Equipment
Ingredients
Syrup
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 240 ml water
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 cinnamon stick
Kataifi Base
- 400 g kataifi pastry, thawed if frozen
- 150 g unsalted butter, melted
Rhubarb Compote
- 500 g rhubarb, chopped into 2cm pieces
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 30 ml water
- 10 g cornstarch
Custard
- 700 ml whole milk
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 60 g cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 50 g unsalted butter, cubed
Topping
- 400 ml heavy whipping cream, cold
- 30 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 50 g pistachios, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 658 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 71 g
- Fat
- 39 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 45 g
- Sodium
- 208 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 22 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 163 mg
- Potassium
- 328 mg
- Calcium
- 160 mg
- Iron
- 1.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 26 mg
- Phosphorus
- 158 mg
- Zinc
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 372 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.9 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 16 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.28 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.37 mg
- Niacin
- 1.6 mg
- Folate
- 49 mcg
- Water
- 161 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Lightly grease a 23x33 cm baking dish.
In a medium saucepan, combine the syrup ingredients: 200g sugar, 240ml water, lemon juice, and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
Gently tease apart the kataifi pastry strands in a large mixing bowl to ensure there are no tight clumps. Pour over the melted butter and mix thoroughly using your hands until every strand is evenly coated.
Press the buttered kataifi evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp.
Immediately upon removing the hot kataifi from the oven, pour the completely cooled syrup evenly over the pastry. Discard the cinnamon stick. Allow the base to soak and cool while you prepare the next layers.
In a saucepan, combine the chopped rhubarb, 100g sugar, and 30ml water. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the rhubarb breaks down. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 1 additional minute until visibly thickened. Remove from heat.
Spread the warm rhubarb compote in a thin, even layer directly over the soaked kataifi base. Set aside.
To begin the custard, combine the whole milk and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming vigorously but not boiling.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, 150g sugar, and 60g cornstarch until completely smooth. Gradually stream half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking vigorously to temper the yolks without scrambling them.
Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens heavily into a rich custard, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and aggressively stir in the 10ml vanilla extract and 50g cubed butter until seamlessly incorporated.
Pour the hot custard immediately over the rhubarb layer, smoothing the top with a spatula. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the hot custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to set completely.
Once the dessert is completely cold and set, use a hand mixer to whip the cold heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and 5ml vanilla extract in a bowl until stiff peaks form.
Remove the plastic wrap from the custard. Spread the whipped cream in an even, pillowy layer across the top. Garnish generously with the chopped pistachios. Cut into squares, wiping the knife between slices for clean edges, and serve.
Chef's Notes
- Untangling the kataifi pastry perfectly is crucial. Take your time separating the extremely fine strands so the butter can coat them thoroughly; clumps will remain dry and tough after baking.
- Rhubarb varies immensely in sweetness and moisture. Taste your compote before thickening it; if your batch is intensely tart, add another 20-30g of sugar.
- Wiping the knife with a hot, damp cloth between each slice will give you flawless, beautiful squares showing off the distinct layers of crisp pastry, pink rhubarb, yellow custard, and white cream.
- For the ultimate contrast in temperatures and textures, prepare the base, compote, and custard the night before, then whip and add the cream just an hour before serving.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Keep covered to prevent the cream from absorbing fridge odors. The pastry base will soften progressively each day.
Troubleshooting
Custard turns out lumpy or grainy
Cause: The eggs were scrambled during tempering, or the custard was not whisked constantly over heat.
Fix: While the custard is still hot, push it vigorously through a fine-mesh sieve before pouring it over the rhubarb layer.
Prevention: Stream the hot liquid very slowly when tempering, and ensure constant, thorough whisking reaching into the corners of the pan during cooking.
Kataifi base is tough or dry instead of crisp and syrupy
Cause: The syrup and pastry were at the same temperature, preventing proper absorption.
Fix: Cannot be fixed after assembly, but letting the dessert sit longer in the fridge can soften the base slightly.
Prevention: Always pour cold syrup over hot pastry, or hot syrup over cold pastry to ensure maximum absorption.
Cultural Context
Ekmek Kataifi is a beloved dessert spanning Greek and Turkish culinary traditions, historically characterized by a syrup-soaked bread or pastry base layered with clotted cream (kaymak) or custard. By introducing a tart layer of vibrant rhubarb compote, this fusion variation balances the intense, traditional sweetness of the dessert with a bright, fruity acidity that cuts through the rich dairy layers.
