Cardamom Phyllo Pastry, or muachaka, has become a staple at almost every family gathering. It’s a baklava inspired dessert, with many of the same key ingredients that make baklava so delicious – butter, sugar, and nuts. Sheets of phyllo dough are crumpled into small florets, drizzled with clarified butter and doused in a creamy mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, rose water and cardamom. Traditionally, we eat squares of muachaka topped with gaimer, or clotted cream, and date syrup.
In my family, my brother has become the champion of muachaka, religiously following a specific assembly process, and ousting my mother from her role as queen muachaka creator. At every family gathering, my brother’s Cardamom Phyllo Pastry is in high demand, and is usually the first dessert to finish. For this batch, I consulted the expert himself; you’ll see my brother’s hands in some the photos below.
This Cardamom Phyllo Pastry is best eaten on the day it’s made. The pastry will keep for a day or two, in the fridge.
Clarifying Butter
Clarifying butter is a process that removes the water and milk solids. Clarified butter has a higher burning point than regular butter. Let the butter melt until it comes to a rolling boil and nearly browns. Then, remove the foam or milk solids that have formed on top.
Making Muachaka
Crumple the half sheets into carnation looking bundles, one sheet at a time, until the tray is full. You should be able to fit 5 crumpled half sheets per row.
Bake the full tray of phyllo sheets for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven, and drizzle with the clarified butter. Bake the phyllo dough for another 10 minutes.
While the phyllo dough is baking, make the Milk-Egg-Sugar mixture. Don’t skip the step of straining; it removes small egg clumps which could burn onto the pastry.
Remove the tray from the oven. Pour the Milk-Egg-Sugar mixture over the pastry. Bake for another 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios when you pull the final Cardamom Phyllo Pastry from the oven.
Phyllo Pastry (Muachaka)
Ingredients
- 1 package phyllo dough room temperature
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp rose water
- 2 tsp cardamom
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup crushed pistachios
Instructions
Clarifying Butter
-
Clarifying butter is a process that removes the water and milk solids from butter; clarified butter has a higher burning point than regular butter.
-
In a saucepan, add 1 cup of butter. On low heat, melt the butter until it comes to a gentle boil.
-
A layer of foam will develop on top of the butter as it melts. Skim off the foam with a spoon. The foam is milk solids.
-
Strain the melted butter with a cheese cloth or melted cheese cloth.
Milk-Egg-Sugar Mixture
-
Beat the eggs, sugar, cardamom, and rose water in a medium bowl.
-
Add milk and stir.
-
Strain the mixture.
Phyllo Pastry
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-
Unroll the phyllo dough and cut the stack of sheets in half. Cover half of the dough so that it doesn't dry.
-
One half sheet at a time, gather the phyllo dough to form a crumbled bundle that resembles a carnation. Handle the sheets gently, and don't press too hard, since you want the final pastry to be fluffy.
-
Place the phyllo dough bundle on a baking sheet. Repeat the folding until you go through all the sheets. You should be able to fit about 5 bundles in a row.
-
Place the tray of phyllo dough in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
-
Take the tray out of the oven. Evenly pour the clarified butter over the phyllo dough. Put the tray back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
-
Take the tray out of the oven. Evenly pour the milk-egg-sugar over the phyllo dough. Put the tray back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
-
When the phyllo pastry is done baking, sprinkle with crushed pistachios.
Be First to Comment