Pumpkin Kadayif by Chris Coyle

How ironic is it that my oven is out of commission?
A food
blogger, with a 3-year-old oven that doesn’t work properly. Why? ‘Because’,
said the nice repairman, ‘the oven door hinges are no good. Nothing is made to
last anymore.’ He ordered two new hinges, but only one came in – so I wait. I’ve
been using GE appliances for decades without a problem. I fear our relationship
may be coming to an end.

I’m bothered by this inconvenience because I wanted to bake
a nice Armenian-style pumpkin recipe for you. Instead, my food-blogging
friend, Chris Coyle, of Hye-Thyme Café fame, came to my rescue when I asked if I could share her
post for Pumpkin Kadayif with you.

She was happy to oblige, offering, with a
chuckle, her condolences on the state of my oven.

It is kind-of funny, but, at the same time, extremely frustrating!

With Chris’s permission, I offer you her delectable ‘Pumpkin
Kadayif’ recipe. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Kadayif, a recipe and photos by Chris Coyle from Hye-Thyme Cafe.

Pumpkin Kadayif by
Chris Coyle

First set of Ingredients:

1 pkg. Kadayif (Katayifi) dough (available at Middle
Eastern markets or bakeries – some restaurants- depneding on where you live)

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 can (15 oz.) Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground clove

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

Syrup:

2 c. sugar

1 c. water

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:

Shredded Dough:

Cut dough into 3 or 4 sections. Shred all of the dough into
a large bowl.

Pour the melted butter over the dough and work it through
with your hands to distribute. Press half
of the buttered dough into a casserole dish, sheet pan, large cake pan,
etc. It’s really just a matter of how “high” you want it – if
you’re trying to “stretch” it to serve more people, etc.

Filling:

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the
sugar until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin and spices and continue
beating to incorporate. Add the eggs, one at a time.

Spread all of filling
over the dough in your pan.
Evenly distribute the remaining dough over the
pumpkin filling.

Baking and Preparing the Syrup:

Bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes until golden. When
it just starts to brown, or just comes out of the oven, bring your sugar and
water to a boil, then squeeze in the lemon juice and continue to boil for about
a minute, stirring. You want to boil it long enough to cook into a syrup,
but not so long that it turns into candy! Better too thin than too thick.

Poke some holes in the top of the Kadayif with a small
paring knife or lobster pick – or a fork – then pour the hot syrup over the top
while the Kadayif is still hot. The holes are to make sure the syrup
soaks all the way through.

Chris’ comment: For some reason, the use of Phyllo or Kadayif
dough with syrup has been the subject of much discussion over the years.
I was always taught to pour hot syrup over cold Paklava to prevent sogginess
but to pour hot syrup over hot Kadayif. Others will tell you to pour cold
syrup over hot Paklava or hot syrup over cold Kadayif, etc.

To Serve: Garnish as desired and serve warm or cold.

Note: In the picture at the top of
this post, Chris topped the Pumpkin Kadayif with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a few
pumpkin seeds that she candied in a pan with a little brown sugar, cinnamon and
butter.

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