Ktefa (Milk Bastilla)
Last Updated: 2020-12-17
5 SERVINGS EASY 375 CAL DESSERT 38 MIN (10 MIN PREP + 28 MIN COOK TIME)
If I had to pick one reason why I travel, it’s to learn things or, rather, to re-learn things. You confirm a series of ideas and internalize information as you live through experiences.
For example, accompanying a group of travelers in Morocco I attended a dinner where I re-learned that Moroccan cuisine always has something new to offer. There was a dessert that I didn’t recognize that was so good that I went back for seconds and even thirds.
I took a picture of it and shared it shortly after on social media and asked people to tell me about it. That’s how I found out it was a variation of a very popular dish, especially in Fez, that’s usually served as a dessert at weddings and other celebrations: the milk bastilla, also known as ktefa or jawhara.
As a token of appreciation to all those who helped me discover this sweet delight, I’d like to dedicate this post to teach you how to prepare it. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
5 sheets of warqa pastry dough (substitute: phyllo pastry dough)
Finely chopped roasted almonds or other nut
Sunflower oil
Cream sauce
Creme Sauce Ingredients
300 ml (1¼ cup) of whole milk
45 g of sugar (60 g if you want it a little sweeter)
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 heaping tablespoon of orange blossom water
1 cinnamon stick
Directions
This dessert is a dangerous combination of simple-to-prepare and sinfully delicious. So, before you read on, consider yourself warned: this is not for people who count their calories.
1 Prepare the cream sauce: add 200 ml (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) of whole milk, the cinnamon stick, sugar and the orange blossom water to a saucepan. Put it over medium heat until the milk boils, then set it aside.
2 Then, put the rest of the milk into a glass and mix it with cornstarch until blended. When the milk in the saucepan is cold, add in the milk from the glass and put it on medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens to avoid sticking.
3 Cut the pastry dough sheets into circles with a large plate or a lid, then fry them in plenty of oil (they burn very quickly, be careful not to let the dough sheets turn too dark). Once fried, place them on oil-absorbent paper.
4 Finally, assemble the dish alternating a sheet of fried pastry dough with a couple of tablespoons of sauce and a few chopped roasted almonds. Garnish with extra sauce and almonds.
To sum it up, in just half an hour you can prepare yourself a creamy, crunchy dessert with enough calories to fill out your figure. If you still decide to make it… let me know what you think! Much love to all and see you in the next post.
If you want to learn more check out our page on Moroccan cooking.
