OsmalIya

Arabic pastry cream - filled filo pastry!

One of the most delicious desserts you’ll ever encounter! Layered sheets or strands of buttery filo pastry filled with a simple Arab cream called Ashta, then sweetened with cinnamon spiked simple syrup. “Mumtaz!”

OsmalIya

1 package Kataifi Filo dough, or Filo Dough Sheets

1 stick butter, melted

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick

coarsely ground pistachios for garnish

Ashta Cream Filling:

2 cups whole milk

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon orange blossom water (optional)

Directions for Ashta Cream:

• Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and flour together in a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup of the milk, and whisk with the dry ingredients until smooth. Slowly add the remaining milk and cream over medium high heat. Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken and boil. Continue beating for 30 seconds more until very thick. Stir in the orange blossom water if using.

• Immediately pour cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the top of the Ashta cream. Let come to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Direction for Osmaliya:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 10-inch cake pan with butter or cooking spray

-Melt 1 stick of butter. In a large bowl, separate and pull apart the Katiafi Filo dough until the strands are somewhat loose and separated. Pour the melted butter over the dough and massage the butter throughout the pulled apart Kataifi strands.

-Take half of the filo and press down into the pan and up a bit on the edges.

-Next, layer the Ashta cream over the first layer of dough, then place the remaining Kataifi dough over the cream to cover all the Ashta.

-Bake for 40 -45 minute or until golden brown. You can broil for 2 minutes at the end if is is not golden brown.

-Meanwhile, prepare the simple syrup by bringing all the simple syrup ingredients to a boil in a medium pot. Simmer for 15 minutes until syrup has thickened. (Do not stir once the mixture has begun to boil or it will become cloudy.) Remove the cinnamon stick. Let cool to warm.

-When the Osmaliya is baked, flip it carefully onto a round serving tray and generously drizzle with the cooled simple syrup.

When using Filo sheets:

-Layer 2 sheets at a time into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, then brush with melted butter (this method will require perhaps another 1/2 cup of melted butter.) Continue, layering 2 sheets at a time and buttering until you have used a total of 12 sheets. Spread the Ashta cream over the filo sheets, then continue to layer 2 filo sheets at a time, brushing each with melted butter until you have topped the cream with another 12 sheets of filo.

-Lightly score the top of the pastry through just a few layers of filo into 2 X 3 inch squares. Tuck in the edges of the pastry all around the dish and bake 40 - 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes. With a serrated blade, carefully cut through the scoring all the way to the bottom, through all the layers to re-create the 2 x 3 inch squares. Pour the simple syrup over the pastry and allow to cool at least one hour.

-Serve warm with extra simple syrup on the side, if desired.

Use Kataifi Shredded Filo (above) or Filo Pastry Sheets for this dessert.

If using Filo sheets, layer 2 sheets of filo pastry in buttered pan and brush well with melted butter.

Layer with 12 sheets, then spread with Ashta cream, then layer with 12 more sheets. Tuck in edges.

Score into serving piece size and bake until golden brown.

Garnish generously with coarsely chopped pistachio nuts.

Pour simple syrup over the cooked pastry and let site for at least an hour to absorb most of the syrup.

Cut Osmaliya all the way through the pastry into serving pieces.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with extra simply syrup on the side, if desired.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**Filo pastry sheets are most readily available in almost every U.S. grocery store, frozen in the frozen food department, most often near frozen pie crusts and other frozen desserts. Kataifi, the shredded filo pastry is harder to find but can be found in Arab markets or International grocery stores, also frozen.

**Orange Blossom Water can also be found in Arab groceries and often in International Markets and adds a subtle, slightly flowery flavor to the simple syrup that is very typical of Middle Eastern filo pastries.

**Be sure your filo dough is completely thawed before using as the sheets in particular are very difficult to work with if they are at all frozen. Let sit at room temperature for several hours before using. Or if in a hurry, place individually wrapped rolls of filo in the microwave for 35 seconds on high. Let rest for 20 minutes then give them another 35 seconds on high, then let rest until completely cooled before using.

**When working with filo sheets, open the package and lay the sheets out flat. Carefully pull 2 sheets at a time away from the others, patiently working around areas that may be stuck. Even if you pull half sheets away or have tears it will not matter in your final product. If you find you have a lot of stuck sheets, turn the entire stack over and work from the back - sometimes they will be looser. But be patient and don’t get frustrated because some packages are just problematic, but it will bake together sealed with butter, and in the end won’t matter. It is nice to save a couple of complete sheets for the top if you are having trouble. Keep the sheets covered with a piece a plastic after pulling away sheets to place in you pan so they don’t dry out.

**Osmaliya is most often served slightly warm but can be served at room temperature. Do not cover leftovers tightly with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container as you wlll lose all the crunch of your pastry. Simply place on a plate and tent loosely with foil. It will keep up to two days in the fridge this way. Then just before serving, place in a preheated oven to 300 degrees for 10 minutes and serve with warm simple syrup. Filo pastry also looses all its crunch when microwaved.