Künefe (Cheese Pastry in Syrup)

First make the syrup: boil the sugar, water and lemon juice for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened, then leave it to cool completely.

💡 The golden rule of Turkish syrup sweets: hot pastry meets cold syrup, or cold pastry meets hot syrup — never hot on hot, or it turns soggy.

Chop the kadayıf roughly, pour over the melted butter, and rub it through with your hands until every strand is coated.

Press half the buttered strands firmly into a small heavy pan to make a flat base, spread the cheese over, leaving a border, and pack the rest of the pastry on top, pressing down hard.

Cook over low-medium heat for 8–10 minutes until the base is deep gold, then invert onto a plate and slide it back to crisp the other side the same way.

💡 Keep the heat gentle and patient — too hot and the pastry burns before the cheese inside melts.

Slide the hot künefe onto a plate and immediately ladle the cold syrup evenly all over it. Scatter with pistachios and serve at once, while the cheese still stretches.