Aysh El Saraya

This dessert in very popular in Lebanon, particularly in Tripoli, an ancient city in northern lebanon that’s widely known for its sweets. It can be made well in advance, just save the assembly to the last minute before serving.

Ingredients:
Bread:
2 baguettes (day old)
5 cups granulated sugar
2 ½ cups water
1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp rose water
1 Tbsp orange blossom water
Cream:
1 gallon whole milk
2- 3 Tbsp white vinegar
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup course ground pistachios

Preparation:
Bread: Slice the baguettes thinly and place the slices on a baking sheet. Broil in the oven until lightly browned and thoroughly dried, stirring occasionally.
Combine the water and sugar in a pot over medium heat and add the lemon juice when the mixture comes to a boil. Dip a pastry brush with cold water and brush the sides of the pot, washing down the sugar, to avoid crystallization. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes and turn the heat down to the minimum.
Take one cup of the syrup and place in a shallow pan over high heat, stirring occasionally until it turns dark brown.
Being very careful and standing far from the stove, add the brown syrup to the light one. And stir using a wooden spoon with a long handle.
Add the rose and orange blossom water to the syrup and let cool for 10 minutes.
Combine the toasted bread and syrup in a large bowl and mix well.
Working in two batches with the food processor, pulse the bread mixture 10 times, until it’s little finer than cooked oatmeal, with a sticky spread like consistency.
Line an 18x12 baking sheet with wax paper and spray it with non stick spray or vegetable oil.
Using wet hands spread the bread mixture evenly on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Cream: Place the whole milk in a stainless steel pot over medium heat. Just before it comes to a boil, stir in the vinegar one tablespoon at a time until the milk curdles, and the whey is almost clear. Strain the milk using a fine mesh strainer.
Put the cream in a small pot and whisk in the cornstarch and sugar until completely dissolved. Place the pot over medium heat, stirring and being careful it does not stick to the bottom of the pan and scorch. Heat the mixture until thickened, for about 7 minutes.
Let the cream and cheese cool completely, then fold the cream into the cheese being careful not to over mix and break up the cheese completely. Put the cream mixture in an airtight container and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, slide the bread off the baking sheet and cut in half. Put one half on the bottom of the serving dish and peel off the paper. Top with half the amount of the prepared cream. Put the second half of the bread sheet on the cream and peel off the remaining paper. Top with the remaining cream and finish with a generous sprinkle of pistachios.

Serves 20