Ekmek Kadaifi

 Ekmek is a Greek dessert that is a favorite among pastry shops in Astoria, New York.  It has a layer of shredded dough, soaked in syrup with a top layer of pastry cream and whip cream.  It's delicious.

Kadaifi (dough layer)
1 pound frozen Kadaifi (save other half for another time)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Defrost kadaifi.  Grease a 9 x 13 pan, glass pan preferably.  Defrost kadaifi.  Pull apart the shredded threads of dough and gently pack down on pan.  Pour melted butter all over.  Bake until lightly golden brown.  Around 20-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Prepare syrup below.  Pour hot syrup all over kadaifi.  Set aside and let cool completely.

Syrup
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups water
one lemon rind
juice of one lemon
1 orange rind

Place all ingredients in a sauce pot.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Discard rinds.  Pour hot syrup over cooked kadaifi.  Set aside to cool completely.

Custard
2 Tablespoons flour
4 Heaping Tablespoons Corn Starch
1 cup sugar
4 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
7 egg yolks

2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 T. Butter

In a Sauce pot add all ingredients except extract and butter.  Whisk all the cold ingredients until dissolved.  Place pot on stove top over medium heat and whisking all the time, until the custard thickens and you see the first steam bubble popping up out of custard.  Remove from heat.  Add butter and extract, stir well.  Pour hot custard over kaidaifi.  Place a clear plastic wrap on top of custard.  The wrap can touch custard.  You do not want custard to form a skin.  Place in fridge.  Cool completely.  Remove plastic film and cover with sweeten whip cream and slivered almonds. 

Whip Cream Topping
3 cups whippping cream
1/2 cup powder sugar

Whip all ingredients until peaks form.  You can spread on custard with offset spatula and pipe a border for a festive design.  Add slivered almonds or pistachios on top.