Qatayef Asafiri: Half-Open Pancakes with Whipped Cream and Pistachio
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Soft, bubbly one-sided pancakes pinched into cones, filled with whipped mascarpone cream, dipped in pistachio and finished with cold syrup.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Make the syrup. Boil the sugar, 60 ml water and lemon juice, then simmer for 5 min until slightly syrupy. Leave to cool completely; cold syrup keeps the cream filling firm.
- 2
Blend the batter. Blend the flour, semolina, sugar, yeast, baking powder, bicarbonate, milk and water until smooth, about as thick as single cream. Rest for 20 min until a few bubbles appear on top, a sign that the raising agents are working.
- 3
Whip the cream. Whip the mascarpone, double cream, icing sugar and orange blossom water if using to firm peaks. Spoon into the piping bag and chill until needed, as warm cream will slump.
- 4
Cook one side only. Heat the pan over a medium heat without oil. Pour in 1 heaped tbsp of batter for each pancake, 3-4 at a time, so each spreads to about 8 cm. Cook for 1-1.5 min without turning, until the top is dry and covered in tiny holes and the base is golden; the soft, uncooked top is what lets the edges seal.
- 5
Keep them soft. Lift each pancake, holes up, onto a tea towel and cover with the second towel straight away. Trapped steam keeps them pliable. You should end up with about 24.
- 6
Pinch and fill. Fold a pancake in half with the holes inside and pinch the edges together from one end to the middle only, leaving a cone-shaped opening. Pipe in the cream and dip the exposed cream into the ground pistachios.
- 7
Serve chilled. Arrange on a platter and chill for up to 3 h. Drizzle with the cold syrup just before eating.
Storage
Unfilled pancakes keep, well wrapped, in the fridge for 1 day. Filled qatayef keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 day; add the syrup just before serving.
Equipment
- small saucepan
- blender or large bowl and whisk
- mixing bowl
- electric hand mixer
- piping bag with a wide plain nozzle
- non-stick frying pan or flat griddle
- 2 clean tea towels
- small shallow bowl
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 366 kcal |
| Protein | 5.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.4 g |
| of which sugars | 20.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 17.7 g |
| Fat | 21.9 g |
| of which saturates | 13.5 g |
| Fibre | 1.1 g |
| Salt | 0.25 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
