About this recipe

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Why you’ll love it

Crisp kadaif pastry, walnut cream, lemon honey syrup, cinnamon, butter, and kajmak turn into golden Balkan dessert nests made for a premium sweet table. 🍯

Ingredients

• Kadaif nests 🍯
• 🥠 250 g kadaif pastry, gently loosened (8.8 oz)
• 🧈 90 g butter, melted (6½ tbsp / 3.2 oz) dairy
• 🌰 170 g walnuts, finely chopped (1½ cups / 6 oz)
• 🍯 35 g honey (1½ tbsp / 1.2 oz)
• 🥛 80 g kajmak, or mascarpone as substitute (⅓ cup / 2.8 oz)
• 🌿 5 ml vanilla extract (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)
• 🌿 2 g ground cinnamon (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🧂 1 tiny pinch fine sea salt
• Lemon honey syrup 🍋
• 💧 220 ml water (scant 1 cup / 7.4 fl oz)
• 🍬 140 g sugar (⅔ cup / 4.9 oz)
• 🍯 70 g honey (3 tbsp / 2.5 oz)
• 🍋 30 ml lemon juice (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍋 3 wide lemon peel strips
• 🌿 5 ml vanilla extract (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)
• Kajmak cream finish ✨ dairy
• 🥛 120 g kajmak, mascarpone, or thick cream cheese (½ cup / 4.2 oz) dairy
• 🥛 80 g Greek yogurt (⅓ cup / 2.8 oz) dairy
• 🍯 15 g honey (2 tsp / 0.5 oz)
• 🍋 3 g lemon zest (1 tsp / 0.1 oz)
• To serve 🌰
• 🌰 30 g chopped walnuts (¼ cup / 1 oz)
• 🌿 Small pinch of cinnamon
• 🍋 Extra lemon zest
• 🍯 15 g honey for drizzling (2 tsp / 0.5 oz)

Preparation

• Make the syrup 🍋 Add water, sugar, honey, lemon juice, lemon peel, and vanilla to a small pot. Simmer for 8 min, then remove from the heat and cool for 15 min. The syrup should be warm, glossy, and lightly lemony.
• Prepare the walnut cream 🌰 Mix walnuts, honey, kajmak, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl for 1 min, until thick, fragrant, and slightly sticky.
• Shape the nests 🥠 Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush a 12-cup muffin tin with a little melted butter. Toss the kadaif pastry gently with the remaining melted butter until evenly coated.
• Fill the tin ✨ Press small handfuls of buttered kadaif into each muffin cup, shaping the pastry into nests with a hollow center. Add 1 tbsp walnut cream into each nest. Cover lightly with a few more strands of kadaif.
• Bake golden 🔥 Bake for 24 min, until the nests are deep golden, crisp on the edges, and fragrant. Let them sit in the tin for 5 min before removing carefully.
• Soak lightly 🍯 Spoon warm lemon honey syrup over the hot nests, about 1½ tbsp per nest. Let them rest for 20 min so the syrup settles while the edges stay crisp.
• Make the kajmak cream 🥛 Mix kajmak, Greek yogurt, honey, and lemon zest until smooth. Chill for 10 min while the nests absorb the syrup.
• Finish and serve 🌰 Top each kadaif nest with a small spoon of kajmak cream, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, lemon zest, and a thin honey drizzle. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

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