Kunefe - cooking recipe: description of the Turkish dessert, how to make it at home, ingredients, tips, and photos

Prepared by: Larisa Tryamkina

03/04/2020 Cooking time: 45 min

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Kunefe is a Turkish dessert that cannot be compared with anything else. To understand the taste, you just need to try it, and of course it’s better in its homeland. But if you wish, you can do it at home if you have a test.

Description of the kunefe dessert

The Turkish sweet kunefe is a hot pie with interesting ingredients that harmoniously complement each other, creating an amazing dish that is unlike others.
It is prepared from a special thread-like dough, Kadaif, with unsalted cheese placed between the layers and topped with very sweet syrup. Kadaif is an unusual dough made from thin threads intertwined with each other. He behaves capriciously, so you need to take into account the subtleties of working with him.

The classic recipe uses easy-to-melt goat cheese, but it is not found in our country, so mozzarella is an excellent replacement option. This crispy hot dough with cheese, soaked in sweet syrup is simply impossible to tear yourself away from.

Kunefe is a real king among desserts , the recipe of which has ancient roots. The birthplace of this famous Turkish dessert is Antakya. The name may also sound like “knafeh,” but in fact there are a lot of pronunciation options.

Turkish cuisine is famous for its desserts all over the world: baklava, Turkish delight.

Şekerpare

This delicacy is a delicious macaroon that is decorated with whole nut kernels and generously flavored with liquid sherbet or honey.

There are many recipes for preparing this dessert, so shekerpare differs in taste in different outlets. As a rule, it is sold in classic Turkish confectionery shops, in the same place where baklava is sold.

Step-by-step recipe for making Turkish dessert with photos

Cooking time: 1 hour.
Difficulty level: easy.
Type of dish: baked goods.

kadaif dough 500g.
butter 150g.
med 2st. l.
Mozzarella cheese 250g.
ground unsalted pistachios 3 tbsp. l.

calorie content306.65kcal
proteins9.06g.
fats 13.53g.
carbohydrates 38.07g.

water400ml.
med 3st. l.
sugar600gr.

Kadaif dough is very capricious, so the housewife will need to carefully ensure that its threads do not dry out when exposed to air. Defrost only with the package closed.

Recipes for your favorite pastries: kurabiye, knafeh.

Next on how to prepare kunefe:

Remove the dough from the freezer and let it defrost at room temperature for 1 hour according to the instructions. Do not open the package, otherwise the dough strands will dry out.
Start making the syrup while the dough is thawing. For the syrup: pour sugar into a saucepan or small saucepan, cover it with cold water and place on the stove. Stir occasionally until all sugar crystals have dissolved. Let it boil.
After the syrup has boiled, add honey and lemon juice to it. Cook for 6-7 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
Fluff the finished dough with your fingers, separating the threads from each other.
Melt butter in the microwave or in a frying pan, add honey to it. Cool the mixture a little and pour into the dough. Using your hands, carefully spread all the butter over the dough and mix well. It should be evenly soaked in the mixture of butter and honey.
Cut the mozzarella cheese into small thin slices with a knife or grate it onto a large grater.
Grease the baking dish well with a piece of butter.
Divide the dough into 2 parts. Place one portion onto the pan, pressing down with your palm to seal the base of the cake. The first layer should be about 3-4 cm thick. Cover the mold with a damp towel so that the dough does not dry out while you work with the filling.
Inside between the layers, place the cheese filling over the entire surface, distributing it evenly and cover with the rest of the dough. Press all layers of dough together with your fist.
Place the pan in the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. and bake. Watch the dessert, when it is browned, it means it is ready.
Remove the pan from the oven and pour the cold syrup over the hot cake. At this stage you should be careful, because everything will boil and seethe when it comes into contact with each other. Let stand for 5 minutes to soak, and then you can decorate and serve.

Important! The syrup must be completely cooled. This is an important technology in dessert, when a hot pie is poured with a cold sweet drink.

Turkish pizza pide and burek are very popular.

Watch the preparation of kunefe in the video:

Cezerye

Jezerye

For some reason, Russians are not too interested in Turkish marshmallow, unlike Europeans who adore this oriental sweet. The recipe for making marshmallows is based on natural fruit puree. It is made thick, then rolled out into a thin layer and thoroughly sprinkled with nut mixture. This is followed by the steps of sun drying, rolling, slicing and layering. Sometimes the puree is seasoned with sugar for added sweetness, but most often its taste is left natural.

The most popular marshmallow is cezerye - a delicate delicacy made from nuts, pomegranate juice or carrots. The delicacy is sprinkled with coconut flakes on top.

Jezerye in packages can be bought in supermarkets (looks like bars in transparent packaging, as in the picture above), as well as in the KOSKA store.

How and with what to serve?

