The delicious Um Ali. (Credit: Photo Jad Abou Jaoudeh)
As we approach the end of the year, “L'Orient Today” offers you four traditional Lebanese recipes and the advice of a wine expert for a perfect food-wine match.
Today, chef Ahmad Samroud of Babel Restaurant and Château Ksara offers you a dessert and wine pairing
Recipe for 4 servings
Ingredients
Osmalieh paste:
105 g Osmalieh paste
55 g ghee
Cheese mixture:
10 ml liquid milk
10 g fresh cream
100 g Akkawi cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
60 g mozzarella
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. orange blossom
1 tsp. rose water
Sauce:
1 whole egg
700 g fresh cream
300 g milk
1 vanilla stick
12 g liquid vanilla
90 g white sugar
A few ingredients for a successful Um Ali. (Credit: Photo Jad Abou Jaoudeh)
Topping:
120 g mille-feuilles flakes
30 g honey
4 pistachio tuiles (10 g each)
Instructions
Osmalieh paste:
Mix the two ingredients together in an oven over medium heat until the temperature reaches 85°C.
Cheese mixture:
Wash the Akkawi cheese well until the salty taste disappears. Wash the mozzarella, changing the water several times.
Dry the Akkawi cheese and mozzarella over low heat, then strain them.
In a separate pan, combine all the remaining ingredients (excluding the orange blossom water and rose water) and cook over low heat until the cheeses have fully melted.
Once the cheese has melted, continue stirring for 30 seconds.
Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and cover with cling film. Place in the freezer to cool.
Sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a pan over medium heat until the temperature reaches 85°C. Then, place the pan in an ice bath and let it cool. Once the temperature has dropped to 20°C, store in the refrigerator.
Garnishing a plate of Um Ali
Place the Osmalieh mixture in a dish and cover with the cheese mixture. Then, cover with a new layer of Osmalieh. Press evenly with a mold. Add the sauce and bake at 130°C for 3 minutes. Turn on the top burner and place the mixture in the oven until it comes to a boil, for the last 30 seconds. Next, remove it.
Chef Ahmad Samroud of the Babel restaurant. (Credit: Photo Jad Abou Jaoudeh)
Final dressing
Bake the mille-feuilles flakes at 140°C for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Place them around the Um Ali.
Pour some honey over the top and add a tuile.
Château Ksara choice
“A sweet Moscatel, as the spicy white and ginger flavors of the Gewurztraminer bring balance and freshness to the dessert, while the Muscat beautifully complements the orange blossom water. The sweetness of this wine will prolong the aftertaste and add more richness to the dish.”
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