Middle Eastern desserts such baklava and knafeh are beloved around the globe. However, according to Jinan Afiouny Ammoura of Sydney eatery Cafe Levant, these Lebanese pancakes stuffed with ashta (a type of Middle Eastern clotted cream) are equally deserving of their time in the spotlight.
“Ashta pancakes are a nostalgic Lebanese dessert that take me back my childhood. My mum would make the katayef (pancakes) and me and my siblings would watch her pour the batter on the griddle and wait for the bubbles to form. It was always such a treat to see all those tiny bubbles form on the top of the pancake which meant it was cooking through. She would take them off the griddle and onto a clean tea towel ready for the fresh Ashta and crushed pistachios. We wouldn’t wait for her to finish before dad and us would start spooning the creamy Ashta onto the middle of the pancake and pinching it closed, dipping into the crushed pistachios and drizzling it with orange blossom sugar syrup!”
INGREDIENTS
For the Ashta:
- 2 litres milk
- 6 tbsp white vinegar
- 12 tbsp cornflour
- 6 tbsp castor sugar
- 9 tbsp thickened cream
- 2 tbsp rosewater
- 100ml maple syrup
For the Pancakes:
- 4 cups self-raising flour
- 4 cups cake flour
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 whole eggs
- 350mL buttermilk
- 6 cups full cream milk
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
To serve:
- Fresh berries
- Caramelised banana
- Vanilla ice-cream
- Maple syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Ashta
1. Add 2 litres of milk to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer, add 6 tbsp of white vinegar and stir for a few minutes until the milk separates.
2. Strain off the liquid and keep the solid ashta to the side, allow to sit for one hour.
3. In a clean bowl, add cornflour, castor sugar, thickened cream and stir nicely.
4. Place in a pot on low heat and stir slowly until it reaches boiling point. Once all of the components are combined, add to the ashta and combine.
5. Add rosewater and maple syrup to finish.
For the Pancakes
1. Combine self-raising flour, cake flour, castor sugar and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, combine vegetable oil, buttermilk, milk and eggs. Mix nicely until smooth and all the lumps are gone.
3. Pour the liquid mix into the flour mix and stir thoroughly until all lumps are gone.
4. Spray a pan lightly with oil or coat with butter and pour in you desired amount of pancake mix.
5. When bubbles start to form on the top or the bottom side is golden brown, flip to cook the other side.
6. Repeat until all your pancakes are cooked.
To Assemble
1. Cut the banana in half, spread sugar evenly on top and use a blow torch to caramelise until golden brown. If you don’t have a blow torch, you can caramelise sugar in a shallow pan and tip the banana face down to coat.
2. Spread ashta generously onto your pancake and fold gently in half.
3. Repeat the same process until you have your desired number of pancakes.
4. Top with caramelised banana, mixed berries, sprinkle with pistachios, drizzle with maple syrup, add a scopp of vanilla ice-cream and enjoy.
Levant’s Tip: Best eaten fresh while the pancakes are still warm. It’s the closest we’ll get to being kids again and eating them from the stove as mum makes them.
