French manufacturer of professional kitchen equipment since 1947
French manufacturer of professional kitchen equipment since 1947
Etymologically, the word Katayef comes from the Arabic word “qataf”, which means “to pick up”.
The Katayef is regarded as “the pancake of the Middle East” thanks to its distinctive shape, with only one side browned. It is one of the traditional recipes of Levantine and Egyptian cuisine, and is thought to date back to the Fatimid era.
If you fancy sampling katayefs, you will find them in Syria, but also in Iraq, across the Near East, in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
And if you enjoy cooking, the recipe below will let you treat yourself to homemade katayefs!
For the crêpe batter: 150g of flour, 35cl of milk, 1 tsp of baking powder, 50g of extra-fine semolina, 1 cube of fresh baker’s yeast, 20g of caster sugar.
For the cream: 250g of mascarpone, 20cl of whole milk, 3 tbsp of orange blossom water or rose water, 10cl of single cream, 2 tsp of extra-fine semolina, 40g of finely chopped pistachios.
For the syrup: 35cl of water, 150g of caster sugar, 3 tbsp of orange blossom water or rose water, a few drops of lemon juice.
To prepare the crêpes, start by dissolving the baker’s yeast in half of the lukewarm milk. In a mixing bowl, then combine the flour, semolina, the rest of the milk, the sugar and the yeast diluted in the milk, stirring vigorously. After covering the batter with a clean cloth, leave it to rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and pour in a small amount of batter without spreading it. Cook each crêpe on one side only. Set them aside to cool.
For the cream, heat the milk, single cream and semolina, stirring constantly until you obtain a thick cream. Cover the mixture and keep it chilled. Only once it has cooled can you whisk it with the mascarpone.
And to make the syrup, heat the sugar, water and orange blossom water in a saucepan until it comes to the boil. Once the syrup has thickened (but not coloured), add a few drops of lemon juice.
For perfect crêpes, place a tablespoonful in the centre of the crêpe. Fold it over and pinch it to seal the edges two-thirds of the way along, so as to form a “cone”. Quickly roll the top of the cone in the chopped pistachios and repeat for all the crêpes prepared beforehand. Place them in the refrigerator for 4 hours and drizzle them with syrup just before serving.
For cooking worthy of the name, choose our RollerGrill crêpe machines, ideal for your katayefs.
Heat the appliance, grease it with oil (each time) and pour small rounds of batter using a tablespoon. Cook on one side only, and for long enough that the top of the batter is no longer runny.
Leave to cool in the refrigerator until the crêpes are completely cold, then enjoy!
Katayefs can be served with a variety of fillings, but two kinds are well known:
Katayef lovers enjoy eating them for dessert and during Ramadan. But you can just as easily enjoy them as an afternoon treat or whenever you like!
The katayef and the French crêpe have little in common, but they are alike in their indulgent, convivial nature.
There are various ways of preparing katayefs. The pancakes and the cream can be made the day before and filled the next day.
When preparing these holed crêpes, it is important to follow certain guidelines, such as remembering to space the crêpes out in the pan or on the crêpe machine, and using a ladle, each time pouring a third of the batter in three spots on the cooking surface.
It is also essential not to overcook the crêpes and to take them off the heat while the top side is still slightly sticky. They will continue to cook as they cool. This way, sealing the cones filled with milk cream will be easier.
