingredients (9 ingredients)

150 g Sugar

1 piece Orange

1 Schote(n) Vanilla

150 g Butter

300 g Mozzarella

150 g Buffalo milk clotted cream

100 g unsalted Pistachios

300 g Kayadif dough strands

300 ml Water

Preparation (6 steps)

Prepare sugar syrup

Thermomix® Setting

15 min/212°F/Speed 1 100

Put 300 ml water and 150 g sugar into the mixing bowl. Wash the orange and use a zester to grate 1 tbsp of zest. Halve the orange, squeeze out half and add to the mixing bowl together with the orange zest and the pulp of half a vanilla pod. Cook for 15 min./100°C/speed 1 without the measuring cup.

900

Melt butter

Thermomix® Setting

3 min/122°F/Speed 2 50

Put 140 g butter in the mixing bowl and melt for 3 min./50°C/speed 2.

180

Prepare cheese mixture

Tear 300 g mozzarella into pieces and mix with 150 g clotted cream in a bowl. Roughly crush 100 g pistachios in a mortar or alternatively chop roughly.

Prepare dough strands

Preheat the oven to 200°C top/bottom heat. Place 300 g Kayadif dough strands on a baking tray, pull them apart a little and pour the melted butter from the mixing bowl over them and mix well.

Shape Künefe

Grease 4 Künefe plates (20 cm diameter) or alternatively crème brûlée dishes with the remaining 10 g butter. Spread a layer of dough strands on top and press down flat with another plate. Spread 2 tbsp of cheese mixture on top, leaving the edge free. Spread the rest of the dough strands loosely on top.

Bake Künefe

Bake Künefe for 15-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove and immediately pour 30-40 ml of syrup over each. Sprinkle with pistachios and serve hot.

Finished cooking? Great! 🎉

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About this recipe

Künefe, or Knafeh, as it is also called, is a dessert that always reminds me of holidays in Turkey. There you can get it on every corner, steaming hot and sprinkled with pistachios. I have tried to recreate this taste experience with my Thermomix®, and this recipe is the result. It is not quite authentic, as I use mozzarella instead of the traditional Dil Peyniri, but the result is still fantastic and easier to get. The ingredients all play an important role. The Kayadif dough strands, these wafer-thin, raw shredded noodles, form the crispy base and lid. They soak up the melted butter and turn golden brown and crispy in the oven. The mozzarella provides the creamy, slightly salty filling, which is made even richer and more aromatic by the buffalo milk clotted cream. The pistachios contribute a nutty flavor and a pleasant crunch. And the sugar syrup, flavored with orange and vanilla, permeates the whole dessert and provides the perfect sweetness. When preparing the syrup, it is important to cook it long enough so that it gets the right consistency. It should be slightly viscous, but not too thick. The Thermomix® makes cooking very easy as it keeps the temperature constant. Make sure to leave out the measuring cup so that the steam can escape. The butter should not be too hot when it is melted, as it can splash. The cheese mixture should not stand for too long before it is placed on the dough strands, as the mozzarella can otherwise become dry. The recipe is already suitable for a vegetarian version. A vegan version is more difficult, as both cheese and butter would have to be replaced. You could use vegan mozzarella and vegan butter, but the taste will be different. Instead of vanilla and orange, you can also flavor the syrup with rose water or cardamom. This gives the Künefe an even more oriental touch. Künefe tastes best warm, straight from the oven. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of Turkish yogurt to create a nice contrast between warm and cold. A glass of Turkish tea also goes perfectly with it. Künefe does not keep well, as the dough strands become soft over time. It is best to prepare it shortly before serving. But the syrup can be prepared well in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The cheese mixture can also be prepared and stored in the refrigerator until baking. The dough strands should only be mixed with the butter shortly before baking, as they can otherwise become mushy.