Qatayef Asafiri (Little Birds)

Name: Qatayef Asafiri (Little Birds)
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 cup (5 ounces), all-purpose flour; ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces), semolina flour; 1 teaspoon, ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon, ground mahlab; 1 teaspoon, baking powder; ¼ teaspoon, baking soda; ½ teaspoon, table salt; ½ teaspoon, ground anise seeds; 2 cups, whole milk; ¼ cup, honey; 1 tablespoon, plain whole-milk yogurt; 1 tablespoon, rose water; 1 tablespoon orange blossom, water; ½ teaspoon, vegetable oil; 16 ounces (2 cups), mascarpone; ¼ cup, whole milk; ½ cup, honey, divided; 2 tablespoons, rose water; 1 tablespoon orange blossom, water; ½ teaspoon, ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon, ground mahlab; ¼ teaspoon, table salt; ¼ cup, shelled pistachios, chopped fine

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By Dominique Khoury

Appears in Cook's Illustrated March/April 2023

Desserts or Baked Goods

Middle Eastern

Cheese

Qatayef asafiri (aka little birds)—petite pancakes folded around a creamy filling, edged with nuts, and drizzled with honey—are the holiday's most anticipated confection.

SERVES8 to 10

TIME1½ hours, plus 30 minutes resting

has video

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Qatayef asafiri is one of the most iconic desserts of the Ramadan season. The handheld dazzlers are made by stuffing small semolina pancakes with a creamy filling, folding them partway to create a beak shape (“asafiri” means “little birds”)...

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