Znoud el Sit (Lebanese Ladies Fingers)

Znoud el sit (which translate to ladies fingers) are very popular during Ramadan for exactly that reason, they are a quick pick me up and you can rarely just have one.

When you try to explain what znoud el sit are to people who don't know - cream filled filo pastry rolls which are then deep fried - they usually gasp in shock 😱 or have love eyes 😍 ....

....and then you add the bit about dousing them in sugar syrup and it's usually too much.

There's something about warm thickened cream encased in pastry that knocks away your self control.

I use filo pastry (or phyllo if you're in the States) and cut the sheets into thirds which you can overlap in a cross shape to give double support.

I made the ashta from scratch as it's lighter thn just using pastry cream.

The ashta is made in a 2 part process, first make the curds (areesha) then make a base pastry cream and combine them together.

It sounds tricky but once you add the vinegar to the milk and the curds separate then it's pretty straightforward.

You don't want the ashta cream to burst open or the znoud will become very oily and it won't look too pretty.

When you fry them you want the oil to be hot enough but not too much or they will burn quickly.

They only take a minute or so on each side and they're done. Add a little syrup while they are still warm but don't soak them or they will become sickly sweet.

As always sprinkle with some crushed pistachios and indulge in the decadence without regret.

📖 Recipe

5 from 1 vote

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Znoud el Sit (Ladies fingers)

Lebanese ashta cream filled filo rolls

Course Dessert

Cuisine Lebanese

Keyword Party, Sweet, Treat

Author Zaatar and Zaytoun

Ingredients

• 250 g ready rolled filo pastry
• 2 tablespoon of melted butter
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Crushed pistachios

For the Clotted Cream (ashta)

• 6 cups full fat milk divided
• 3 tablespoons  white vinegar
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• ⅓  cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• ⅓  cup whipping or single cream
• ½ teaspoon orange blossom water

For the Orange Blossom Syrup

• ½ cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• tiny sprinkle of salt
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

Instructions

To make the Clotted Cream (ashta)

1. In a pot, heat up 4.5 tablespoon of the milk on medium heat until small bubbles start to form around the edges (before it boils)

2. Then reduce the heat to the lowest, and add the vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice to the milk so curds start to form

3. Turn off the heat and scoop out the curds (areesha), transfer to a strainer (sieve) to drain and set aside. You don't need the extra liquid for this recipe

4. In another pot, add the cornstarch to 1.5 cups of milk and whisk by hand until combined, then add the sugar and cream, and stir on medium heat until it starts to thicken at which point you turn off the heat

5. Let the pastry cream cool for around 5-10 minutes before adding the areesha and orange blossom water, and combine together

6. Let the ashta cool for another 15 minutes before adding plastic wrap to the top to avoid a crust forming.

To make the Orange Blossom Syrup

1. Add the water, sugar, salt and lemon juice to a saucepan, stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to the boil on a medium high heat.

2. Then add the orange blossom and reduce to a simmer for about five minutes. Set aside to cool

To assemble the Znoud el Sit

1. If your filo pastry is square, divide into thirds with a sharp knife to get rectangular strips. Cover the pastry with a muslin tablecloth so they won’t dry.
2. On a flat surface, lay out one pastry strip vertically and two thirds of the way down, lay another horizontally to form a cross shape

3. Add two tablespoons of ashta and bring in the horizontal sides, then roll up to the top, brushing some melted butter before you seal

4. Cover the rolled up znoud with a tea towel as you go along

5. Heat some vegetable oil in a deep pan, line a plate with kitchen towels to drain
6. Test the oil by putting in a tiny piece of filo pastry when it floats to top it is ready
7. Deep fry the znoud until golden for a minute or so turning as you go along. Transfer to the kitchen towel lined plate to drain
8. Assemble the fried znoud in a serving platter. Drizzle on a little orange blossom syrup and sprinkle with crushed pistachios
9. Serve either warm or cold

Recipe Notes

Cornstarch is known as cornflour in the UK and is used to thicken sauces

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