Künefe

Künefe (Turkish Shredded Pastry with Cheese and Syrup)

A signature warm dessert of Antakya and the broader southeastern Turkish cuisine, künefe layers mild unsalted cheese between fine shreds of kadayıf pastry, fries it in butter until crisp and gold, then drenches it in cold sugar syrup so the crust stays crunchy while the cheese inside turns molten and stringy.

Prep

25 min

Cook

25 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) kadayıf (fresh shredded pastry), fresh if you can find it; frozen thawed overnight in the fridge
• •250 g (9 oz) unsalted cheese, for künefe, traditionally a mix of Hatay peyniri and tel (stretched) cheese; the closest widely available substitute is 50/50 unsalted mozzarella and unsalted Urfa or feta, soaked and drained well so the künefe is not too salty
• •150 g (⅔ cup) unsalted butter, melted, clarified or just gently melted
• •300 g (1½ cups) granulated sugar
• •250 ml (1 cup) water
• •5 ml (1 tsp) lemon juice, prevents the syrup from crystallising
• •1 pinch salt, for the syrup
• •30 g (¼ cup) shelled pistachios, roughly crushed
• •200 g (¾ cup) kaymak or thick clotted cream, traditional accompaniment; thick double cream is the closest substitute

Steps

1. 1 Make the syrup first so it is completely cold by the time the künefe is cooked. Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook, without stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved and the syrup is slightly thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon). Remove from the heat, transfer to a heatproof bowl and leave to cool at room temperature, then chill in the fridge until cold. Do not skip cooling: hot syrup on hot pastry makes it soggy.
2. 2 Prepare the cheese: if using a mix of mozzarella and feta-style cheese, soak the salty cheese in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes, changing the water once, then drain well. Grate or tear both cheeses into coarse shreds and toss together. The cheese should be roughly the texture of grated cheddar, neither a solid slab nor a wet paste.
3. 3 Prepare the kadayıf: tip the shredded pastry into a large bowl and gently pull apart any clumps with your fingers so the strands are loose and airy. Drizzle about two-thirds of the melted butter over the pastry and toss with your fingertips until every strand looks evenly coated and glistening. Hold back the remaining butter for the top.
4. 4 Heat a künefe pan or a heavy 22 to 24 cm (9 inch) non-stick or copper skillet over medium heat. If using a künefe pan, brush both halves lightly with butter. Spread half of the buttered kadayıf evenly over the bottom of the pan, pressing down very gently with the back of a spoon so you get a compact but still airy layer about 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick; do not compress it into a hard mat.
5. 5 Spread the shredded cheese evenly over the pastry, leaving a 1 cm (½ inch) border around the edge so the cheese does not touch the pan directly and burn. Cover the cheese with the remaining kadayıf, again pressing only lightly into an even layer. Drizzle the reserved melted butter over the top, working it in so the strands glisten.
6. 6 Cook over medium to medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, adjusting so the bottom turns an even deep golden brown without burning. If using a single skillet, watch the underside by sliding a spatula under the edge; the classic copper künefe pan makes this step easier because you flip it between two halves.
7. 7 When the underside is deep gold, flip the künefe onto a large plate (or close the second half of a künefe pan over the top), then slide it back into the pan to brown the second side for a further 8 to 10 minutes. The pastry should look brick-red to deep amber and feel crisp, not pale and soft.
8. 8 While still hot in the pan, immediately pour the cold syrup evenly over the top, using about 180 to 200 ml (¾ to ⅘ cup) for this size. You should hear a brief hiss as the cold syrup hits the hot pastry; the crust must stay crisp, so do not let the künefe sit in pooled syrup. Serve within 1 to 2 minutes so the cheese is molten and stringy.
9. 9 Slide the künefe onto a board, cut it into 4 to 6 portions with a sharp knife, top each piece with a spoonful of kaymak or clotted cream and a generous pinch of crushed pistachio. Eat immediately, pulling pieces apart with a fork to show the cheese stretch.