To decorate the top of the dessert, sprinkle with ground young pistachios and place a scoop of vanilla or creamy ice cream. Together with cold ice cream, an excellent, unforgettable flavor with a hint of cheese is created.
The dish is served almost immediately, while it is still hot and you can feel the melted, viscous cheese inside it.
The classic way to serve the dish in Turkish restaurants is in portions, on small aluminum plates, but at home you can do it as you please.
The sweet taste of kunefe can be softened with cold whipped cream, placing it on top of the pie.
For drinks, unsweetened black or green tea works well (depending on personal tastes and preferences). It is not advisable with coffee, it will turn out too cloying and rich.

Everyone's favorite fast food: doner kebab, ekmek.

Kabak and quince tatlısı

Kabak tatlısı

It is very difficult to figure out the composition of this sweet the first time if you have never heard of it before. Kabak tatlysy is a delicious dessert dish based on quince, pumpkin and sweet syrup. When serving the delicacy, walnuts, heavy cream (kaymak) or tahin (flowing halva) are often used. Those with a sweet tooth will surely appreciate it!

Pumpkin or quince dessert can be enjoyed in a cafe or restaurant. Sometimes you can find it in some shops selling meze (Turkish snacks).

Tricks to help make a dish tastier

The secret of this delicious dessert is the cheese filling. A special cheese is used in Istanbul, but it is impossible to find it in our country. The best alternative is mozzarella, but you need to take semi-solid mozzarella, and not the kind that is sold in brine.
Butter for kunefe should be of high quality, with a good creamy taste. It should saturate the dough threads. Don't save money by replacing it with margarine or other cheap alternatives.
Pour the syrup into the pie, slowly, in portions. This will give it the opportunity to be absorbed immediately. Dessert should not be swimming in syrup.
You can also add a pinch of saffron to the boiling syrup; it will give it a beautiful rich color. You can also add orange zest to the syrup for flavor.
The filling will be tastier if you use lightly smooth goat cheese (this is what is used in Turkey). This advice is for those who visit this country and can buy it there.
The taste of the syrup will be richer if you add 2 tablespoons of grape molasses to it.

There are a huge number of types of kebabs in Turkish cuisine: cauldron kebab, with potatoes.

To make knafeh at home, prepare everything you need in advance:

kataifi dough no more than 160 g;
butter (butter) 100 g is enough;
cheese (ricotta only) 200 g will be enough;
syrup with sugar optimal volume 120 ml;
powdered sugar only 20 g;
lemon no more than 1⁄2 pcs.

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Lokma

Turkish lokma is somewhat similar to chak-chak. This sweet flour dessert is made in the form of small balls, which are generously soaked in honey or sugar syrup. The delicious balls are often sprinkled with chopped nuts or cinnamon.

In Istanbul, lokma is sold everywhere. If you want to try this incredibly tasty treat, just go to the nearest street stall labeled Lokma. Not a single bazaar in resort cities is complete without this dessert; you will certainly find it at the market.

For those who want to bring Turkish lokma home as a souvenir and treat their relatives, the delicacy is produced in factory packaging.

Baklava

Translated into Russian, the word “baklava” means “to wrap.” And this name fully reflects the appearance and method of preparing the delicacy.

First you need to take the dough and roll it out into a thin layer. The resulting workpiece is generously greased with butter and sprinkled with chopped nuts or other ingredients. The filled sheets of dough are placed on top of each other, rolled into a roll or placed on a baking sheet in the form of a layer cake. Once cooked in the oven, the dish is poured with liquid sherbet, sugar syrup or honey.

There are many recipes for making baklava. In literally every region of Turkey, culinary specialists have their own secrets.

Main types of baklava:

durum (a roll-shaped delicacy of deep green color);
kestaneli (chestnuts are used in cooking);
sadeh (baklava without nuts, but with butter cream);
fyndikly (hazelnuts are used in preparation);
bul-bul yuvasy (the second name is “nightingale’s nest”, because of its appearance);
dzhezerye (walnuts are used in preparation);
sutlu narie (the layers of dough in this delicacy are soaked not in syrup, but in milk).

Many people know that in bazaars, markets and sweet shops (including small shops where only baklava is sold), you can buy various types of this popular Turkish delicacy.

Marash dondurmasi – Marash ice cream (Maraş dondurması)

Ice cream Marash (Marash dondurması)

Having visited Turkey at least once, you will definitely see bright trays with colorful delicacies almost everywhere. This delicacy is called dondurma.

Outwardly, this dessert resembles ice cream, but appearances are deceiving - there are no other similarities. When preparing dondurma, granulated sugar, milk, a little mastic (resin from special mastic trees) and salep (ground orchid root) are used.

The result is a delicious treat with a rather sticky consistency. The dessert does not spoil in air for a long time and does not melt at high temperatures. But there are also disadvantages to this dish. To enjoy it, you need to obtain and prepare the most important ingredient - flour from orchid tubers. Therefore, today the plantings of wild orchids in Turkey have sharply decreased. It is prohibited to export flower flour, so it is impossible to taste real dondurma abroad.

You can try Marash ice cream on the streets of the city, or in some establishments, for example in Mado - the quality of the ice cream here is at a very good level.