Kataïfi (καταϊφι)

The sister dessert to Baklava has to be Kataifi. The more common and popular dessert is baklava but don't let that keep you from trying out this dessert that's easy to assemble, fabulous to look at and ever a delight to eat.

Much like Baklava, Kataifi exists in the dessert repertoire of Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern and some Arabic nations. Kataifi is a pastry that resembles "shredded wheat" but that's where the similarity begins and ends.

Kataifi behaves like phyllo dough in that one has to work quick, be fresh and be kept moist when handling it (like phyllo). Where does one buy Kataifi? That's easy, you'll likely see packages of Kataifi pastry for sale in stores that sell phyllo pastry and quite often, they are beside each other in the freezer!

The most common filling for the Greek Kataifi is chopped walnuts but I don't think the Greek Food Taliban will fault you for making up your own nut mix. One can try pistachios, almonds, pecans or go ultra-rich with pine nuts!

During the Christmas holidays, I was in a mood for a combo of pistachios, almonds and walnuts, do I hear a "Hell Yeah"?

Having some leftover filling from my chocolate baklava, I went & got some Kataifi pastry from my Greek grocer and set out to make some Kataifi!

Sandie, this one's for you!

Kataïfi (καταϊφι)

1 package (1lb) of Kataifi pastry, thawed
1/2 lb. of melted butter

Filling
2/3 cup of walnuts, fine chop
2/3 cup of pistachios, fine chop
2/3 cup of blanched almonds, fine chop
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of ground cloves
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Syrup
3/4 cup of honey
2 cups of sugar
2 1/2 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
rind of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon

some reserved nuts for topping

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Buy your Kataifi pastry from a store that sells alot of phyllo and kataifi pastry (high turnover). This ensures you're buying a fresh product each time. Thaw in the fridge overnight and take out of the fridge about 15 minutes before working with it to come to room temperature.
2. In a food processor, pulse your nut mixture until you've achieved a crumbly nut mixture. Empty into a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients in the filling list.
3. After you've brought your Kataifi to room temperature, open the pastry. The Kataifi I work with comes rolled up in a package. Carefully unroll it and using some scissors, cut up into 2"X5" strips. Keep your supply of Kataifi pieces covered with a damp towel as you assemble the Kataifi rolls.
4. Drizzle the surface of your Kataifi piece and place 1 Tbsp. of the nut mixture at one end of the Kataifi strip and roll it up tightly into a small cylinder. Place the the assembled rolls of Kataifi on a buttered 11"X 15" pan and sprinkle them with melted butter.
5. Bake in a preheated 350F oven (middle rack) for 1 hour. Allow to cool.
6. Prepare the syrup as follows: add all the syrup ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Keep the syrup hot until your Kataifi has cooled from the oven (Katiafi must be cool - syrup hot).
7. Using a ladle, pour the hot syrup over the entire surface of your Kataifi. You may see pooling of syrup but no worries, the Kataifi will absorb the syrup up. Sprinkle the reserved nuts over the Kataifi pieces.
   
8. Allow to cool before serving. Keep stored in an airtight container (room temperature) for a week.
   

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Chocolate Baklava (Μπακλαβάς Σοκολάτας)

Perhaps one of the best known and popular Greek desserts is Baklava. Greeks have made & enjoyed Baklava for ages and it's popularity is further evidenced by versions of Baklava appearing in Turkish, Middle-Eastern and Persian cuisines.

Baklava is essentially made of layers of phyllo sandwiching a nut and spice mixture in the middle. A syrup is then poured over the baked Baklava to offer up a glossy texture on the palate and contrasted by the crunch of the phyllo and nut mixture.

The most common Baklava made by Greeks contains walnuts but pistachios and almonds can make an appearance and here I use all three in the nut and spice mixture.

For as long as I can remember the special occasion Greek table, Baklava usually made it's appearance on the dessert table.

A Greek bakery could not survive without an offering of Baklava in their patisserie offerings. Some versions of Greek Baklava are drowned (in my opinion) with the finishing syrup and I prefer the " not too much, not too little but juuuust the right amount" of syrup.

Chocolate Baklava is offered up by better Greek bakeries. One of Greece's pre-eminent bakeries, Xatzi (Hatzi) produces a wonderful Chocolate Baklava but I've trimmed the size to a smaller, bite-sized triangle that will allow your appetite to explore the other treats on offer at the Greek dessert table.

Before I get to the recipe, a quick reminder for those sheepish on handling phyllo pastry:

• Buy frozen phyllo from a store that has a high turnover of phyllo (equals fresh) from a Greek or Middle-eastern store.
• Thaw your phyllo overnight in the fridge prior to use and allow it to come to room temperature (for 15 minutes) before using.
• Place a damp towel over the phyllo while assembling your dish and be organized, work quick.
• Melted clarified butter is my preferred treatment for brushing phyllo.

