Mafroukeh

Mafroukeh (ma-frou-ké) is a traditional Lebanese dessert made of semolina, sugar, and butter infused with sugar syrup, orange blossom, and rose water. It's topped with a milk-based cream filling called eshta or ashta ...(but you can definitely use ricotta cheese instead...lighter and easier) and roasted nuts. This challenge was thrown my way by my hubby and one that I totally accepted. I always perceived Lebanese sweets to be (apart from very sweet) tough to make...but after the 3rd time, it worked :) I will share with you what worked and what didn't, so that you can learn from the common made mistakes. In the end, it is not as complex as it seems and tastes great!

Here is what you'll need:

For the mafrouké (cake):

- 2 cups of semolina (the finest grain..usually says #1 on package)

- 1/2 cup of butter

- 1cup of powdered sugar

- Roasted pistachios, almonds, and/or pine nuts (about 1/4 of each, or 3/4 total)

- Syrup (see ingredients below)

- 1 tablespoon rose water

Syrup:

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1/2 cup of water

- 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water

- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice (few drops so it won't stick)

Eshta topping: I use ricotta...about 454g of it.

Extra: if you have flower/rose jam petals for decoration.

Let's first clear the air with common mistakes and what you should avoid.

First couple of times that I tried, I used semolina I had at home - semolina #2 (coarse, larger grain) - which I often use to make other desserts or dishes that require a large grain. Tried and tested - try to use the finest, #1 size of grain, which will be smooth and soft. 

Other mistake (I think!): pouring the sugar and syrup while the semolina mixture was still hot...even when heat was turned off...or away from the stove altogether.

Now, I am not a physics expert, and I am not sure if it is the combination of those mistakes or one in particular, but in the end, all I know is that all that I have done and all the steps I followed (which by the way I found random recipes online and heard from people I know) ended up giving me a mafroukeh that was hard as a rock (not good for our poor teeth). I also found a lot of comments online where people mentioned the same thing - even when following clear steps, they got disapointing results. Until I found a Lebanese Chef on a YouTube video suggesting a different approach, which I will share below (woohoooo!). Shokran Chef Zeitouni w Chef Ali (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plZBSYVr_MU).

First things first - you want to prepare the syrup and set aside so that it has time to cool off while you are preparing the rest. Simply stir the sugar, water and lemon juice over heat. When it starts to boil, add the orange blossom water  and leave until it thickens (make sure it is thick enough...not tooooooo much, but thick enough to get a perfect texture for your mafroukeh). Set aside to cool.

To prepare the mafroukeh:

First roast the semolina in a pan until it gets a nice dark golden brown (low-med heat is perfect when using stainless pan...med-high if you use non-stick). Note that you don't even need to add butter (thanks to Chef Ali - you will see that we will add the butter later on also). 

Roast the semolina without anything, no fat no nothing...just the heat. It can take some time, keep an eye and be patient (also possible to roast in the oven if you prefer - not sure of timing, for you to check and depending on your oven) :)

At the end, I suggest that you strain the roasted semolina to remove extra lumps. 

Set aside and let cool. In the meantime,  melt the butter and roast the nuts.

Once golden and well roasted, strain the butter and set nuts aside. We will use the butter, which now has absorbed nuts flavor, in a little but.

In a large bowl, incorporate to the warm/cool roasted semolina the powdered sugar.

Mix well and then pour in the melted butter.

Mix well (yes, you can/should use your hands ....just make sure they are clean, please!) ;)  Here is what it should look like by now:

 It's time to add in the syrup (it should be cool by now).

Then the rose water. Mix well....still with your hands (gooey fun, isn't it) :)

Finally, time to add / spread the ricotta (or eshta if you have), the nuts and flower petals (optional)... and make it look all pretty. Note, that my round pan/plate wasn't available (yes it was busy with other food) so I used a rectangular pan...I personally like it in a round pan...I feel like it looks nicer but hey, still works...it's up to you!

There you go -  Sa7tein...Enjoy...Bon appétit... I hope you like it...and appreciate this traditional Lebanese Sweet.