In honor of Shavuot, when is it customary to serve dairy foods, I offer my perfect knafeh, There is nothing easier, tastier or more beloved. Nothing.

Instead of moistening the knafeh with sugar syrup, I prefer to control the sweetness and precoat the noodles with butter and sugar. The result is a perfectly sweetened cake with a mind-boggling crunchy texture.

This delightful knafeh filling is an honorable replacement for the Arabic cheese “jibna.” It is made from a precise combination of ricotta cheese, grated mozzarella and marzipan, which adds the addictive aroma and sweetness of almonds. If marzipan isn’t to your liking, replace it with soft goat cheese (for example, “Gad-Eiz” that is sold in log form or discs), and reduce the powdered sugar by 1-2 teaspoons. It will be nothing less than wonderful.

Serve the hot knafeh to the center of a table with spoons, and invite everyone to serve themselves. Don’t look way, it will be devoured in seconds.

10-12 Servings

Materials:

Materials for a 26 cm diameter pan (not springform):

200 g “kadif” noodles, thawed for 2 hours in the refrigerator (covered)

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

100 grams soft butter
1 tablespoon rose water

For the filling:

1 container (250 g) ricotta

100 grams grated mozzarella
100 grams high-quality marzipan, crumbled into tiny pieces
1 tablespoon rose water
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

For serving: 50 grams of roasted, chopped pistachios

Preparation

1. Prepare the filling: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until consolidated and keep covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
3. Put kadif noodles in a large bowl and separate them quickly (they tend to stick together). Cover with a towel.
4. Heat sugar, butter and rose water in a medium skillet or small saucepan while stirring only until the butter bubbles lightly (the sugar will not melt completely). Pour over the noodles and stir with your hands (careful: the mixture is hot) until all the noodles are well coated with the mixture.
5. Transfer half of the coated noodles to an oven-proof pan. (Keep the remaining noodles at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap.) Flatten gently and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside and keep covered. Up to this stage, it is possible to prepare in advance and keep the base and sugared noodles at room temperature for 5-6 hours.
6. About 1/2 hour before serving, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
7. 7. Place the cheese mixture on the baked noodles and flatten. Lightly sprinkle the rest of the noodles over the filling, in an even layer, separating the largest chunks. Bake for 30-35 minutes until nicely browned (important!). Sprinkle with pistachios and serve hot and crispy.

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