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SWEET & SAVOURY NESTS

  • 3 days ago
  • 5 min read





MY TAKE


I enjoy giving a nod to the outdoors at Spring time and so, as always, I like to incorporate easy ideas with that theme. One of those ideas is making sweet and savoury nests, which can be part of an entree/dessert or canapes.


Here are a couple of very easy recipes to make sweet or savoury nests which you can fill with sweet or savoury items of your choice.


I use shredded phyllo (Kataifi)* for my sweet treats and, as this is in fact pastry with no added sugar, these nests can be filled with savoury items too! For a truly savoury taste I also make potato nests. All these nests can be made ahead of time, sealed in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days, so that is always a plus for me.



*HISTORY OF KATAIFI


Kataifi (also spelled kadaifi) is a traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean pastry made from finely shredded phyllo dough that resembles delicate threads, creating its signature light yet crisp texture. It originated in the culinary traditions of the Ottoman Empire, where it developed alongside other syrup-soaked pastries like baklava, and gradually spread across regions such as Greece and Turkey. Typically wrapped or layered around fillings like pistachios or walnuts, kataifi is baked until golden and then soaked in aromatic sugar syrup infused with rosewater or orange blossom, resulting in a dessert that balances crunch and tenderness while reflecting a long history of festive, refined pastry making.


Kataifi can be purchased in the freezer section of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern or Persian grocery stores.





My Baklava and Knafeh (Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Cheesecake) made with Kataifi.




RECIPES FOR NESTS

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POTATO NESTS

Servings: 6-8 nests Prep time: 15 min Frying time:: 4 mins per nest


INGREDIENTS


Shredded potatoes (shred with large grater - mandoline or spiralizer).

One large potato can make 6 small nests. Use Russet potatoes or Sweet potatoes.

Salt to taste - just a pinch per nest.

1 tsp of plain flour per potato (optional)

1/2 small shallot grated per potato (optional) using shallots will slightly increase number of nests made.

If frying, a small saucepan with a 4 inch depth of vegetable oil.


Potato nests can be cooked in various ways and the choices are:


  1. Fry shredded potatoes using the bottom of a metal sieve to make the shape.

    While frying, use a spoon to help form the nest shape. Once browned, allow basket to rest and cool on a piece of paper towel to absorb excess oil. When a shred of potato bubbles and floats to the surface of the oil, the oil is hot enough to begin frying.

  2. Form raw shredded potatoes into a flat circle. Fry the shredded potatoes in a flat circle guiding the shreds with a spoon to stick together. Once browned remove from oil with a flat spatula and place in a small muffin cup or ramekin and press down middle with the end of a rolling pin or smaller dish to form shape. (Take care as potatoes coming straight out of oil are very hot!). Cool and rest before filling.

  3. Use muffin cups or pans to form shape with raw potatoes then brush with oil and cook in the oven at 400 degrees F until browned. Approximately 20 minutes.


Once cool, potato nests can be filled with ingredients of your choice - my go to ingredients are:


  • Caprese nests - filled with mozzarella, tomato, basil or pesto and olives (optional)

  • Smoked salmon nests (filled with cream cheese/sour cream, smoked salmon, dressed with dill and capers)


Cooled unfilled nests can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days until ready to fill and serve.



KATAIFI (SHREDDED PHYLLO) NESTS

INGREDIENTS


1 pack of frozen Kataifi (shredded phyllo pastry)

3 tbsp melted butter (clarified butter* is best)

INSTUCTIONS


For these nests you will need a muffin pan, or small oven-proof ramekins.

The Kataifi will be frozen on purchase and should be kept frozen until an hour before use. Once defrosted, you will see that the pastry can be unfurled (looks like long thin noodles that are stuck together and folded). Cut enough Kataifi to make flat "ribbons" of the strands that measure approximately half inch by 6-8 inches for shaping into each nest.* Whilst wrapping Kataifi into muffin pan doing so cover the rest of the kataifi with a damp paper towel or tea towel otherwise the strands will dry out and become brittle. *Return any remaining Kataifi to freezer - as long as it has not become to brittle it can be refrozen very successfully until next use.


Kataifi nests should be brushed liberally with clarified butter or just melted butter.

Baked in the oven at 375 degrees F - for approximately 15 minutes,


I have filled these nests with many things:



PISTACHIO NESTS


Before placing nests in the oven they should be filled with halved pistachios, chopped walnuts. Pistachios (about 5 per small nest) and 1/4 tsp chopped walnuts,


Warm syrup should be liberally drizzled on cold nests before serving.


Simple Syrup (this recipe uses saffron and has a distinct Persian flavour but if you do not have saffron you can use the zest of an orange. Note that the more you flavour your syrup the tastier your finished product will be.


INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups white granulated sugar

  • 2 cups water

  • 6 strands of saffron ground into 2 tbsps cold water

  • 2 tbsps. rose water

  • juice of ½ small lemon

  • 1/4 tsp clove powder

  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon


INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dissolve the sugar in the water: Measure and add the sugar and water into a medium saucepan. Mix to dissolve the sugar very well.

2. Boil: Bring the pot to medium heat. When the mixture starts to boil, time 5 minutes of boiling time. Then add in the saffron and rose water as well as lemon juice into the pan. Continue to boil for 2 more minutes. Do not over boil as the syrup should be a pale yellow - not brown!

3. Cool and store: Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool completely before adding into a storage container or bottle.




LEMON CURD/NUTELLA FILLED NESTS


I have made my own lemon curd (recipe below) but you can also use a bought

ready to go version or you can use Nutella. An addition of fruit or seasonal mini chocolate eggs makes a very cute dessert.


EASY LEMON CURD RECIPE


INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup granulated sugar

/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature


INSTRUCTIONS

1, In a small saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs.

2. Add the butter and cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk, until the first bubble appears on the surface of the mixture and the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk, about 6-8 minutes.

3, Strain the lemon curd through a fine-mesh strainer if you don't want the lemon zest in the curd. Transfer the hot lemon curd to a bowl or jar and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold, then take off the plastic wrap and replace with a lid.

4. The curd keeps fresh in the refrigerator for about 1 week.


NOTE:


You do not need to clarify butter but it helps to crisp the strands of kataifi and gives a rich flavour.


*CLARIFIED BUTTER

To clarify butter, gently melt it over low heat until it separates into three layers—foam on top, clear golden fat in the middle, and milk solids at the bottom—then carefully skim off the foam and pour or strain the pure butterfat into a clean container, leaving the solids behind.



LET'S TALK


Please let me know how you fare with this recipe and if you have any suggestions to improve it? Send me your photos and your comments. I would love to hear about your favourite vegetable soup recipes!



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