CHEESE-FILLED ATAYEF (قطايف)
Ramadan just isn’t complete without these deliciously fried sweets, served up straight after we break our fast! One of my favorite desserts, the “atayef” dough is spongy, and filled with a delicious mix of cheeses that is then deep-fried and soaked with scented sugar syrup. Takes a bit of time to make, but they are worth the effort!
INGREDIENTS
Atayef (Pancake) Dough:
2 and 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup fine semolina
2 tablespoons powdered milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups water
Cheese filling:
2 full blocks of Akawi cheese
3 balls of Syrian shallal cheese (string cheese)
Ice cold water
Rose and Orange Blossom Simple Syrup:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon rosewater
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
PREPARATION
Atayef (Pancake) Dough:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.
2. Allow mixture to rest for 15 to 30 minutes in the food processor.
3. Heat a nonstick pan or skillet for over medium to medium-high heat (depending on your oven).
4. To make asafiri, the mini cream-filled pancakes, spoon 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the heated pan. If you want to make atayef (slightly bigger pancakes) filled with cheese or nuts, then scoop about 1/4 cup of the batter.
5. Once you scoop it onto the pan, do not touch it or disturb it. The batter will immediately begin to form bubbles, when the bubbles are cooked through and it goes from shiny to matte, that means it is done.
6. Remove finished pancake from pan, and note that the bottom should be a light brown, while the top is creamy-white and covered with holes.
7. Place on a tray or a plate, and immediately cover with a towel to maintain softness, while you continue to cook the rest.
Cheese filling:
1. Prepare a strainer over a large bowl, filled with ice cold water. Cut the Akawi block into thin slices, then soak in the ice cold water to desalt them. You will need to drain the water and refill with ice cold water every hour - for 3 hours, to completely desalt the cheese.
2. We do the same for the string cheese, unknot the strings, then soak in ice cold water similarly to the Akawi. The string cheese takes less time to desalt, so give it an hour and check if it needs a little longer. Usually, it will be sweet within an hour.
3. Once the cheeses are ready, drain the water, and squeeze the cheese tightly with your hands to ensure you release any residual moisture. It will clump during this process, but that is OK.
4. Once you finish the process of squeezing out excess moisture, leave the cheeses out for around 10 mins to dry, and then you can store in ziplock bags and refrigerate or freeze until needed. At this stage, you can mix the two cheeses and store together.
5. To start filling the atayef, add about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mix in the centre of each atayef, and then pinch closed to seal properly. Repeat until all is done.
6. Heat some vegetable oil in a deep pan, and deep-fry the cheese-filled atayef. Once a nice golden-brown color, remove and pat dry with some kitchen towels, then soak in a bowl of sugar syrup before serving.
7. Best served fresh and hot.
Rose and Orange Blossom Simple Syrup:
1. Place 2 cups of sugar in a pot and add 1 cup of water stirring to combine.
2. Place over low heat and bring to boil. If you feel the mixture is a little too thick, add a couple of teaspoons of water to thin it out.
3. Stirring the mixture before putting over heat helps to make it smoother and prevent granulation.
4. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine.
5. Once the sugar mixture begins to boil, calculate exactly 10 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
6. After 10 minutes, remove from heat, and add the rosewater and orange blossom water.
7. Your sugar syrup is now ready to use.
Notes:
If the pancake dough is not browning, you may need to raise the temperature a notch or two and try again. If it's browning too much, then reduce temperature.
Atayef can be filled with any cheeses you prefer, but this is the one I personally like. They are also known to be filled with a deliciously spiced nuts mixture.
You can store the filled atayef before frying them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
You can also store the cheese mixture in the freezer for up to 6 months.
If the syrup feels too thick, you can loosen it up with a tablespoon of water, as needed.
The syrup can last up to 6 months refrigerated.
