Lemon Verbena Cataif with Honey Cream

This recipe was originally published in the award-winning cookbook Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts From Romania & Beyond by Irina Georgescu (Hardie Grant, 2022). Reprinted here with permission.

You can purchase Tava here

Lemon Verbena Cataif with Honey Cream (Cataif cu frişcă)

Ingredients:

• 250g (9oz) cataif/ kataifi pastry (found in Middle Eastern stores or online)
• 100g (3 ½ oz) unsalted butter, melted

For the syrup:

• 250ml (8 ½ fl oz / 1 cup) water
• 40 g ( 1 ½ oz / 3 ½ tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar
• 40 g (1 ½ oz / 2 tablespoons) honey
• Juice of 1 medium lemon (reserve the zest for the filling below)
• 6 small lemon verbena leaves, finely chopped

For the filling:

• 150 g (5oz / ⅔ cup) double (heavy) cream
• 3 tablespoons icing (confectioner’s) sugar
• 100 g (3 ½ oz/ scant ½ cup) full-fat cream cheese
• Zest from the above lemon

To serve:

• Honey, for drizzling
• 2 small lemon verbena leaves, finely chopped

Method:

1. First, make the syrup by bringing the water, sugar and honey to the boil in a pan, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and lemon verbena leaves and leave to cool.
2. Preheat the oven 180℃ (non-fan)/350℉/gas 4.
3. Separate and fluff up the strands of pastry, placing them in a single layer on a large baking tray (pan). Drizzle evenly with the melted butter and use your fingers to thoroughly coat the strands with it. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
4. Make the filling by whipping the cream with sugar in a large bowl. Fold it into the cream cheese together with the lemon zest.
5. Arrange half of the shredded pastry over the base of a 24 x 12 cm (9 ½  x 5 in) serving dish. Evenly spoon over half of the syrup, then spread the filling on top. Layer the remaining pastry on top, then spoon over remaining syrup. Allow the flavours to infuse for 1 hour at room temperature (if it’s not too hot, but ideally not in the refrigerator).
6. Portion into 6 slices and scoop them out onto plates. Drizzle with a little honey and sprinkle with chopped lemon verbena leaves.