The pastry is heated with some butter, margarine or palm oil for a
while and then spread with soft cheese (see Nabulsi cheese) and more
pastry; or the khishneh kunafah is rolled around the cheese. A thick
syrup, consisting of sugar, water and a couple of drops of lemon juice,
is poured on the pastry during the final minutes of cooking.
In Turkey, only kadayif pastry (shredded pastry;called "wire kadayif")
is used for making künefe. Kadayif is not rolled around the cheese.
Cheese is put in between two layers of wire kadayif. It is cooked in
small copper plates, served very hot in syrup with clotted cream
"kaymak" and pistachio/walnut.
Often the top layer of kadaif pastry is colored using orange food
coloring. Crushed pistachios are typically sprinkled on top as a
garnish.
Other variants
Kadaif
The threads are used to make pastries of various forms (tubes or
nests), often with a filling of chopped nuts, like that used for
baklava. A kadaif dessert is made by layering a mat of kadaif pastry, a
filling of chopped nuts, then another mat of pastry. The pastries or
dessert are painted with melted butter, baked until golden brown, then
drenched in sugar or honey syrup.
Ekmek Kadayıfı
Ekmek kataif ‘bread kataif’ is a traditional Turkish dessert, similar
to a bread pudding and not containing kataif pastry. It is served with
kaymak, a kind of clotted cream.