Mafroukeh

Mafroukeh is a semolina sweet found in Lebanese sweet shops, with white milk cream and nuts layered over a toasty grain base. When you scoop up the mixture spread across the plate, the granular base and the soft cream come together in one mouthful.

Bringing Baked Grains Back Together

In one pastry chef’s method, fine semolina is mixed with melted butter, milk, and sugar and baked. Partway through, it is broken into large pieces and baked further until golden; then it is crumbled finely, and butter and a rosewater syrup are added and worked in until the mixture comes together. What characterizes this recipe is that the grain, once baked, is crumbled and then bound together again with syrup and fat.

Ashta is placed on top of the mixture spread on a plate, and almonds and pistachios are scattered over it. The toasty aroma of butter and baked grain is layered with the mild flavor of dairy and the crunch of nuts. There are also versions in which the semolina is toasted in butter instead of baked. Lebanese cook Hadia Zeibib presents a brown mafroukeh in which caramel is added to the toasted grains, which are then layered with ashta and nuts.

On a Plate or in Layers

In another dish, by Lebanese chef Charles Azar, ground pistachios and flower water are mixed into the semolina dough, which is shaped into thin disks. A cream cooked from milk and starch is sandwiched between the disks, and apricot jelly is layered on top. In some versions, the nuts are not only scattered on at the end but also mixed into the dough itself.

In Lebanese chef Husni Ramadan’s method, the baked semolina is sifted until fine and heated with ghee, orange blossom water, and syrup. Ashta is placed on the mixture spread on a plate, and fried almonds and pistachios are scattered over it. The crumbled grains are worked together again to make a base for the cream.

The Ramadan menu of a Lebanese restaurant lists pistachio mafroukeh as a dessert for 6–8 people. It is a sweet that is also served on a large platter for sharing.

Compared with layali lubnan, in which semolina is cooked in milk and left to set, the difference in technique becomes clear: here, baked grains are crumbled and worked into a base.

Glossary