Cookbook Club and Sweet Cheese Mutabbaq

My Cook Book Club met this Sunday for the much anticipated CHEESE EDITION!  After an entire week of the SNAP Challenge I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited about cheese in my life, and my excitement about cheese is already quite high.  We had a smaller group this time, but still enjoyed a lovely spread of dairy while enjoying a September evening made for D.C. rooftops.

Also, not pictured a Caesar Salad that arrived after it was too dark to take photos!  I may or may not have gorged on cheese, and it was delightful.

As I’ve mentioned more than a few times now I had the Jerusalem cookbook, which is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve ever seen.  The book is laced with stories that tell about the history and culture of Jerusalem and the diverse religious and cultural communities within the ancient city.  The recipes are lovely and quite diverse, so I really pushed myself to make them while I had the book.  I also took photos of about four more recipes I plan to make!  While I had a number of options for recipes the incorporated cheese, I chose this one because I felt it would be the easiest to transport.  I actually brought it raw and baked it at Jessica’s house so that we could enjoy it warm!

Sweet Cheese Mutabbaq

Adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Muttabaq is a favorite sweet of Palestinians.  The Use of sweetened young white cheese is widespread in the city, however Palestinians are the only ones using sweet fresh sheep’s milk cheese.  Traditionally, the cheese is made in spring, when the pastures are lush and the milk is plentiful.  Some of the milk is cooked and the cheese is preserved in jars or cans in salted water.  It is later hydrated and used for a variety of savory recipes. 

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cups unsalted butter, melted
• 14 sheets filo pastry, 12 b 15 1/2″
• 15 oz cups ricotta cheese (I used whole milk ricotta)
• 10.5 oz goat cheese, softened
• Cinnamon
• 6 T water,
• 1 1/2 cup fine white sugar
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Almond extract
• Pistachios or walnuts (optional)

How To:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Brush a shallow rimmed baking sheet with melted butter.  Spread a filo sheet on top, brush all over with butter, top with another sheet and brush with butter again.  Repeat the process until you have a stack of seven sheets.  (Filo is very delicate and tends to stick together.  It will not be a problem if you add two sheets at once, just as long as you brush with butter.  When my sheets stuck together, I counted it as one sheet). 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta and goat cheese and mash together well with a fork.  Sprinkle in cinnamon (I didn’t measure, you just want it to be fleck with the spice) and mix well.
3. Spoon the cheese mixture over top of the filo sheet, leaving about 3/4 inch around the edge.  Spread evenly in a flat layer. (As I mentioned, filo is delicate!  I recommend trying to spoon it evenly to begin with rather than putting a large amount of cheese in the middle and spreading it out.  This will prevent the filo from breaking).  
4. Top with the remaining seven sheets of filo, brushing each with butter.  Use your fingers to carefully tuck the filo edges under the pastry to achieve a neat edge.  Brush the surface with more butter.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut the surface into roughly 2 3/4″ squares.  Do not allow the knife to go all the way through the pastry!  Bake for 25 – 27 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.   (I refrigerated it before cutting it, which I think made it easier to cut neatly).  
6. While the pastry is baking, prepare the syrup.  Put the water and sugar in a small sauce pan and mix with a wooden spoon.  Place over medium heat, bring to a boil, add lemon juice, turn heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add a couple of drops of almond extract.  You don’t want to go overboard, as a little bit goes a long way.  Transfer to the refrigerator to allow the syrup to cool to just above room temperature.  This will make it thicken.
7. Remove the pastry from the oven and slowly drizzle the syrup over it, making sure it soaks evenly.  (You will likely have extra syrup leftover).  If using, sprinkle with nuts.  Cut into even portions and serve warm.

Serves 12-16

Johanna