Kataifi Nests: The Perfect Greek Make-Ahead Dessert
Make these sweet kataifi nests for your next dinner party. They’re the perfect Greek dessert. Easy to assemble and they can be made ahead for stress-free entertaining.
What is Kataifi Pastry?
Kataifi pastry dough, also known as Kunafah in Middle Eastern Cuisine, is commonly used to make delicious desserts and even savory recipes. It is commonly called shredded phyllo even though its consistency is very different from phyllo. Kataifi dough is similar in texture to a soft vermicelli.
Kataifi pastry dough is sold in the freezer section of Mediterranean & middle eastern grocery stores.
Important Tips
thaw the kataifi dough properly: Kataifi is sold in the freezer section and it must be thawed before using. The best way to do this is to place the box in the refrigerator at least overnight. Then, set the box at room temperature for 1-2 hours before making the dessert.
Leave the pastry dough in its packaging: Kataifi pastry dries out quickly when exposed to air. Remove it from its packaging right before assembling the pastries and keep it covered with a damp kitchen towel. Once it dries up, there’s no saving it.
work quickly to prevent the pastry dough from drying out. As stated in the previous tip, the dough dries out as soon as it is exposed to air. It doesn’t take long to make the nests but once you begin, try not to stop to multitask. Get help from the kids and make the nests as soon as the package is opened.
Make-Ahead Tips
This is the perfect make-ahead dessert. The kataifi nests can be assembled a month or two ahead of time and frozen or make the dessert the day before your dinner party and store it in your refrigerator. It tastes delicious cold and at room temperature.
Assemble the nests and place them on a baking tray.
Brush them liberally with the melted butter.
Wrap the tray tightly in plastic wrap.
Freeze for up to 2-3 months (Mine have never lasted longer than 1 month in the freezer )
when ready to bake, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and remove the plastic before baking. Bake as per the recipe instructions (until golden) and make the syrup in the meantime. Soak them in the syrup as soon as they come out of the oven and allow them to sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings and with Greek coffee.
Make the kataifi nests as per the recipe’s instructions. Allow them to cool completely and cover with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate them overnight. When ready to serve, transfer the pastries into a serving platter and make a small batch of the syrup. About a quarter of the syrup will be enough. Pour the syrup over the nests and serve.
The Toppings
The options are endless! Simply garnish the sweet kataifi nests with some ground pistachios (or your favorite nuts) and serve. This is such a flavorful dessert that it does not need much embellishment. However, ice cream is a common topping in Greece. Yummy! Here are some options:
pudding
ground nuts
whole toasted nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts
preserves or jam: sour cherry are my favorite but use whatever you love.
fresh berries
I hope that you give this recipe a try and if you do, let me know how you served it. Share pictures with me on Facebook & Instagram and I will be back here soon with another delicious recipe worth sharing. Kali Orexi!
For the Syrup:
For the Toppings:
