Blanch the almonds and chop in small pieces. Put them in a bowl with sugar, cinnamon and eggs. Gently open the kataifi pastry with your fingers, lay it on a piece of wood or marble and put one tablespoonful of almond mixture on one end, then roll the kataifi pastry into a cylinder. Take care to fold the pastry a little tight at first so that the filling is securely enclosed. Put it in a buttered baking dish. Melt the butter and cover every piece of rolled with it. Bake in a moderate oven for almost 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Cook the sugar with the water and lemon rind for five to ten minutes. Add the lemon juice and let all briefly cook until the syrup becomes somewhat thick. After removing the kataifi from the oven and before it becomes cold, pour the syrup over it. Cover the pastry with a clean towel and let cool as it absorbs the syrup.
Note: be careful to leave a little space between each piece of kataifi when placing them in the baking dish. If you don't, they touch eachother, the sides of each won't bake and the syrup will make the pastry soggy. |
