Kataifi is pastry in fine shreds, like golden threads once baked. Here it is portioned into twelve, brushed with butter and rolled around a spoonful of cream cheese, ricotta, powdered sugar and vanilla.
The rolls bake until deep gold, then take a spoonful of warm lemon syrup while they are still hot, and a thick layer of pistachios goes on straight after so it sticks.
How to Make It
Pan buttered
Heat oven to 375°F and butter a 9-by-13-inch pan.
Filling beaten
Beat the cream cheese, ricotta, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Rolls formed
Separate the kataifi into 12 portions. Brush each portion lightly with melted butter, place a spoonful of filling at one end and roll tightly into a short cylinder.
Arranged
Arrange seam-side down in the pan and brush with the remaining butter.
Baked
Bake 30 to 35 minutes until deeply golden.
Syrup simmered
While the rolls bake, simmer the sugar, water and lemon juice for 6 to 8 minutes, then cool slightly.
Syrup and pistachios
Spoon the warm syrup over the hot rolls and scatter generously with pistachios.
Cooled
Cool 20 minutes before serving; refrigerate leftovers.
Pastry in the Oven, Syrup on the Hob
The syrup is made while the rolls bake.
In the oven
- 0 minutes
Buttered rolls go in at 375°F.
- 30 to 35 minutes
Deeply golden and out of the oven.
On the hob
- During the bake
Sugar, water and lemon juice simmer 6 to 8 minutes.
- Before the rolls come out
Syrup cools slightly.
Straight from the oven
Warm syrup over hot rolls, then pistachios, then a 20-minute cool.
Ingredient Notes
- Kataifi pastry
- One pound, fully thawed so the strands pull apart without snapping.
- Cream cheese and ricotta
- Eight ounces of cream cheese softened with half a cup of whole-milk ricotta.
- Pistachios
- Three-quarters of a cup, finely chopped, added after the syrup.
Why This Recipe Works
- Butter on every portion is what turns the shreds crisp and golden.
- Ricotta loosens the cream cheese into a lighter, spoonable filling.
- Warm syrup on hot pastry soaks in without making it soggy.
- Scattering the nuts over wet syrup holds them in place.
Success Tips
- Keep the unused kataifi covered with a damp towel while you roll so it does not dry out.
- Roll tightly; loose rolls open in the oven and leak filling.
- Pour the syrup slowly so the rolls absorb it evenly.
Serving Ideas
Cut a roll in half to show the white filling and serve on small plates with extra pistachio crumbs around it.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate leftovers once they have cooled; the filling is dairy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is inside?
Cream cheese and whole-milk ricotta beaten with powdered sugar and vanilla.
Should the syrup be hot or cold?
Warm, cooled slightly after simmering, spooned onto the hot rolls.
