Kenafi (Semolina pastry stuffed with cream)

[FoodMan]

Kenafi (Semolina pastry stuffed with cream)

• 2 c Semolina Flour
  
• 2 tsp salt
  
• 1 stick (1/4 lb/125g) butter melted and cooled
  
• 1 recipe Cream Filling
  
• 1 recipe Fragrant Syrup
  
• Orange Blossom Jam (optional Garnish)
  

To make the pastry:

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

In a bowl mix the Semolina with the salt.

Add the melted butter and stir to create a semi-homogenous, crumbly dough.

Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form roughly into a disk shape.

Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and wrap the disk tightly. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Take the dough out of the fridge and, on a clean work surface, divide it into two equal pieces.

We need to create a thin rectangle of dough, working with one part at a time while keeping the other one wrapped. The best way to do this is to flatten the piece with the palm of your hand, top with a piece of wax paper and use a rolling pin and roll it to a 1/8 inch (3mm) thickness. Once this is done, transfer the dough to a rectangular shaped baking dish. Since the pastry is very crumbly, the method I use is to cut it into smaller squares and, using a spatula, transfer the smaller squares to the baking dish . Once the first layer of pastry is in, use your hand to pat it and smoothen it and use any extras to close any gaps.

Using a spatula, put the cream filling on top of the first layer of pastry and level it out.

Top the cream with the second half of pastry using the same method as the first layer.

Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry has a nice golden-brown color.

Serve warm or hot topped with some Fragrant Syrup and orange blossom Jam for garnish

Keywords: Dessert, Lebanese, Middle Eastern, eGCI

( RG722 )