After the incredible success that was Hummus Sorbet (and the horror show that was Refried Beans Sorbet), I decided to attempt something a bit more… normal. Here’s the story of Knafeh, how I created Knafeh ice cream and how I got into a car accident while picking up the all important Knafeh outside Jerusalem.
[Click to see pics.](https://imgur.com/a/ohLKe1w)
[Knafeh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knafeh) is a middle eastern treat served throughout the Arab world, though its most popular variation, known as Knafeh Nabulsiye, originated in the Palestinian town of Nablus. The dish involves a shredded phylo type pastry dough known as Khadaif which is pressed into the bottom of a pan and drizzled with a fat, often clarified butter, then topped with a very bland briny cheese known as [Nabulsi cheese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabulsi_cheese) (can be replaced with riccotta). The pan is placed over medium heat until the Khadaif pastry turns golden on bottom. The pan is inverted onto a plate so the Khadaif pastry is facing upwards and a simple syrup with a bit of added rose water and some lemon juice is drizzled on top. The dish is generously sprinkled with ground pistachios and served hot.
It’s honestly delicious – sweet and savory, with the texture of the crispy Khadaif pastry and the sweetness of the lightly flavored simple syrup, and is the quintessential Palestinian dessert. In Palestine and Israel it’s a common treat sold alongside baklava – which was usually prepared hours earlier. For Knafeh to be at its best, however, it needs to be served *fresh*, straight from the pan!
To prepare a Knafeh ice cream, I first needed some quality Knafeh. I considered making some myself, which I may still do, but the Nablusi cheese is basically impossible to find in west Jerusalem, at least as far as I can tell, and so I would be stuck using riccotta. Also, I’ve never made Knafeh, and I wanted to be as authentic as possible, so I went to a road-side Knafeh stand in Abu Gosh, a small Palestinian town right outside Jerusalem ([click to see pic](https://imgur.com/GuNGAbO)). The proprietor prepared the Knafeh right in front of me and boxed it up.
Immediately after putting my Knafeh in my car I got into a small fender bender (my fault), making this ice cream my most expensive creation ever – after copay and increased premium, I’ll be around $600-700 or more in the hole. This ice cream better be fucking incredible.
After leaving a note on the other car’s windshield, I drove home with my bumper barely hanging on. When I got home, I prepared a Salt and Straw base and blended it with the whole still-warm Knafeh ([minus one delicious bite – see pic](https://imgur.com/tAsmmVj)), and then prepared some (pre bought) Khadaif pastry by baking it in a pan (not frying in oil to avoid greasy ice cream), the simple syrup with rosewater and the fresh-ground pistachios. You see, a big part of a good Knafeh is the textures involved, so to make a good Knafeh ice cream I knew I wanted to replicate as much of that experience as possible.
After churning, I added a couple layers of fresh-ground pistachio throughout the ice cream and placed in the freezer to set up overnight.
The next day, I placed the baked Khadaif pastry in a bowl and sprinkled with ground pistachio and simple syrup and scooped the prepared ice cream onto the Khadaif, and then sprinkled with some leftover Khadaif and pistachios.
Oh my god. It’s really, really good. Like, REALLY good. It tastes like real Knafeh, but it’s not overpowering. I’m really proud of this one! I don’t know it was worth getting into a car accident over, but it’s definitely delicious.
Thanks for joining me on my Knafeh journey.
by nagumi