Bake flaky sour cream pastry layered with cardamom almond filling and cut into diamonds. Baku-style badambura, 2 hours 15 minutes, mostly chilling.
Category: Middle Eastern Hidden Gems
Mafroukeh: Lebanese Semolina Dessert with Ashta Cream
Toast semolina in butter, soak it in rosewater syrup, then crown with chilled ashta cream and pistachios in this layered Lebanese dessert.
Golden Baked Om Ali (Egyptian Bread Pudding)
Bake Om Ali, Egypt’s warm bread pudding, with flaky pastry, milk, cream, and toasted nuts in under 45 minutes.
Sweet Emirati Balaleet Vermicelli with Saffron Eggs
Simmer vermicelli with saffron, cardamom, and rosewater for sweet Emirati balaleet, finished with a thin egg omelet on top.
Khanfaroosh: Fried Emirati Saffron Cakes in Syrup
Fry khanfaroosh, Emirati saffron cakes soaked in cardamom syrup and rolled in sesame seeds, ready in under 2 hours start to finish.
Toasted Khabeesa: Warm Emirati Date and Ghee Dessert
Toast flour in ghee, then simmer with date syrup and cardamom for khabeesa, a warm Emirati halwa ready in 35 minutes.
Baked Madlouka: Lebanese Semolina Cake in Syrup
Bake madlouka, a Lebanese semolina cake layered with rosewater ashta cream and soaked in orange blossom syrup.
Golden Fried Znoud El Sit (Lebanese Cream Rolls)
Fry crispy znoud el sit, Lebanese phyllo rolls filled with ashta cream, and dip them in orange blossom syrup for a crackly, syrup-soaked finish.
Atayef Asafiri: Soft Cheese-Stuffed Syrup Dumplings
Griddle atayef asafiri with a warm akkawi cheese filling, dip in cooled syrup and pistachios for a soft, syrup-soaked Ramadan dessert.
Layali Lubnan (Lebanese Milk Pudding)
Simmer layali lubnan, a Lebanese semolina milk pudding, then chill it and top with cream, coconut, and orange blossom syrup for a soft, custardy finish.
Halawet El Jibn: Sweet Cheese Rolls with Ashta
Cook a stovetop semolina-cheese dough, roll it around chilled ashta cream, and drizzle with rose water syrup for classic halawet el jibn.