Shredded Pastry Filled With Cheese In Lemon Syrup

Of all of the traditional sweet, syrupy pastries, this one is my favourite, with its melted cheese and hint of lemon. Called "konafa" ("kunefe" or "kadayif" in Turkish), it is made with thin strands of pastry, similar in appearance to vermicelli. Unfortunately, they are almost impossible to make at home, as the batter requires tossing through a sieve onto a hot metal sheet over an open fire, but you can buy packets of ready-prepared strands in Middle Eastern, Turkish, and Greek food stores; you can also buy individual nonstick pans that are specifically designed for making konafa. The pastry is called "kadaif," which is also the name given to many of the sweet dishes prepared with it. The cheese most commonly used for konafa — dil peyniri — has a slightly rubbery texture and can be pulled apart into strings, so the standard pizza mozzarella is an ideal substitute. Perfect for the mezze table or, in fact, at any time of day, konafa is a sweet dish for reunions and celebrations — in other words, a dish to be shared.Mezze by Ghillie Basan, photography by Jan Baldwin, is published by Ryland Peters & Small.