Chocolate Baklava (Μπακλαβάς Σοκολάτας)
1 package of frozen phyllo (thawed overnight in fridge)
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of blanched almonds
1 cup of blanched pistachios
1 cup of coarse bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. of sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 egg white
2 sticks of melted unsalted butter, clarified
1/4 cup olive oil (reduces the prospect of butter burning)

Syrup
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
4-5 whole cloves

Chocolate Coating
100 gr. of semi-sweet chocolate
100 gr. of unsalted room temp. butter

1. In a food processor, pulse your walnuts, almonds, pistachios and bread crumbs into a coarse ground. Empty into a bowl and add your ground cinnamon and clove, sugar and egg white and mix to bind all the ingredients. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt your clarified butter with the olive oil and keep warm.
   
2. Roll out your phyllo on your work surface and vertically dissect in half. Now cut each half into three, leaving you with six long strips of phyllo sheets.
3. Place a strip on phyllo on the board, paint some butter with a brush and lay a second strip of phyllo and again paint in with butter. Place a heaping Tbsp. of the nut filling at the bottom the strip and fold the side in over the filling and then starting from the bottom, fold into a triangle shape as shown (diagram).
4. Place on a baking sheet that's been brushed with butter and continue to form your triangular pockets of Baklava.
5. Pre-heat your oven to 325F (middle rack) and butter the tops of your Baklava triangles. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the tops are golden-brown. Allow to cool.
6. Make your syrup by adding the honey, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and wholes in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then pour over the cooled Baklava triangles. After 60 minutes, carefully flip the Baklava and allow the other half of the triangles to soak up the syrup. Place the Baklava triangles on a wired tray to drain.
7. To make the chocolate coating, set up a double-boiler on your stove top and ensure the water is on a very low simmer. Add your chocolate and butter and gently whisk until incorporated and melted.
   
8. Use some wooden souvlaki skewers to assist in coating your baklava with chocolate. Carefully secure each triangle with a skewer and place the triangle in the melted chocolate and twirl in the chocolate until coated. You may then stick the skewer into a florist's oasis to allow the Chocolate Baklavas to dry.
9. Once cooled, place in a plastic-wrap lined container and store in a cool dry place or even a freezer. Good for a month (if they last that long).

Karydopita (Καρυδόπιτα)

Feeling a little nostalgic, I asked my mom to share her Karydopita recipe with me. Karydopita is a Greek walnut cake but the amazing thing about this dessert is that there's no flour in it!

I'm not a big fan of super-syrupy Greek desserts but this is one cake that requires a simple syrup to complete the moist yet gritty texture one gets in each bite.

Karydopita can be surely be found at a Greek bakery and you might have even been lucky enough to try a piece over at your Greek friend's house.

In keeping with my goal to show you more of my sweet side, I'm sharing this wonderful family recipe.

There are three components to this cake: wet ingredients, dry ingredients and the syrup. The syrup measurements ask for 2 cups of water and sugar. If you're going to serve this to a large group of guests and you know it'll be eaten that day, stick with 2 cups. If however, this cake is just for the family and it might be laying around for the week, pump up the syrup amounts to 3 & 3 cups. The cake will absorb the syrup and stay moist for the week.

Karydopita (Καρυδόπιτα)

Dry Ingredients
10 Tbsp. of ground rusk (Zwieback toasts are fine)
10 Tbsp. fine Semolina flour
10 Tbsp. of pounded walnuts
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. baking powder

Wet Ingredients
10 eggs
10 Tbsp. sugar

Syrup
2 cups of water
2 cups of sugar
1 cinnamon stick
6-8 whole cloves
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 shot of Cognac
ground clove to taste
9" X 14" baking pan, buttered

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Using your food processor, keep on pulsing your walnuts until you get a medium ground mixture of walnuts that are fine and some noticeable pieces of walnuts.
2. Add to a large bowl along with the remaining dry ingredients. Mix and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add your sugar and eggs and beat with a hand mixer until you achieve a consistency of almost stiff peaks.
4. Fold the dry ingredients in small batches (DO NOT add all the dry at once). As the wet absorbs the dry, add more until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
5. Carefully pour the cake batter into the baking pan and place in your preheated oven (middle rack) for 30-35 minutes.
6. In the meantime, make your syrup by adding the water, sugar, cinnamon stick, whole cloves and bring to a boil. Now simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add the Cognac and and some ground clove if desired (according to taste).
7. To complete your Karydopita correctly, the cake must absorb the syrup. There are two ways to do this: add cool syrup to just out of the oven cake or add hot syrup to room temperature cake. My mother prefers to add cooled syrup to a just out of the oven cake. The choice is yours. Time the two components. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves and pour the syrup one ladle at a time time until all the syrup has been absorbed by the cake.
   
8. Cut your Karydopita into diamond shaped pieces and serve at room temperature. Store in a sealed container for up to one week.