Recipe - Kadayif (Middle Eastern Cheese Dessert)

2 cup Sugar
1 One half cup Water
2 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Three fourths cup Golden Raisins
1 tablespoon Grated Lemon Zest
Three fourths cup Water Or White Wine
1 One half pound Whole Milk Ricotta
One half pound Light Cream Cheese Or
One half pound Fresh Goat Cheese
1 pound Kataifi (Shredded Filo)
1 cup Butter (2 Sticks), melted

Add the sugar, water and lemon juice to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, washing down any sugar crystals on
sides of pan with a brush dipped in cold water. Set syrup aside to cool.

In a separate small saucepan, warm the raisins and lemon zest in the water
or wine and allow to sit for a few minutes for raisins to plump. Drain and
coarsely chop raisins and set aside. Reserve liquid.

Drain the ricotta of any excess liquid and beat it together with the cream
cheese. Stir in raisins. Mixture should be soft and easily spreadable. If
not, beat in some of raisin poaching liquid.

Remove kataifi from box and loosen shreds in a large bowl. Toss shreds with
melted butter to coat. Arrange half of the coated shreds in the bottom of a
9 x13 baking dish or pan and top with cheese mixture. Place remaining
kataifi evenly over top pressing them lightly into cheese mixture. Bake
covered with foil in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover
and bake for another 30 minutes or until kataifi is crisp and golden. Serve
warm or at room temperature drizzled with lemon syrup.

Yield: 1216 servings

Copyright, 1996, TV FOOD NETWORK, G.P., All Rights Reserved
Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #332

Recipe by: COOKING RIGHT SHOW #CR9681

From: Bill Spalding billspa@icanect.net

Date: Sun, 8 Dec 1996 04:29:39 0500 (EST)