Knafeh Without Semolina or Kataifi: A Gluten-Free Version Worth Making

Knafeh is the dessert people with coeliac disease are most likely to be told simply is not available to them, and the reason is structural. Both traditional shells are wheat: knafeh na'ameh uses fine semolina, knafeh khishneh uses kataifi, the shredded pastry made from wheat batter.

There is no direct substitute for either. But the dish is really about a hot, salty, stretchy cheese layer with something crisp and sweet above it, and that is reproducible.

This version uses a coarse cornmeal and rice flour crust in place of semolina. If you can find rice-flour kataifi, which some gluten-free producers now make, use it for the shredded version instead and follow the same assembly.

Ingredients

Serves eight, in a 25 cm round tin.

For the cheese layer:

• 500 g akkawi cheese, or a mix of low-moisture mozzarella and ricotta
• If using akkawi, cold water for soaking

For the crust:

• 150 g coarse cornmeal, the polenta grind rather than fine
• 100 g fine rice flour
• 50 g cornflour
• 150 g melted ghee or unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Quarter teaspoon salt
• Half a teaspoon orange food colouring, optional and traditional
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water

For the syrup, called ater:

• 300 g sugar
• 200 ml water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 1 teaspoon rose water

To finish: crushed pistachios.

Method

1. Make the syrup first, and cool it

Bring the sugar, water and lemon juice to a boil, simmer eight minutes, take off the heat and stir in the blossom waters.

Cool it completely. The single rule of knafeh is that cold syrup goes on hot pastry. Hot on hot gives you a soggy dessert, and there is no recovering from it.

2. Desalt the cheese

Akkawi is packed in brine and must be soaked. Cube it, cover with cold water, and change the water every hour for three to four hours. Taste it. It should be mild, with only a trace of salt.

If using mozzarella and ricotta, skip this. Drain the mozzarella very well and grate it, then fold through the ricotta.

3. Build the crust

Combine the cornmeal, rice flour, cornflour, sugar and salt. Pour over the melted ghee and rub through with your fingers until it resembles damp sand, adding the water a tablespoon at a time until it just clumps when squeezed.