Ramadan in the Islamic religion refers to the Holy month of fasting. Muslims believe that their God ‘Allah' will forgive the past sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention. After the day is over the family gathers around and reads the Quran. Then they break their fast by eating delicious food items like dates, milk, biryani, majboos, meat items etc. They also eat sweets like umm ali, basbousa, kunafeh, etc. Today, I'm going to share 2 recipes for making aish al-saraya & bastani which are 2 delicious desserts usually eaten by Muslims during this time in different parts of the world.
Umm Ali (Egyptian Dessert)
Amount & Time:
Cooking time – 40 minutes
Servings – 8
Ingredients:
•1 (17.25 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
•5 cups milk
•1 cup white sugar
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•¼ cup raisins
•¼ cup slivered almonds
•¼ cup pine nuts
•¼ cup chopped pistachio nuts
•¼ cup sweetened, flaked coconut
Procedure:
•Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Unroll the puff pastry sheets, and place flat on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until puffed and golden brown.
•Step 2
Break the puff pastry into pieces, and place in a large bowl. Add the raisins, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, and coconut, and toss to distribute. Pour into a 9x13 inch glass baking dish, and spread evenly.
•Step 3
Pour the milk into a saucepan, and stir in the sugar and vanilla. Heat until hot but not quite boiling. Pour over the mixture in the baking dish.
•Step 4
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn the oven to broil, and broil for 2 minutes to brown the top. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Bastani (Persian Saffron-Rosewater-Pistachio Ice cream)
Amount & Time:
Active time – 45 minutes
Total time – 8 hrs 45 minutes
Yield – About 1 quart
Ingredients:
•6 large egg yolks
•1 1/2 cups heavy cream
•1 1/2 cups whole milk
•3/4 cup sugar
•1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•1/2 teaspoon saffron, finely ground
•1/4 cup pure rosewater
•1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•Dried roses, for garnish
Procedure:
•Step 1
Set a medium bowl in a large bowl of ice water. In another medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale, 1 to 2 minutes.
•Step 2
In a medium saucepan, whisk the cream with the milk, sugar, salt and saffron. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, whisking, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Very gradually whisk half of the hot cream mixture into the beaten egg yolks in a thin stream, then whisk this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to lightly coat the back of the spoon, about 12 minutes; don’t let it boil.
•Step 3
Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl set in the ice water. Let the custard cool completely, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rosewater and vanilla extract. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours.
•Step 4
Pour the custard base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a chilled 9-by-4-inch metal loaf pan, cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
•Step 5
Serve the ice cream in bowls, garnished with dried roses.
And with these 2 recipes, I would like to wish all my Muslim friends a happy Ramadan this 2021. Thank you.